Vanessa Eugene – Sandals Watersports Swimming Sensation

Vanessa Eugene is a bona fide seawater lover! She has found her dream job working in the watersports department at Sandals Grande St Lucian Spa & Beach Resort for eight years.

Her journey started as a watersports attendant in 2015. By 2016, she had already became a dive master.

Vanessa says this was not a difficult process, as she was primarily responsible for assisting the dive team with equipment classes and sometimes leading on dives.

By 2017, she was so adept that she was promoted to the position of assistant dive instructor, and then to a dive instructor.

With the official opening of Sandals Royal Curacao, it was evident that Vanessa’s skillset would be in high demand, and once the opportunity became available, she was not shy about applying for a chance to be on the team.

Vanessa credits the Managing Director, Mr. Winston Anderson, for her recent journey to Curacao. She says, “Mr. Anderson was always talking about how opportunities are coming and we need to be ready. At the time, this was the newest resort in the Sandals chain that was opening up, and they needed skills like mine. So I filled in the application form, and did the interviews”.

With her ticket in hand, she was prepared to leave Saint Lucia and make her mark in the Dutch Caribbean. Vanessa recounts this time in her life. “I was very excited at first, then reality struck. I was a bit sad because I was going away from my family, but I overcame these early jitters, and I was ready to board the flight. It was Curacao, here I come!” Curacao was beautiful. The buildings were pretty tall and colourful and she soaked in the culture.

On her first day at Sandals Royal Curacao, she was happy to be re-acquainted with the watersports dive shop and activities. She says, “I had started my journey and I would be alongside the department head, trying to make things happen in the Sandals way, enjoying a new culture and among new friends and family.”

Vanessa grew up in the water. Every chance she got as a girl, and as a young woman when not at work, she spent in the water.

So to hear her describe the waters in Curacao, speaks to the amazing experience she had.

“Most days, the water is clear at 120 feet and dives are wall dives. Being an all-rounder is key. I felt very important, because I was comfortable on the beach, in the pool, or diving. I knew how to manoeuvre all of these areas so it was easy to work with my new team, teaching them all the necessary skills.”

She describes Curacao as a dream diver’s destination, where the coral is absolutely beautiful.

Having stayed there for eight months, Vanessa said she also learned a lot. “I had to use a floating dock for the first time. This was quite a learning experience because I was used to a non-movable dock in Saint Lucia. The experience really elevated me. Maybe I will return someday, but with Saint Vincent, perhaps there is an opportunity there as well so that is on my horizon.”

Her future with Sandals is bright she says, and she is open to all of the possibilities that may present themselves.

SOURCE: Sandals