January 2011.
All of us divers have in mind the first time we breathed underwater. If we stop to think about that day, the immediate reaction we had was to tell about the sensations we experienced. What's more, many of us tried to convince friends and family to feel what we had experienced. That act, that transmission of sensations, that fascination for what happened, is the first step towards the diving instructor course.
After going through the various courses that help us to improve as divers (open, advanced, various specialties, rescue), when you become a Dive Master, the first level of leadership, you really start to realize that you are "on the other side". An obvious sign of this is, for example, when divers and students with whom you share experiences in the dive center or on the boat start to ask you questions or ask for advice, a situation that did not happen before when you had lower qualifications. Guiding dives, assisting in courses, making baptisms and even advising divers is synonymous with responsibility, the same that you will bear, in a much clearer and wider way, when you become an instructor and teach diving courses.
During the whole period of training in the instructor course, this theme, responsibility, is talked about a lot. Specifically and more concisely in the chapter "Risk Management" where it is instilled that the instructor at all times must ensure, as a main premise, for the safety of the student.
Apart from responsibility and safety, there are many other things to learn during the training period. Let's see what an instructor candidate faces when he/she decides to prepare for it.
In an instructor training course, four main blocks can be distinguished:
The "curriculu" or theoretical part, confined water practices, open water practices and diving theory.
The theoretical part is the most covered, occupying 65% of the total content of the course, with the main objectives: to be introduced in depth in the teaching system through its standards, to know all the courses that an instructor can teach and to learn more about the functioning of the diving industry and its business possibilities.
The "Currículu", or theoretical part, comprises various topics such as: The teaching system, general standards, risk management, dive marketing, starting to dive, teaching in confined water, teaching in open water and the different programs and courses where it is explained how to perform from a baptism to a complex Dive Master course.
This part also teaches how to properly prepare academic presentations, either in a simple format such as correcting a knowledge review question, or giving a complete theoretical part of a course. Specifically, instructor candidates are required to give three such presentations during their training.
This theoretical phase is completed with several control exams, both on diving theory and on standards and norms, throughout the course. During the training of the future instructors, a consistent and motivated trainer will conduct at least three exams of each of them, so that the candidate is well prepared for the final exam.
The confined water part occupies approximately 20% of the course, having two very clear objectives: to refresh the candidates' pool skills and to teach them how to adequately prepare any "confined" session in their future courses. Within the pool part and almost at the beginning of the course, the famous "evaluation circuit" is performed. This test consists of 20 diving exercises where the candidate must confirm that he/she has enough skills and ability to be able to teach his/her future students later on.
The confined water phase also includes four presentations simulating the delivery of real courses with briefings, demonstrations, problem correction and debriefings.
The open water part, i.e. the sea training, has only one objective and that is to train the candidates in a concise and effective way to prepare their future performances in real dives. Having already had confined water training this part is usually easier, although future instructors should take it with great interest since in the sea, in a real situation, no mistakes are allowed. During the training there are also four presentations as in confined water, the only difference between them, besides being done in the sea, is that they do not require a previous demonstration by the candidate.
The last block, dive theory, is not really part of the training program. This knowledge should already be learned from the Dive Master course, but a high percentage of students always find that they need a good refresher at the beginning and during the course. The three knowledge tests that are given during the theoretical part on physics, physiology, diving equipment, tables and techniques/environment serve to know the progress of study that each candidate is making. Being part of the final exam, diving theory becomes a very important key point in the development of the candidate's training and in the success of the future final exam.
In addition to the content we have seen, during the training a lot of emphasis is placed on the "attitude" that the instructor must have towards the students. Presence, friendliness, kindness and above all patience are, among other attributes, important keys to become a good instructor.
During the almost 12 days that candidates, staff and course director spend together during the training period, there is a phenomenon that usually occurs in almost all instructor courses and it is the camaraderie that is generated among all students. It is really admirable. Everyone is willing to help their fellow students. In many occasions the students who are better prepared stay after the classes to help those who have a problem. When it comes to the moment of truth, the final exam, everyone wants the whole group to pass the test with flying colors, that is, for all the classmates to pass and become instructors. If unfortunately someone fails, the end of the party does not "taste the same", although my experience as a trainer allows me to say that in a very high percentage almost all candidates pass and joy and euphoria reigns in the atmosphere.
No one can really imagine what an instructor course is like until they experience it. It would not be the first time that I hear these phrases in the courses: "I never studied so much in college!" "I have never been more nervous in my life!
The small ordeal they go through cannot be said to be a suffering as such since they are learning something they like. It is true that in many occasions it is a "complicated" situation because many are away from home, others combine it with their jobs, some are not well prepared, either because they have not studied before or because they have not done a Dive Master course "in conditions", a few are shy and show some respect for public exhibitions and some stopped studying some time ago and it is difficult for them to get back to the books. Really "everyone" deserves a warm applause to reward the effort they put into the course.
Apart from that effort they still have to save their strength for the Final Exam. Here comes the moment of truth... The training period is the training part where the candidates are taught to become instructors and it is given by the course directors and staffs.
The final exam is the evaluation part where the candidates have to demonstrate everything they have learned and it is conducted by a Padi examiner who comes specifically for this "mission". There are seven exams that the candidates have to go through; diving theory, standards, evaluation circuit, confined water presentation, open water presentation, rescue and prescriptive teaching presentation.
Perhaps this is the part that makes the students the most nervous. Being subjected to a two-day evaluation by a person they don't know, the examiner, doesn't really appeal to them. But at the end of the day, these are nerves that can be "overcome". Once they start the exam, get to know the examiner and obtain positive results, the nerves disappear and in the end they even "have a good time".
In any case, if the course directors have done their job well, the exam is usually passed with nerves, but without problems.
All this has its rewards. Once you are a qualified instructor you have a good chance of finding a job. In high season there are very few instructors who are unemployed, if any. If you add to your instructor qualification that you know languages, have a skipper's certificate and are computer literate, you will certainly never be short of work.
Objective, value, open water, key points, standards, positive reinforcement, local environment and even "pizza" are words that will never be forgotten by students who have gone through an IDC or PADI Dive Instructor Course.
For all divers who want to dedicate themselves to teaching scuba diving, taking a PADI IDC, the course on which this article is based, is a good path to professional success, as PADI is the most globally recognized certifier and the holder of the highest, most recognized and contrasted standards.
