Ustica 1^st marine protected area of Italy since 1986

Originally from Nantes and Guadeloupe, after five years of studies, my uncle offered me the opportunity to join him in the Philippines at his diving center. There, he passed on his passion for the underwater world, and I had the chance to discover scuba diving as part of everyday life. This experience was a turning point for me, as it made me realize that diving was not just a passion, but a true vocation. It was in the Philippines, inspired by this exceptional environment and by the desire to share this passion with others, that I decided to turn it into my profession and became a diving instructor and I'm now in Ustica, ready to guide you and teach you in French or English!

I’m Mathia, a Divemaster and part of the Orca Diving Ustica team since last year. I live here in Ustica, so the sea is not just my workplace — it’s my everyday environment and home. I had my first dive at just 9 years old, and since then I’ve never really left the Mediterranean behind. Growing up surrounded by it shaped my path naturally into diving, and today I’m lucky enough to turn that lifelong connection into my profession. I work as both a boat diver and a dive guide, supporting divers in and out of the water and helping ensure safe, enjoyable experiences on every dive. I especially enjoy guiding dives and sharing the underwater world with people from different backgrounds. I speak Italian, Spanish, and English, which allows me to connect easily with divers from all over the world and make them feel comfortable both on the boat and underwater.

Raised among the landscapes of the plains, my mind was always turned toward the sea. My love for the blue began early — at just 15 years old, while on holiday in Greece, I put my head underwater for the first time, and since then I’ve never stopped chasing bubbles.

I completed my first courses exploring the wonders of the Mediterranean, between the seabeds of Argentario and the marine protected areas of Liguria.

But my desire to discover the world took me much further. Last year, I decided to make a radical change in my life, leaving my job to pursue my dream of traveling full-time.

This choice led me to the warm waters of Thailand, in Koh Tao, where I fulfilled my passion by becoming a Divemaster.

Today, with my backpack always ready and my wetsuit close at hand, I can’t wait to share with you the beauty of the underwater world and the joy of someone who has chosen to make the ocean his home.

Passionate about wildlife and nature since childhood, I discovered in 2019, in New Caledonia, the fascinating parallel world of the ocean. Through travels and dives, this revelation became clear: to train professionally in order to share my passion, raise awareness about the protection and conservation of the marine environment, teach others, and keep exploring again and again.

I was born in Udine in northern Italy, but both of my parents are Sicilian, and I grew up with a strong connection to the Mediterranean Sea. Before becoming a diving professional, I built a career in finance in cities such as London, Munich, and Vienna, after spending time studying abroad in Los Angeles and New Delhi. Eventually, however, the ocean proved stronger than the office. After discovering scuba diving in 2012, what started as a passion soon became a new life path. Today, I work as a PADI and SSI instructor, trip leader, and boat captain, and I have logged more than 3,800 dives guiding divers in the Mediterranean, the Maldives, the Red Sea, the Caribbean, and Thailand. Fluent in Italian, English, Spanish, and German, I truly enjoy sharing my love for the sea and exploring the underwater world with divers from all over the globe.