The equipment divers use underwater is quite literally what makes the sport of diving possible. The origins of scuba date back to the 19th century, though we’re most familiar with the Aqua-Lung system developed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Émile Gagnan in 1943. The scuba gear we use today still uses the same technology—a regulator connected to a tank of compressed gas—but over the span of 80 years, dive equipment manufacturers have driven innovation to make gear significantly more reliable, comfortable and capable than ever before.

And it’s people like Sandra Knapps who make that possible. Based in Switzerland, Knapps is the lead mechanical engineer for Scubapro dive computers.

“As a mechanical engineer, my team focuses on the physical design of the computers, the graphic user interface, and the mechanics within them,” Knapps says. “That can cover anything from the feel of the buttons and placement of the display to ensuring it is watertight to an intended depth and the overall comfort of the device when using it.”

In addition to the engineering side of her job, Knapps is also a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and the lead test diver for the computers. “Every one of our computers must go through hundreds of hours of underwater testing, so we spend quite a bit of time in the water,” she says. “We do the testing in both saltwater locations and nearby lakes in Switzerland, where we can dive year-round.”

While Knapps is a passionate diver today, it wasn’t diving that first brought her to Switzerland. “I’m originally from Paraguay, and my family moved to Germany when I was 11,” she recalls. “I moved to Switzerland because I loved snowboarding.”

She got her open water certification in her early 20s on a trip to Thailand and didn’t think about it again until a boyfriend encouraged her to get back into the sport. She began diving recreationally on vacations while working as an engineer for a different company.

“One day I saw a job listing for a mechanical engineer at Scubapro, and it seemed like a perfect fit,” she says. “The job didn’t require a scuba certification, but they were certainly looking for people who wanted to get certified and pursue a career in diving, if they weren’t already.”

Related Reading: What It's Like to Be a Scuba Instructor

After she got the job, Scubapro provided opportunities for continuing education so she could join the test diving team, which included everything from advanced and scientific diver courses to her PADI Divemaster and Open Water Scuba Instructor courses. She now teaches for a local diving school and also occasionally conducts specialty courses, such as PADI Dry Suit Diver, for coworkers.

Knapps says one of the best things about working for a dive equipment company like Scubapro is the shared passion for diving among her colleagues.

“One of the most interesting experiences we had was when the whole office went ice diving together!” she says. “We had a manager at the time who was a technical and ice diving instructor, so we all went up into the mountains, cut a hole in the ice and had this unique experience as a team.”

Job Requirements

Degree: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, hardware or software engineering

Salary: Mechanical engineering salaries in Switzerland start at around 80,000 Swiss francs (around $90,000 USD) but can vary by location and experience level.

Certifications: To join the test diver team: a minimum of rescue diver, full face mask and 50 logged dives.