A ‘life in balance’: TJ Dalton becoming a dive master
Timothy James (TJ) Dalton Jr. loves music and diving, although not necessarily at the same time. This 20-year-old Islander left his acoustic guitar behind on Shelter Island for the month of June and traveled to Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean to become a professional dive master and work as an intern at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino Bonaire.
TJ is inspired by his dad, Tim Dalton, who has been a passionate diver and underwater photographer for over 30 years. He also teaches disabled divers and TJ said he would like to do this someday, too. He started diving when he was 12 years old and was first certified as a diver in the Bahamas. He said he loves being on boats and gets “anxious” if he isn’t near the water. He surfs year round and comes home to the Island from college as much as he can, even in the winter, just to get in the water, he said. He is also a skateboarder. He describes how he broke his arm last summer on Paard Hill when he was “bombing hills” where “you find the biggest hill and just go as fast as you can.”
TJ’s love of water comes naturally. His siblings Annamarie and Richard Ruscica Jr. and stepdad Richard are avid longboard surfers and often ride waves at Ditch Plains in Montauk, an East Coast mecca for surfers. He said he wants to dive around Shelter Island with his dad, Tim, when he gets back and “look for lobsters and old bottles.”
A 2010 Shelter Island High School graduate, TJ played in the Concert and Jazz bands. He played guitar in the band, “Human Error.” The group has since disbanded, but they played gigs at the Dory and Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett. TJ attends college at Five Towns College in Dix Hills where he majors in music education and mostly plays classical guitar. After he graduates from college and before he begins teaching music, he plans to take a couple of years to pursue his other love: diving — and that’s what this summer is all about.
TJ worked at Scuba Network of Long Island, both during and following high school, and traveled with the Scuba Network’s crew to Bonaire last year and this past January. When the director of the diving program at Divi Flamingo was looking for an intern, TJ’s boss recommended him. He asked TJ to stay for the entire month of June because the resort celebrates its 25th anniversary and he told TJ they would be “swamped with guests.”
His dive master certification enables him to be a guide, drive the boat and lead others on dives. At the same time that he works as an intern, he will also become certified as an instructor. TJ expects to have long days filled with diving — from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. He’ll work in the dive shop and repair and maintain equipment for the resort’s guests, in addition to teaching diving and “doing everything.”
As an unpaid intern, TJ had to pay for his trip out of pocket and is earning both his instructor and dive master certifications through “sweat equity.” Before he left, TJ was excited about the summer. He said he expected it to be a “once in a lifetime experience. Mind-blowing.”
The Divi Flamingo Resort’s motto is “Discover a life in balance: Eat, sleep, dive.” And that’s just what TJ Dalton is doing.
Over the summer, the Reporter will feature occasional profiles of Island kids who are involved in unusual summer projects. For more information, contact JoAnn Kirkland.