Best IDC Day!

IDC, Koh Tao, Thailand – Day 3 of the IDC at Sairee Cottage on Koh Tao is scheduled to be one of the longest days of training for our Candidates, it however is also one of the most informative. On this day our candidates take their first and biggest steps into the world of PADI Scuba Instruction.

We started off our day in our classroom overlooking the pristine waters of Koh Tao with the candidates taking their first set of IDC theory exams. These exams test the candidates’ knowledge of dive theory over 5 main categories: Physics, Physiology, Decompression Theory, Equipment and General Environment. Our three candidates, Nico, Denise and Jeroen were given 2 hours in which to complete all 5 sections of the exam. This is always a new IDC candidate’s first big test to see how their retention of knowledge is faring at the beginning of the course.
I am truly proud to report that we had success all across the board with not one candidate failing any section of their examination. This is almost unheard of first time round, obviously our PADI Course Director; Marcel Van Den Berg has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to explaining how the processes of learning dive theory can be easy and even a rewarding challenge or our IDC team.
Congratulations to all three of our IDC candidates on their first success on their Instructor Development Course may your scores only increase as time goes on.

The second half of the morning was given to the PADI Systems lecture; this is a great introduction to IDC candidates to help them start to think like instructors and take the next step in their careers. In this lecture our candidates learn what it means to be a good, successful instructor and what kind of personal attributes are important in achieving this goal. Here the candidates learn for the first time what is expected of them as a PADI Instructor, it is one of the lectures that generate the greatest change in the candidates. In Thailand you can imagine that as a PADI Instructor it is quite easy to maintain a positive attitude and a relaxed approach to teaching to get the most out of yourself for your potential students. At Sairee Cottage Diving we understand that you are probably going to teach in a variety of different locations so we remind and encourage our IDC Candidates to consider this when it comes to their approach to teaching.

On our IDC at Sairee Cottage Diving we, of course, provide our whole team with a free lunch. Our restaurant is situated right on Sairee Beach which is the main beach on Koh Tao in Thailand and gives us a conducive environment in which to unwind for the duration of our break, at this point we encourage our candidates to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Of course Marcel and his team of assistants (including myself) join for any potential queries about any aspects of the Instructor Development Course.

After Lunch we headed back to the classroom to focus on the afternoon session. With our IDC Candidates rejuvenated after a delicious and nutritious lunch we discussed how people can start diving. This involved talking in detail about specific PADI courses or experiences such as the Discover Scuba Diving Program as a way to get potential divers into the water and enjoying Scuba Diving in a safe and comfortable environment. We also discussed many programs that can reward divers for continuing to dive for example a range of PADI specialties, many of which we offer here at Sairee Cottage Diving.

We ended our afternoon on Koh Tao with a ‘Teaching in Confined’ workshop. Marcel gave the IDC Candidates an example of how to conduct a confined water dive and demonstrated on land how to best achieve successful results with your future students. I do hope our Videographer Paddy got the shot of Marcel demonstrating a Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent on dry land, definitely not something you see every day!! With such dedication to demonstration it made it very easy for our candidates to see what is going to be in store for them in the future. That future came quicker than expected for our IDC Candidates as their long day finished with homework, that homework being to prepare skills for a confined dive the next day.

Best of Success to the Sairee Cottage Diving IDC Candidates on their next test; to successfully conduct a confined session!

I look forward to assigning you all problems along with Marcel and Jodie tomorrow morning.

Felix Keene
PADI IDC Staff Instructor

Sairee Cottage Diving
Koh Tao, Thailand

(Learn to become a Dive Instructor and do your Dive Instructor in Dutch)