komododiver;
I am a divemaster living down in Yangmei…I can steer some students your way if you are interested…
Do you have gear, transportation, materials, and access to a pool?
Send me a PM and I’ll see what I can get set up for you…have lots of contacts in the diving industry here…L.A. divers (955 Chung-chen Rd Taoyuan) has a nice indoor pool for confined water…
Done Green Island yet?
Cheers
hello… I am an American/Australian scuba diving instructor based in taoyuan, usually diving in the northeast during the warm months (late april to end of september) and diving in the south (Kenting (Kending)) during the colder months (oct to april). I am currently working on my career progression towards higher level instructor ratings. I can train non divers and divers up to the advanced level of divemaster and assistant instructor… if any serious individuals out there are interested, I’ll train you as far as you want to go, you’ll only have to pay for your books, license fees, and actual diving expenses, no profit to me… this offer would suit those who are actually interested in the possibility of earning their own instructor license someday… if you are interested please post back to me, I’ll take on a small number of serious divers… cheers, ken
Thanks for the great offer Komodo. I’m going to give it some thought. Mmm, I wonder where a fat bastard like me can get a wetsuit?? 
Do you really need a wetsuit in summer? I think my fur would keep me warm.
Note: I told KomodoDiver to move his post(s) to the travel forum. I think it is the best place for it.
wetsuits off the shelf in taiwan might not fit… but getting a custom made suit here is not expensive… if you know the right shop or instructor to measure you up…
Would you recommend using a dry suit if you plan on spending half your day, every day under water? Is a dry suit too much for tropical waters even for a professional?
As for specializations…I would be interested in my Master Diver (5 specializations, right?)with an emphasis on underwater cinematography. I am in no hurry to achieve these goals and would like to add to your generous offer. As I acheive my levels, I would be very happy to work as your Dive Master, helping others…I too would not expect any remuneration for this.
Let’s get out there. I know you PM’d me about starting next spring, but if you’d like, I’d love to get some dives in with you now. I have about 30 logged dives…that’s half way to the DM requirement isn’t it?
I also wouldn’t mind getting started on the theory. How soon can I buy (borrow?) the books? Are the books and videos available on CD/DVD yet?
I was planning to do some more diving after CNY. I have a Rescue Cert, and would like to get a DM ticket by the summer.
Weekends would be tough tho’ - too many other commitments. On the other hand, I can probably get my paws on a boat on the NE coast.
Why wait?
It’s not that cold up north during the winter…Water temps will drop to around 60-65 degrees…A good 5mm with a vested hood should keep you warm. Vis is better too.
Only thing is the inclement weather…South of Mao-ao is your best bet for winter diving…The prevailing northeast winds are blocked by the mountains, which make these northern Illan county dive sites accessible through the end of December…After that, it’s pretty much shot until the end of March.
We’ve had 20 meter plus visibility on a few of these chilly excursions!
PS: Large wetsuits are widely availible now…At 6 foot, 210 pounds I tried several from IST that were WAY too big for me…Booties up to size 13 are also around.
while it is true that northern tw waters get cold… still no dry suit required… and no, even if you are diving all day … a dry suit would not be needed… even in places where the instructors become acclimated to the warm water, when they hit a ‘cold’ day, a 3mm wetsuit is fine…
here in tw many divers continue through the winter with a farmer john wetsuit… overall pants, topped with a jacket, and hood, (10mm over the chest)
drysuits are expensive, a pain to handle and store, not time, nor cost effective for subtropic to tropic waters…
one thing about the colder waters… you’ll hardly ever find ‘students’ diving in the colder half of the year (mid oct to late april) here in northern tw… unless that student happens to be a native of europe 
for the average recreational diver (meaning, not ‘avid’) northern tw is not where they would think to dive during the colder months…