ROMAIN, RETAIL ASSISTANT AT DECATHLON LA DÉFENSE

Romain is a retail assistant at Decathlon La Défense and a Sub'Editor for the Subea brand. He is keen on scuba diving. Learn more about him…

romain vendeur decathlon la defense gabiniere

I’m 29 years old. I initially discovered snorkeling thanks to many trips with my family around the Mediterranean. At the time, I already loved spending all day in the water, so I decided to do an intro dive in Corsica but I wasn't hooked right away. I was 15 when I discovered a real passion for scuba diving during a trip to Martinique, where I got my initial certification. Since then, I've been diving regularly with clubs and while travelling, but without having any thought of taking it any further. Until now.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT DECATHLON ?

Initially, I started a preparatory course in engineering school but I didn't like that at all, so I decided to stop and start over from scratch. After having travelled around the Mediterranean for approximately 5 years, I said to myself that it was time to settle down, and I then started thinking about what I wanted and what I could do. I looked for a little job, it wasn't necessarily to make it my profession, and I ended up applying at Decathlon at La Défense. Since September, I've worked 35 hours per week in the “Water Sports” section, at my request, following a change of manager.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT SCUBA DIVING?

It's about the same thing that scares me before going into the water: it's the unknown, which is a little bit scary when you're above and can't see what's down below. But once under water, it's another world and that's what attracts me the most: a world of silence where there is so much to discover and where I can feel free.

WHAT'S YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL MEMORY OF AN UNDERWATER EXPERIENCE?

In Porquerolles, around the Île du Levant, during an internship at UCPA. Many barracudas had come to hunt in the shoal of small fish where we were diving.To be surrounded by barracudas on the hunt was a bit scary but it was extremely impressive to see how a fish could disappear in a flash like that.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE IDEA OF BECOMING A SUB-EDITOR?

For me, it's a progression from the work that we do with our customers, more specifically, in our department.Becoming a Subea brand Sub-editor makes it possible to expand the relationship and to create a slightly deeper bond with the customer while sharing my diving experience and knowledge.