David Mottola

Location: Santo Stefano al Mare (IM), Italy
Occupation: Technical diving instructor and rebreather/ diving center owner/ professional photographer
Scuba Diving Since: 1990
Favorite Local Dive: Secca di Santo Stefano
Favorite Dive Location: Mediterranean Sea

An Interview with David

Why did you decide to take the giant stride into the oceans? 

I come from a family of boat owners for generations so I have lived from an early age with the sea inside. I started as a child spending entire days practicing freediving in the rocks below the house and then as a boy I also took up scuba diving . At the age of 27 my passion for the sea became such that I decided to leave a secure job as an agent in the family business to open my own diving center, Nautilus Technical Diving Center.

How has diving changed your life?

In the late 1990s/early 2000s I had the good fortune to participate in several organized expeditions to deep and unexplored wrecks that strongly contributed to igniting in me a passion for exploration that I have continued to carry out and culminated in 2006 when, together with my team, I found the wreck of a Roman ship located in front of St. Stephen al Mare! I decided that I would dedicate a good part of my now working activity to exploration as well as teaching. Off with jacket and tie forever!!!

What kind of diving do you like to do?

I enjoy all types of diving, the important thing is to keep my head underwater! I still prefer naturalistic and research diving.

Tell us about one of the most amazing experiences you have had underwater? 

In 30 years of activity I must say that there have been many diving moments unforgettable...entering an unexplored wreck first, playing with baby sea lion in California Bay, the amazing Sardine run with Marlin, Whales and Lions in the Pacific Ocean, coming face to face with the leopard seal in Antarctica where there was no missed a few seconds of concern given the somewhat watchfulness of the aforementioned seal that was rightly defending its territory!!!

Where are some of your favorite places underwater?

There are so many of my favorite sites, but certainly the portion of the Mediterranean sea that I have in front of me offers interesting insights both for the countless encounters and for the presence of coral.

What is your advice to someone considering diving?

Let yourself be swept away by this passion that will take you to a world completely different from the terrestrial one, enjoy it fully but always with respect and in safety.

What would you tell people about the oceans?

The oceans are critical resources for everyone, both for those who inhabit it but also for those who, like us, experience it as visitors. We must learn to do so with respect and awareness.

What does diving mean to you?

Diving has become my job but remains first and foremost the most enduring passion of my life, my world...a love that is never tired! Underwater everything is different and the time spent down there is the best one can spend.

What's your favorite thing in your dive bag?

I think all parts are important because they contribute to the equipment safe and high-performance equipment that accompanies me during my dives, even the deepest deep.

Follow David on Social Media:

Instagram: @david_nautilus
Tiktok: @davidemottola73
Facebook: Davide Mottola
Youtube: Davide Mottola