… whereas SI means specialty instructor and I’ve made that up, I don’t think it’s an official acronym.
However, it’s only a small step and does not take much time or effort. Plus I think teaching specialties is more intriguing than the mainstream courses.
The next step is actually teaching and certifying but given my work life and the changes coming up, I don’t think I will have much time to teach people scuba diving. More’s the pity!
You wouldn’t believe it…. I certainly don’t.
https://www.facebook.com/PADIProsEurope/photos/a.360815577333483.83186.343247612423613/1494163877331975/?type=3&theater
Actually, it wasn’t too hard. We didn’t do anything we hadn’t practiced before. But still…. a test is a test is a test and therefor you can fail.
Colour me relieved.
Hard on the heels of the Divemaster and the Assistant Instructor program, I completed the OWSI course last weekend.
All in all quite demanding but also fun and you can learn tons of good things.
Sad note: The IE that was scheduled for this weekend was cancelled because there are not enough candidates. The next date is mid-October so somehow I have to make sure I don’t forget anything until then.
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
While still doing the PADI Divemaster internship, I started and recently finished the PADI Assistant Instructor course. The certification card should be on its way.
Whereas the Divemaster has a lot of practical aspects, the next step in the PADI career focuses on teaching, teaching techniques, structuring lessons and applied lessons in confined water and open water.
First time supervising an open water lesson was pretty stressful. All of a sudden you have to deal with things such as bottom topography and current, which you don’t really have to take into consideration in a pool.
One of the most painful lessons I learned was the aspect of control – even if you have an assistant, you need to constantly monitor everyone around you, even the assistant – unless you know him/her pretty well and you make a good team.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the first dive *after* the course because after weeks and weeks of tasks, homework, assignments and such I finally got the chance to enjoy a quiet, no-pressure dive again. Felt good…
(Edit on 2017/08/25: corrected three typos)
What can I say… this year seems to progress as planned…. I finished the divemaster course yesterday and signed the necessary documents which means I’m am a PADI Divemaster. Apparently there is no mandatory PADI Divemaster tattoo.
To think that I only started diving less than two years ago… it’s been a busy and interesting time. Next step: Assistant Instructor.
If you ever have to do a dive briefing, feel free to use the below template.
In some spots, you will need to fill in the details of the dive location e.g. phone number of the local hospital whereas in other spots you can delete whatever is not necessary (you do obviously not enter a dive spot from a boat AND walking from the beach).
When you have adapted the template to your diving spot, you will have covered all the major points of a dive briefing.
If you use the template for several dive spots, it will give your briefings a consistent look-and-feel (listen-and-feel, if you prefer) which makes it easier on the divers regularly attending your dives.
Feel free to add contents or delete what is not necessary. Use a map if you have one. Make one if you don’t. Remember to keep briefings short and to the point. Make it interesting but keep it relevant.
Update: Fixed a typo
Yes, you read that correctly!
It might be slightly nippy but that’s no reason at all to hang up the ol’ diving suit and wait for summer.
Do as I do and get yourself a Waterproof D9 breathable (http://waterproof.eu/en/products/drysuits/d9-breathable/) and the Waterproof Dry Glove set (http://waterproof.eu/en/products/accessories/drysuit-accessories/ultima/) and the cold will not be a problem anymore.
I’ve gone diving almost every week in November and December (and the previous months but the temperatures really started dropping in November) and I haven’t had any problems.
In 30m depth, it’s cold anyway, so why not make the best of it.