Alan Steenstrup is one of the newer members of the Emperor Divers team – but he is certainly no stranger to the world of scuba diving.
He joined us as a liveaboard consultant in 2024 having been a key cog in the structure of Undersea Hunter Group for 27 years. Because of that he will be a very familiar face to many in the industry.
His long stay with Undersea Hunter came in contrast to his earlier years during which he grew up in Denmark, Zambia and Kenya; studied in the United States where he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and even had a stint working with the Peace Corps office in Botswana before arriving in Costa Rica in the early 1990s where he first worked as a naturalist guide.
It’s certainly a ‘much-travelled’ existence.
And now he has arrived with Emperor and is looking forward to continuing his work in a career that was never really planned.
Alan explains: “I have known Alex (Bryant, Emperor CEO) and Clare (Armstrong, Emperor Chief Administration Officer) for many years and have always gotten along very well with them and been impressed with everything I have seen about Emperor.
“So, when the opportunity arose to join the company, I jumped at it.
“Honestly, I got into the diving industry by chance, with Undersea Hunter in Costa Rica, but then worked with them for many, many years. I have always been on the reservations/sales/operations side of things, but I think the same principles count throughout the industry.
“I would always say you must travel as much as you can to build up experience and make great contacts in the industry.
“If you are in the tourism industry then always remember that the clients come first – no matter what. It is your responsibility to share the incredible ocean with them. So being a people person is key.”
And that brings us nicely to Alan’s plans for this weekend (September 7/8, 2024) when he will very happily be representing Emperor Divers at the ScubaCon show in Boulder, Colorado.
“My first dive show was in 1998 and I truly still enjoy every show as if it is my first,” he says. “I love interacting with divers and sharing the enthusiasm for our destinations. Furthermore it is always such a pleasure to see and catch up with everyone I know in the diving industry.
“The fun moments really come down to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at each and every show. I know that is a very generic answer, but it is what I value the most at these shows.”
Having been a part of the diving industry for so many years, Alan has witnessed a few changes to the way things work – one of which he sees as something that will continue to develop.
“There are more worldwide clients now with more knowledge about destinations and a thirst to visit and revisit those places.
“And with the advance of the internet then it has gotten easier to present these destinations to these same divers, plus it is now much easier to book and go diving, even on short notice.
“My hope is there will be continued growth in the industry, especially to get new divers to visit far flung dive destinations. This might be a bit idealistic, but I truly believe the experiences divers get on such trips help to make this a better world.
“But this must also go hand in hand with taking care of these destinations. It is incredibly important to protect dive destinations so that they do not become overrun by too many divers on a daily basis.”