Starting IDC on Samui

We're in SE Asia again (finally) and I'm starting (finally) my Instructor Development Course on Koh Samui with http://www.easydivers-samui.net/. So far I don't have all the books, don't know whether I can use electronic Instructor Manual and have some more doubts but it's going to be OK :)

Won the PADI Renewal Competition

Yesterday when I went to check my snail mailbox I was very surprised to see a big packet I was not expecting. My surprise was even bigger when I saw PADI stamps on the envelope, so I've torn the wrapping and saw... PADI Encyclopaedia of Recreational Diving - the prize in this years Renewal Competition I have almost forgotten I've entered:). It's not the grand prize (return of the renewal fee) but still niiiiceeee:)

Right on time

Just got my Undersea Journal for the fourth quater of 2009. Just in time to learn about the upcoming DEMA Show in November 2009 :/ I wonder if PADI's trying to force everyone into switching to online editions...

On-line magazines

The end of the year... time to pay the yearly PADI tribute (aka The Renewal Fee). The first one I have to pay (last year I finished the AI course in the last two months of the year so the application fee counted as renewal). But this year you can opt in for an online edition of the Undersea Journal to reduce your carbon footprint. Divers Alert Network Alert Diver magazine is available only online.

I don't like it. I mean it's OK the way PADI is doing it (switching to online edition is optional). I like reading these mags on the bus too much to even consider moving to the online version. Another thing is, that when you have the paper version your kind of obliged to read it, whereas when it sits in your email box you're not.

PADI Assistant Instructor course completed

Today was the last day of our Assistant Instructor course. This course is the first part of Instructor Development Course (IDC). IDC consists of two parts: the AI course followed by Open Water Scuba Instructor course. Usually they are taken together, but it's possible to do them separately, like we did. AI course focuses on in-water diver control, presentation (or lecture) preparation and conduct. During the course you also learn about PADI programs that can be conducted by Assistant Instructors. This are the same as Divemaster programs plus: Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Photography, Seal Team Missions and Project Aware Specialties. Additionally AIs can asses the surface skills during OWD course and give the lectures during that course. Another important part of the course is about general PADI standards and procedures and particular courses standards.

A part of the course also focuses on demonstrating skills underwater, however unlike the DM which stresses the quality of the demonstration, AI is about maintaining control underwater. The same goes for the open water part of the course: you are assigned two exercises that you must perform with a group of "students". These students are of course your fellow AI trainees or instructors, and each of them is simulating a problem, as assigned by the instructor. These problems range from collecting corals while you're not looking, through loosing parts of equipment, to trying to do an uncontrolled positive buoyancy ascent:) You, as their instructor, must maintain complete control over what they are doing and don't let them do anything stupid. The quality of your briefings and debriefings also gets rated.

At the end your diving knowledge is exam (same as during the divemaster exam).

I feel that during this course I've learned a lot about conducting lectures and presentations and also about diver control. Still, I feel that I need a little bit more experience before signing for my OWSI course and completing the Instructor Examination.

Finally - plastic arrived

Today I got my Divemaster certification card :D. I've posted the application 1,5 month ago, so it's quite a long time. Fortunately I got my PADI number earlier, three weekse after PADI charged my credit card for the divemaster application. If you want to get your number quick you can try contacting PADI member services, they are very helpful.

The deck is growing...



It's funny that I got the course evaluation questionnaire on paper this time.

Mailing my PADI Divemaster Application :D

Today I posted the divemaster application to PADI. Apart from the filled in application form you also have to send them a recent medical examination stating that you are fit to dive, a recent photo and an authorization to charge your credit card. Don't try sending checks or other methods of payment - credit card is the fastest way. If you don't have a credit card you can always try asking your relatives :) It also doesn't have to be a real credit card (one that allows you to spend money you don't have) - you can try one of the so called eCards (card that pretend to be credit cards but work in a prepaid manner).

