Meet the Team

Erik Ahlin

Erik Ahlin born and raised in a small village on the Eastern Coast of Sweden, Erik has spent as much time at sea as on land over his lifetime! With a love for ice- and snow sports, such as skiing and ice skating.

Erik began diving in 2011 and by early 2012 he decided to start his professional diving career around the Komodo Islands in Indonesia, and has been his main job ever since.
He loves diving in currents, and the more challenging the conditions are the more fun it is. Challenging conditions make you a better diver is his philosphy.

In 2015 Erik came back to Koh Tao for a “quick visit” and some further dive training. But, as can happen to the best, he got stuck and has been living on the island ever since! He joined the Rocotpus team in 2018 after meeting the crew and immediately feeling like part of the family. In 2019 he started working with the pro centre as a Divemaster- and speciality Instructor.
On his spare time he enjoys music, cooking and taking his dog Angus on walks around Koh Tao and along the beach.

Stephen Read

Stephen Read moved to Koh Tao in November of 1999, after training to become a dive professional in Australia. Since then, He has:

  • Certified over 1,000 divers, from Open Water to Instructor levels within PADI  as a Certified Master Instructor and EFR Instructor Trainer.
  • Certified over 400 in D.A.N. (Diver’s Alert Network) courses of all levels.
  • Gained 6,880 SSI Experience Points and recognized by SSI as a Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor, their highest instructor rating.
  • Become a RAID Instructor Trainer

Not only is Stephen a highly experienced instructor, he is also our resident dive medicine and dive physiology expert. He is a certified Respond Right Instructor Trainer, React Right Instructor Trainer, Diver Medical Technician, and Assistant Life Support Technician at DDRC (Diving Disease Research Centre). He has also spent time working in Recompression Chambers.

Outside teaching Stephen loves to go sidemount diving and technical diving and is working toward becoming an instructor within these areas. The learning never stops.

Stephen Read moved to Koh Tao in November of 1999, after training to become a dive professional in Australia. Since then, He has:

  • Certified over 1,000 divers, from Open Water to Instructor levels within PADI  as a Certified Master Instructor and EFR Instructor Trainer.
  • Certified over 400 in D.A.N. (Diver’s Alert Network) courses of all levels.
  • Gained 6,880 SSI Experience Points and recognized by SSI as a Platinum Pro 5000 Instructor, their highest instructor rating.
  • Become a RAID Instructor Trainer

Not only is Stephen a highly experienced instructor, he is also our resident dive medicine and dive physiology expert. He is a certified Respond Right Instructor Trainer, React Right Instructor Trainer, Diver Medical Technician, and Assistant Life Support Technician at DDRC (Diving Disease Research Centre). He has also spent time working in Recompression Chambers.

Outside teaching Stephen loves to go sidemount diving and technical diving and is working toward becoming an instructor within these areas. The learning never stops.

Piers – ecoTrust Manager and Marine Biologist

Piers is the ecoTrust Manager and runs our Marine Ecology and Conservation Programme. He first qualified as a professional diver in 2015 before completing his instructor qualifications in Indonesia. Following this, Piers returned to the UK to study and graduate from the University of Plymouth with an Honours degree in Marine Biology. During this time his main area of research was marine animal behaviour, specialising in how marine animals make decisions during contests. This then led him to write a research paper on fighting behaviours and decision making in sea anemones! He has a passion for understanding the ecology and diverse interactions between species we see while diving and loves to educate people on how certain organisms react, why they behaving in such a way, and why they as a species are so important for our reefs. Piers and the eco-team are currently involved in several underwater projects that focus on monitoring and managing the reefs around Koh Tao. Piers is a team player and a father figure to his team of eco-interns and eco-divemasters. If he’s not out on the boat conducting scientific surveys he’s giving academic presentations on fish & coral species and if he’s not doing that then he’s chatting about conservation at our beach bar. Young, passionate and enthused to help educate and impact our seas, Piers will take you under his wing and make you an eco-warrior with the skills and information to make a difference.

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