Yesterday was one of the most productive days I’ve had here so far. We got our instructor manuals and candidate workbooks, completed the initial exam of the IDC (Instructor Development Course) and got a little bit of studying done as well. I did an 800 metre snorkeling test, a 100 metre tired diver tow and the stress test all in one session, which guaranteed a good night’s sleep. Not that I still wasn’t feeling a bit sore from the strain.
There was also an exam to see where we come from, but I didn’t find the results very conclusive. I aced physics, failed equipment and passed all the others, but many of my mistakes had more to do with the English language than actual knowledge. I sure hope the instructor examination (IE) doesn’t have that many trick questions.
Anyway, the IDC should start next week. More on that later.
One of the reasons for yesterday’s productivity was weather. By the time I had finished the swims, it was raining so hard I could spot pikes swimming on shoulder height. At the same time there was a power cut, so all we could do was to study. The rain caused a bit of a problem by reaching our terrace-like outdoor office (regadless of the roof and straw mat walls), so I had to tuck myself in the corner and face the wall in order to keep my paperwork dry. I have to take a photo of the manuals at some point to illustrate what I was dealing with yesterday.
Finally around seven the rain gave up and we could go home. I grabbed us some McD’s, we ate it in candlelight and crashed to bed. It’s been a while since I’ve slept this well.
Tags: divemaster internship, exams, instructor internship, it's good to be me, PADI IDC, studies
Well aren’t we in a nice flow. Yesterday we completed our rescue diver course and today I mastered my first divemaster exams like an old pro. For the first one, we went out diving, came up and were told that there’s a missing diver. Back in to the water, a few minutes of search patterns and we found our victim. We took her up, brought her to the boat, provided CPR for the whole time and administered 100% oxygen. While it was exhausting and even a bit scary, it was also great fun and we learned heaps of practical skills. Let’s hope we never have to use them.
The exams were about assisting student divers, guiding certified divers and conducting training programs independently as a divemaster. I scored 100 per cent in the first two, but misread a question in the third and got “only” 95% from that. Anyway, a pass is anything over 75%, so no problem there. These were the easy ones, we’ll get down to business when we start studying physics, physiology, decompression theory and so on.
Yesterday we also got our new equipment and it’s waiting for us in the office until it’s paid for. If everything goes well, we’ll get to try it all out today in the pool. Right now I’m waiting for the dive shop to produce a bill for me to pay. Otherwise we’re clear to go, and I’ll snap some photos if we get there today.
Tags: divemaster internship, diving, exams, pool practise, rescue diver course