Open Water Scuba Instructor

I have completed the IDC & IE successfully and can now call myself an Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)!!!!

I have to wait until the paperwork has been processed by PADI which should take about 2 weeks. So by end of February, I will be able to teach! For that reason, I will go to Koh Tao until I have to return to Samui for my flight to Sydney on the 24th of March. Koh Tao will most likely enable me to do many certifications, as many tourists go down there for dive courses.

But first things first. After a total of 2 weeks of training in the IDC (see also Camille’s blog with some pictures), last weekend the Instructor’s Exam (IE) came about. Four type of elements were tested; diving theory and PADI Standards & Procedures, Confined Water teaching, Open Water teaching and Prescriptive Knowledge teaching. Two days full of activities, but also waiting as the group was split in two and there was only one examiner.

Saturday was a day of introduction, Dive Theory and Open Water presentations. I felt quite confident about the theory as I had prepared it well. I managed to achieve 92% and above scores where 75% would suffice. The open water exercise in the afternoon was a lot more difficult, where I had to teach two specific skills and had to watch for possible problems and correct them on time and correctly. My fellow students were at that moment students and one an assistant. Earlier in the IDC, I was able to say everything seemed to be okay without spotting the actual problem, also referred to as someone may as well had a sigar in his mouth and I did not spot it. Mistakes are there for a learning purpose, so I was very keen to spot every step. Unfortunately, the visibility in the water was very bad (<1 mtr) so that did not help very well. I managed to complete both exercises successfully (pfff!!!) and also completed the rescue diver skill of ‘unconscious diver at the surface’ very well, although my fellow student Adam, who was playing the victim, might disagree as I pinched his nose quite hard while pretending give mouth to mouth resuscitation.

The evening of Saturday was spent on preparing next day’s confined water pool presentations and the classroom presentations.

The next day had a later start, as the first group was in the swimming pool. When they were finished, we all had to demonstrate 5 skills which I also managed to do very well within the minimum requirements. Then it was our group’s turn to conduct the pool presentations. With only a minor hick-up but with no impact on my score, also that one was done and over with successfully!

After lunch, the PADI Standards & Procedures was scheduled. This was a bit more nerve-racking as there was no remake option if I would fail, as the exam is an open book (and in print a very thick book!) exam. I completed this one also with very good scores, so it was down to the last part if I would actually pass.

This last section was the classroom micro-teaching session, where I was to discuss with the students a question which was answered incorrectly in a standardized way. The topic was Project Aware which is a very interesting topic as it has got very much to do with coral and aquatic life education and conservation.

The presentation went very well, also thanks to my bottle of bathroom cleaner (!), so after that, I had completed all sections successfully! I am very, very happy about this, as this was the principal reason for going to Koh Samui. Being an instructor will enable me to travel all over the world and work there. For now, that is still quite some time away, apart from the few weeks in Koh Tao. Right now, I am enjoying my achievement, but not too much as I have started today with Specialty Instructor training which will set me up for becoming a Master Scuba Dive Trainer (MSDT). I will do specialties such as deep diving, night diving, navigation and others which will increase my employability. But that is a later concern!

For now, I have got a big smile on my face and am looking forward to actually start teaching!

Thank you all for your support and interest in my current life’s adventure!

hugs & kisses,
g.

p.s. Plenty of pictures will be on the net as soon as I can be online on a faster internet connection as it is currently so sloooowwwwwwww......