Hidden Gems: Meet Jason Watters of UnderWatters

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Watters.  

Hi Jason, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have been in love with the ocean since I was a child. As a native San Diegan, I frequented the local beaches, especially La Jolla, to swim and snorkel as a kid. I was a familiar face at the Birch Aquarium, trying to memorize every detail about every marine species. When I used to snorkel in La Jolla Cove, I would see scuba divers coming out of the water with all their gear on and I would think to myself, “I want to try that someday… I want to go below the ocean’s surface and see all the amazing things that live there.”

Flash forward about 10 years, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to French Polynesia, more specifically to the islands of Moorea and Bora Bora. When I was in Moorea, I saw a small hotel sign that offered a one-time scuba diving excursion, with no experience required. With the beautiful coral reefs and turquoise waters there, I thought to myself “well, if not here, then where?” So, I went through with it and took the plunge and I was absolutely sold. I never would have thought that brief time underwater would change the course of my life.

As a financial professional with a master’s degree, I was working the normal corporate life in San Diego and diving for fun on the side. Throughout that time, I slowly increased my skills and worked my way up through an advanced certification, rescue diver certification, and then moved forward with my PADI Divemaster course which is the first level of professional diving. It was here I was able to help teach classes, lead guided tours in La Jolla Cove, and get a real insight into the life of a career scuba diver.

I’m a firm believer that if you aren’t continuously learning, you’re just going backward. So, even with my corporate finance career, I continued my scuba diving interest on the side and completed the rigorous instructor course; a fulfilling and eye-opening experience. After that, I kept progressing and became a Master Scuba Diver Trainer which is where I am today. However, it was when I was a Divemaster that I kept thinking that life is too short to sit behind a desk forever. Life is meant to be lived, to be experienced, and to be enjoyed. So, I thought “how could I marry my business and finance background with my love of scuba diving and the ocean?” After a lot of thought and after-work hours, UnderWatters Co. was finally born.

UnderWatters Co. exists to help others find a love for our oceans and for the sport of scuba diving. The absolute best part of being an instructor and running UnderWatters Co. is the joy I see from students as they take the same leap of faith that I did years ago. I can see them grinning from ear to ear as they progress through their courses and it gives me pride to know that we are able to help facilitate that for them. When I started UnderWatters Co., one of my primary goals was to fill a much-needed gap in the scuba diving community. That is why our primary focus is high-touch, high-quality private courses where students control their schedules and get custom, one-on-one training. Whatever course they’re doing, whatever time they’re doing it, they’re learning in an intimate environment with the ideal instructor/student ratio.

We’ve been very fortunate to have grown significantly since our inception by staying true to that mission; to instill a love of our oceans with our students and bring them a world of scuba diving services, right at their doorsteps. UnderWatters Co. continues to live that mission every day, and it would not be possible without our incredible staff and our local residents and tourists alike.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With every business, COVID hit hard. Luckily, what we do is primarily outdoors and underwater so the limitations were less severe for us. It is not likely to get exposed to covid when you’re breathing your own air, surrounded by a vast body of water. However, a lack of tourists and local San Diegans going “out and about” was difficult to push through.

Scuba diving also has some preconceived notions for people. “It’s super dangerous, I can’t do the rigorous training, there are sharks out there, it’s too much swimming” are common. At UnderWatters Co, we always put safety as the number one priority and follow PADI standards to a tee (PADI is one of the most prominent scuba diving regulatory agencies worldwide). To combat these ideas, we focus on education; what it takes to be a diver, what doors it can open up, how to train efficiently, and how to interact with marine life, etc.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
UnderWatters Co. is a boutique dive company that services both local residents and tourists in San Diego, CA. We offer a variety of offerings such as multi-level scuba certification courses, guided dive tours for certified divers, and our Discovery Scuba Experience for first-time, non-certified divers. UnderWatters Co. focuses primarily on private, intimate courses with a white glove service standard for an ideal client experience. Composed of native San Diegans, the UnderWatters Co’s staff has decades of cumulative experience diving the California coast and working closely with students.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was about 12 years old, my mother took me to La Jolla Cove and let me snorkel out on my own. I brought a small bag of frozen peas and shook them out around me. In a matter of seconds, I felt like I was in the eye of a tornado as hundreds of beautiful fish swarmed around me. Even though it was an amazing experience, I would never do that today as I now know it disrupts the local ecosystem. Life is all about learning from your experiences and it brings me joy to compare and contrast this experience as it shows how far I have come and how far I have left to go.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.underwatters.com
• Instagram: underwatters_co