About Us

Kim Langridge IDC Staff Instructor & EFR INstructor # 641705 - Owner of Island Divers

From his first dives onwards at age 16, Kim was hooked on diving. When he qualified at 22 the world was his oyster and he went to work as a commercial diver offshore. It was always his dream to open a dive store and when he returned to fun diving on a holiday with his sons, he realised that he had to bite the bait and take his PADI instructor exam. After gliding through his exams he moved to the Isle of Wight with wife, Alison, and opened Island Divers in May 2007. Kim has now achieved PADI Staff Instructor rating and Island Divers was awarded PADI 5 Star IDC Centre rating too.
Kim is highly accomplished in technical and wreck diving, although he also thoroughly enjoys the aquatic life we have in the UK. This is reflected in the dive centre being an official partner of Project A.W.A.R.E.

Kim’s best dive ever was in the Shetland Islands alongside the delightful seals found there! He has also experienced ice diving in Norway and teaches over 23 Specialities through Island Divers. As part of The Historical Diving Society, Kim enjoys old school hardhat diving too and is a keen collector of Russian Diving Equipment.

Polly ‘Pirate’ Philipson OWSI & EFR Instructor #642018
Polly was booked on an Open Water course when living in New Zealand with family in 2002. It was the beginning of an obsession. She completed her PADI Advanced at the Poor Knights and dived all over NZ. She then travelled the world, diving in places such as Fiji, Australia and the Cook Islands. It was in Indonesia that she got her first diving job with Blue Marlin Dive Centre where she worked for three seasons, completing her Rescue and Divemaster.

Polly also completed her degree in Art History and Journalism, at Brighton University, and moved back to the Island in April 2007. It was here she took her AI course and then her Open Water Scuba Instructor in the Red Sea with Island Divers. She is passionate about conservation and Project A.W.A.R.E.

Polly dreams of travelling the high seas, teaching diving and promoting Project A.W.A.R.E through journalism and conservation projects. Her best ever dive was in Fiji where she swam alongside Bronze Whaler sharks in the tropical waters.

Kev Martin OWSI & EFR Instructor #644405
Kev started diving in the UK in February 2006 on the IOW. He has a fantastic knowledge of local dive sites and is an experienced local diver. His best ever dive was on the U-90 last year, which is a superb 215ft U-boat wrecked off the SE of the Island and lying in 30m of water. Kev passed his Open Water Scuba Instructor Exam in November 2007 and hasn’t looked back since. He is especially interested in Night Diving, Wreck Diving and Deep Diving.

Kev’s dream is to work in a dive centre in the Caribbean, and he is mad enough to want to dive with Great Whites in the future too! Kev’s favourite marine animal is the beautiful cuttlefish, which we are lucky enough to have around the Island.