Hope the application will be processed quickly by PADI - I must have my c-card before going for the AI course on Phuket in the end of October.

PADI Divemaster exam passed

Yesterday evening we wrote the Divemaster Exam, all 8 parts of it. I must say that this was the hardest PADI exam I wrote so far, probably because of knowledge you have to take in. The exams covered the following topics:

1. Physics
2. Physiology and First Aid
3. Equipment
4. PADI Divemaster Conducted Programs
5. Decompression Theory and the RDP
6. Dive Skills and the Environment
7. Supervising Activities for Certified Divers
8. Supervising Student Divers in Training

For me the PADI Divemaster Conducted Programs was the most difficult one. Despite that I passed scoring rather well:). Magda had less luck, she failed the Equipment part and she'll have to retake it. It's good she only failed one, because if you fail 3 or more you have to write the whole exam again:/

The questions were not very hard, some of them could have been answered with only some common sense and little thinking. That said, if I wouldn't have studied for 3 evenings, I wouldn't have passed the exam...

In the begining of May we're going diving to Croatia and by that time we need to complete the Water Skills and Stamina and Demonstration quality Basic Skills parts of PADI Divemaster course. Otherwise we will not be able to do the Internship part there...

PADI online course evaluation

Today I got an email from PADI asking to fill in an online course evaluation questionnaire about my nitrox course. This seems to be a big step forward for their QA - online questionnaire is more likely to get filled then the printed one and because of that they'll more information on who is training according to what standards. So far I received 2 or 3 printed forms and haven't sent back any...

The questionnaire itself was a bit buggy. For example there where many questions about dives conducted during training, but the new standard for PADI Nitrox training doesn't require any dives...

EAN Done :)

Passed the exam, which was fairly easy. In fact all the PADI certification exams I passed so far were not too hard. I mean, of course the theoretical part, because the Rescue Diver diving part was a killer. Especially the 'climb the ladder with your buddy sitting on your knee' part. We almost failed that...
Anyways, we are now certified EAN divers, which isn't a big progress towards becoming a DM, but during the course we got to talk to some divemasters at our center. That gave us some insight into prospects of divemastering here, in Poland, and they weren't very bright, though they weren't very pessimistic either.
And apart from all of the above the first step towards tec diving has also been made:D

C-Card deck

A deck of cards that is bound to grow...

PADI loves you...

...PADI wil organize some training for you. Why? Because PADI loves when you take new courses. Even if they're the tiny little ones, like the Enriched Air Diving or Equipment Specialist specialties. Each time you sign up, you pay PADI for the book (you have to buy it) and the C-Card (if you don't buy it then what's the point in doing the speciality?). Ofcourse you also pay for the training, but that's OK - instructors have to earn their living. For simple specialties the cost of the certificate and the book can be equal to the cost of the training:/ That's why PADI likes when you develop your skills.
And after the course you end up with a deck of C-Cards you should carry with you when you go diving...
This problem is less annoying when it comes to more complex courses, like Rescue Diver or Divemaster. The cost of handbook and C-Card is not so big compared to the overall cost of this courses, and they take you to a next level of your diving career (and you can discard your previous ccards :) ).

Oh, and there are also the "Crewpacks" - you can get, for example, an original Rescue Diver badge:>

I'm not against C-Cards, but when you have several specialties they get troublesome. And sometimes you just HAVE TO learn new ways to dive. Ie.: Dry Suits (water is cold in Poland, for me two longer dives a day is much), Deep Diver (some things ARE deep down, and I'm thinking about Tec Deep Diver), Ice Diver (to dive in winter), Wreck Diver, etc.
For each of these specialties I will get a card, so it`ll be about 10 cards to carry... It would be nice if I just had one card for all specialties and get a hologram sticker from my instructor each time I pass a new exam. The diving center would report my specialties to PADI HQ (like they do now) so there would be record of my training. PADI people, think about that....