About

I'm Nicholas Van De Pas — a former subsea engineer now building location-independent products at the intersection of engineering rigour and AI-assisted development. Based between New Zealand and Montreal.

The Engineering Years

I spent 7 years in subsea engineering across Ocean Installer and AMOG Consulting. I started as a graduate engineer and progressed to Senior Project Engineer, working across Melbourne, Houston, and Norway. Bachelor's degree in Ocean Engineering.

I didn't leave engineering because I hated it — I left because I wanted to build something of my own. The decision to go location-independent was deliberate: I wanted freedom over geography.

The Transition

The first serious discovery was that AI tools — specifically Claude Code — let me build things at a pace that would've been impossible otherwise. An engineer who can also ship software, automate workflows, and build products is a different kind of asset. That's the identity I'm developing, and this site documents it.

What I'm Building Now

• NZ Web Design for Trades — web design + hosting service targeting NZ trades businesses without websites. Lead database of 500+ businesses built via Google Places API.
• This portfolio — documenting the build process publicly.
• AI automation tools — lead gen, workflow automation, exploring SaaS opportunities.

Connect

Find me on LinkedIn or check out my business site at nicholasvandepas.com.