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*NEWS* Photos Must See!
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Scuba Diving Instructor Internship Schedule
Note: There will be links through to the PADI scuba dive courses within the internship but the dive course description is laid out for the diver that is not taking an internship and hence - although the content is exactly the same some of the course length (durations might vary). For example - some holiday makers like to take the PADI Open Water course over a 3 day period to save time but in the internship we have plenty of time. The following schedule is very loose and not set in stone. Individual schedules can be made to suit all.
The PADI Open Water course is a 4 day scuba course sliding you in gently to the realm of scuba equipment, skills and diving theory. Two days are in the swimming pool and classroom and then we have 2 great days in the ocean gaining your open water dives. 4 are required for the course but we usually get 5 dives (why not - we have time right?). After the Open Water we'll have a couple of days pleasure diving to hone the very basic skills that you have learnt. There are 18 basic skills that a diver needs to learn in order to be a good diver and safe in the water. We need to get these scuba skills correct from the start - bear in mind that one day after 6 months of training you shall be teaching these skills. For those divers that have just begun also - this is a great opportunity to get used to all of your brand new personal scuba diving equipment that is supplied to keep with the program. The PADI Advanced course follows the O/W course and is a two day course with minimal diver academics. The course is conducted entirely on the boat and there is no classroom work involved. You'll get the mandatory deep (approximately 30 meters) and navigation dives but you get to elect 3 other dives from a long list. Maybe you fancy a ship wreck dive, drift, naturalist, search and recovery or a peak performance buoyancy dive to really get you off on the right fin. EFR (Emergency First Response) is next. This is a one day medical and emergency course teaching you all about CPR, handling emergencies and the use of defibrillation technology and the use of a defibrillator solution to help caregivers treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) quickly and effectively wherever it occurs. NOTE: Your instructor will advise when he deems you eligible to take the rescue diver course. Once you have current EFR skills you get to apply these in the PADI Rescue Course. This is where your blinkers really come off. You get to learn many skills over the 4 days in tune to prevention of problems and accidents and if they are to occur then how to solve them. You'll learn that there are no specific right or wrong ways to make a rescue but there are some definite "do-nots". After this course you'll be more in tune with checking on your dive buddy as well as looking out for yourself. You'll get more days - 1 week of pleasure diving to enjoy all of the dive sites here in Pattaya and Samesan - out on the corals as well as the many shipwrecks. NOTE: The following is when deemed to be ready by your instructor to begin the DM program. The moment that you qualify as a Rescue Diver you become a DMT (Divemaster Trainee) - you will be supplied all of the course materials and manuals pertaining to the divemaster program. Other activities such as specialty courses and recreational diving can be embarked upon but you are expected to be professional in your approach whilst in the shop and on the boat. This is what would be expected of you as a dive employee and hence the norm here. You are not expected to act outside of your scope of training but what you do know is to be applied in a suitable manner. You will be invited to join one of our 2 week divemaster content courses where you work very closely with an instructor on the content of the divemaster program and also the swim tests and the exams. At the end of the 2 week period you will have all of the knowledge and skills base to expand upon during the next few months whilst working towards your dive instructor exams. The Divemaster course (All of the content here will be gleaned but you are a divemaster until you become an instructor through the internship) training expands all of your diving, rescue and diving theory skills. You'll get to lead dives, take tours, give boat and dive briefings, assist working instructors with dive courses and generally get the feel for what goes on in a busy dive center - you are now on the path to the first scuba diving professional level and being a diver role model. There are 8 examinations including Physics, Physiology and the dive planners (the RDP (Recreational Dive Planner) and the Wheel. The course can be quite demanding but it is character building - these will be taken within the 2 weeks. You'll get to log many dives and have a blast whilst assisting with other divers. Another qualification that sets us apart from other dive internships is that we run a Discover Scuba Diving Internship program for all of our Dive masters. This is a special qualification for PADI Divemasters which allows them to teach the complete PADI DSD course to beginners. You will be the one diving with new divers during their first experience underwater. You will become the person of the "holiday memory" for many a holiday maker and new diver here - be prepared to be in a few photos!
Now we'll start building on your dive count and ensure that you have more than 50 dives. During this month we'll also work on your specialty dive courses. There are many to choose from: Aware - Aware Fish ID - Boat – Deep Diver - DPV - Drift Diver - Dry Suit Diver - EANX (Enriched Air) - Equipment Specialist - Multilevel Diver - Underwater Naturalist - U/W Navigator - Night Diver - Search and Recovery - Advanced Search and Recovery (Only at Mermaids) - Underwater Photography - Ship Wreck Diver - Underwater Digital Photo - Full-Face Mask Diver - Peak Performance Buoyancy - Aware Coral Reef Conservation - Underwater Hunter Note: These PADI specialty courses may be exchanged with others on request. Please mail us if you have interests in other special areas of diving. Once you have all of these 5 specialties, your rescue and 50 dives you'll be an MSD (Master Scuba Diver) - the highest rated PADI non-professional scuba diver.
This period is where you get the chance to complete any specialty courses that you have and also brush up on the divemaster content. Experience, experience, experience is the key to a successful dive professional. You will have the opportunity to run the boats, lead dives, plan dives, assist with DSD's and other courses, swimming pool assists with instructors etc also - we wish for you to gain as much real-time experience as you wish to gain. You have every opportunity to get involved everyday if you wish.
This month it might be nice to have a trip away with the group on an excursion diving in other areas of Thailand. I arrange personal trips that I go on with you to experience dive sites in Koh Tao, Samui or the Similan islands. You can see the happy interns at our "reunion friends trips" by clicking here - (March 2004, October 2004, March 2005 and May 2005 - Nov 2005 - May 2006 - Nov 2006 - Feb 2007 - there are more holiday dive trips :-). I call them "reunion" dive trips as we have many of the old interns or instructors that trained with us join us on these for fun - it's a great way to network but mainly have a blast, great scuba diving and make new friends.
You should now be concentrating on your theory along with your diving skills in preparation for the real PADI IDC and then the PADI IE (Instructor Examination) - basically everything that you have been working towards. Next step - scuba diving jobs to begin your scuba diving career... As mentioned we are flexible and if you wish to go traveling or have friends or family visiting etc then we do not hold you back. Thailand is such a wonderful country and it would be a shame not to see more of it. During your time here also there is every opportunity to take a look at the realm of technical diving.
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A
general schedule has been set for the 6 month scuba diving instructor internship
candidates so that you know what part of the dive training and stage you shall
be at in any one time period. We are extremely flexible on this as many people
have different non dive related commitments also and split the course. However if
you are attending for the full duration of the 6 month internship then the time
frames should look a little like below. We chose to structure the internships in
this way as the first few elementary scuba courses can be completed in a rather
short period of time. We want you to enjoy all to the maximum and learn as much
as possible but in a logical order. Please note that
if you come to us as an already certified scuba diver then you are more than
welcome to take the first week or so just pleasure diving. If you are taking
full advantage of the scuba internship then you will be having a brand new set
of dive equipment (
-