IDC Costa Rica...live the Dream!

For the months before my IDC I had a long debate with myself as to weather or not I should go for it. Will this get me a job? Will I be able to pass the course? Should I get more experience working as a divemaster? Am I ready to take the step? Having finally decided to make the financial commitment in taking the next step on the PADI ladder and going for my instructor certification a whole new set of questions suddenly appeared the main one being where on earth am I going to go to get this done?

Having researched the net, reading about other peoples experiences and companies claims to 100% success rates etc I decided to start writing off to different organisations in the area that I had decided I wanted to go to. The surprising thing I found was the amount of dive shops that didn't even respond, in my eyes I was contacting them with a view to spending at least $1,500 in their centre and that does not even justify an email of thanks. This left me the final shortlist which I eventually whittled down to Oceans Unlimited, primarily due to the pre-course support the gave consistently by providing all the information that I requested plus more in a very concise and professional manor, this gave me a feeling of security when thinking about parting with my hard earned money in a country I have no prior experience of.

Arriving at Oceans Unlimited killed any final feelings of trepidation. CD Georgia and MI Kat were exceptionally friendly and helpful right from the start. After a full tour of the centre, introductions to the team and a whole list of recommendations where and where not to eat, drink, shop and eat in the town they informed me that in the month I had left leading up to the IDC I was allowed to come out diving as much as I liked in order to get a little more experience as a DM, get accustomed to the water and environment and to watch the very highly qualified in house instruction team doing their job in order to pick up some pointers along the way. The main feelings I remember from my first day on the premises is that the general level of the operation was clearly far superior to anything else I had so far seen from other centres while travelling down Central America, clean, new, well serviced equipment all provided that extra bit of security that means nothing to concern myself with other than focusing on my course material.

So, getting down to business happened fast. The IDC started for me probably like most students in a cloud of confusion. Georgia, clearly aware of this made the initial introductions, inductions explanations and overall orientation in such away that the clouds of confusion soon floated away leaving a clear, mile stoned, structured pathway to the IE.

It was surprising to learn how the PADI classes were to be structured and how I would be marked against this structure. At first my feelings were against this structure but then with coaching it became clear that I could use this structure to my advantage i.e. if all the points that the examiner requires are clearly known by the student prior to the exam then all he has to do is put the flesh on the bones. Georgia and Kat had a really good way of helping me understand points like this throughout the course, they could identify the areas of my instruction that were not as strong in comparison to others and then focus on these areas ensuring that my overall game was raised to the standard that we all wanted.

As I was previously aware there were areas of the IE that I would be tested on from courses that I had completed previously in my diving life i.e. DM exams, skill circuits, nitrox. The go pro team were fully understanding of the fact that like most divers I had forgotten allot of this material and therefore needed to bring it back to the forefront of my mind. I was very reassured to see that they had anticipated this and scheduled recap courses in to the IDC. Anything beyond the scheduling was picked up on mock exams and the micro managed on an individual basis to ensure mastery of the matter in hand.

Nothing was too much to ask in terms of my training and there were often times where I received tuition way outside of the structured hours to ensure that I not only understood the topics but felt comfortable in myself that I could go in to the exam and blitz it.

The exam itself was obviously a highly tense situation but walking in to it I felt equipped and prepared. There were no niggling little points in the back of my mind where I felt I was missing something, upon our first exams where the oceans unlimited students, me included score 95% and above in all areas I started relaxing a little. The following day we had our first presentations, following my first one it became perfectly clear that I had indeed been prepared to deal with this as much as could be hoped for, upon realisation of this fact the IE suddenly became an enjoyable place to be, as such We rocked it, made new friends and had a great time.

Following the successful completion of the exam it was pleasing to see first hand that the course had not only enabled me to pass the exam but also provided my with the practical tools within myself that I need to go on to be a real life PADI SCUBA instructor. Following the exam I have been working for Oceans Unlimited, successfully teaching courses the way I originally learnt and have not looked back once. Whatever happens with my diving career from this moment on I will never ever have any doubts about how valuable to me the experience of the IDC and my time with Oceans Unlimited was and will continue to be.

Drew MacArthur - Wales