Go Pro in Costa Rica

2011-04-05T05:31:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow morning we will be working on a buoyancy class! With the PADI Peak performance Buoyancy specialty you can really practice your "fishy" skills, improve your air consumption AND this will also benefit you if you are looking to take photos underwater too!

2011-03-30T06:53:00.001-07:00

Quote of the day from a DMT whilst mapping: My pencil broke underwater so I had sharpen it with my teeth.
So.....what about your knife?
Ooh yeah.....forgot about that!
Hmmmm?!

2011-03-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

So, Spring break here we come! Lots of Cano island trips happening this week and some great viz locally. Yesterday there was some great turtle spottings, octopus madness and lots of other reef action, so.....who wants in?

First Breathes Underwater...

2011-01-10T12:39:00.001-08:00

New year, new divemaster trainees!!! So with the courses well underway, lots of diving and plenty of courses to help out on, nobody has time to rest....no maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration , there's always time to relax at the end of the day either on the beach round the corner at our local " la Ranchera"! Anyway, back to the diving bit. So as part of the new PADI divemaster program all trainees must conduct the discover scuba diving program so when 2 eager new students came in wanting to have their first breathes underwater Divemaster candidate Eric was assigned to help them out. After the video and paperwork we headed off to the pool where he showed good control, demonstrations of the skills and communication. Basic skills are always practiced for a Discover scuba class as once you head off to the ocean, everyone needs to understand the basics before actually diving down to 40ft! Next day, off to the ocean where I think I can guarantee there will be more fish than in the pool!!

Skills in the pool for the DIve master internships...

2011-01-06T04:32:00.001-08:00

With the busiest week of the year finally over its time to jump back in the pool and polish up some of the skills of our divemaster interns. With 4 divemasters in the shop at the moment there is a lot of extra help and at this time of year there is always plenty to do. So yesterday we headed off to the pool after the morning dives to run our first skill circuit of the year. Not only know is there 20 skills to practice for scuba there are also additional skills for the skin diving portion. This is a good thing as once you are a qualified divemaster you can teach the skin diving program so it is good to get your skills up to demonstration standard. These include displacement clearing, blast clearing and surface dives. Luckily we have pools deep enough here in Manuel Antonio so we had fun practicing our diving demos. Just to make the afternoon just that little more fun I threw in the equipment exchange at the end which both students JT and Eric completed with ease. Off to the ocean again this morning and the pool again on the afternoon, but this time just assisting so they can relax just a little ; )

Back to the Ocean for the IDC

2010-12-09T05:03:00.001-08:00

So another IDC here in Costa Rica is drawing to a close. We finish up in the pool this morning but yesterday we headed out to the ocean fro our final open water dives. To begin with we completed our adventures in diving workshop This gives all the students a chance to practice teaching and completing an adventure dive, with each student taking a different responsibility. We decided to work on the Deep dive portion, as it also gave the students more of a fun dive and a chance to blow some good bubbles. The visibility is slowing getting better after the storms which is a good sign and we managed to see some nice jack schools, moray eels amongst other things. For the open water presentations we headed to more protected shallower water, but unfortunately the current had picked up, which made it tricky for the students but certainly gave them a lesson in control of their class. Good job all round. We finished up with the 800m snorkel test, which is a good test of stamina.
After lunch we headed to the classroom for their final classroom presentations. To ad something interesting to the mix I put in two training aids, a rubber duck and a plastic bag. Its great to see everyone use their imagination a come up with different ways to use these objects even though they have completely different subjects! Well done guys! Now lets see how our final day ends up!!

2010-12-05T19:41:00.001-08:00

I have never seen anyone try to clear a mask using their alternate air source?! What else did we learn today in the IDC?.....You can never be too close to a student trying to inflate and deflate on the surface...Interesting!!!

Scuba Smurf goes diving......

2010-12-04T16:57:00.001-08:00

The PADI IDC in Costa Rica continued here in Quepos with some open water presentations today. As luck would have it, after a beautiful day yesterday, the day we decided to head out onto the open ocean for our first open water assignments, it was rainy, windy and cloudy which didn't make for great conditions, but as I always say to the students, work with what you've got and if the conditions are not perfect, it will make you a better instructor. Everyone did good though and and even though we got a bit cold by the end of it we all learned a lot, including watching for current on the surface whilst trying to keep control of your class! This afternoon we went into our second classroom presentation. I had presented a challenge when setting the assignments of using either scuba smurf or the mini aquarium as training aids. Everyone rose to the occasion and scuba smurf got to go swimming and diving during class. We finished the day off with a selling workshop. We did some role playing to practice positive sales techniques we was very interesting, with some successful selling of liftbags, flashlights and even a computer sale to an interesting honeymoon couple with bad jamaican accents...don't ask!! Tomorrow, back to the pool and classroom. Sunday is definitely not the day of rest for the IDC!!

Plan your dive...now dive your plan!

2010-12-02T19:52:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, day 2 of the IDC started off well with a good talk on planning and teaching in the confined water. One of the exercises during this talk is to practice organization of one of the confined sessions, in this case confined water 3 from the open water class and the rescue session 3. Both groups did a good presentation and certainly put a lot of thought into the session. Now to put it into action. This afternoon we headed for the pool for everybodys first confined session. Now executing your plan is never as straightforward as just planning it on paper. Everybody did a great job, even with some problems thrown in, some upside down regs, lack of hand signals and ever problematic "no bubbles". For a first session, well done guys, I am already planning what I can throw at you next time ; )

PADI IDC Costa Rica

2010-11-30T17:57:00.001-08:00

Day 1 of the PADI IDC in Costa Rica went great today. After everyones' introductions it was onto learning about our standards and procedures, & the PADI system. First day in the pool tomorrow..don't forget your snorkels!!!!

Divemaster in Costa Rica...Go Pro

2010-10-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Getting my PADI Divemaster certification, while living in Costa Rica, was an unforgettable experience. I had quite a bit of dive experience prior to starting the course, but the Divemaster course taught me how to dive for others, rather than just taking care of myself. Being aware of how skilled or comfortable other divers are underwater and identifying and solving any problems they might have, is a skill I will use throughout my diving career. The exceptional training provided also helped to refine my own dive skills, in both the pool-work and internship components of the course. Also, for a nature lover, Costa Rica has so much to offer, you would really want to set aside some time to just explore the country.

The Divemaster Internship

One of the components of the course is the internship. This involves learning about the whole diving operation. I learnt how the dive shop works, including loading the vehicles and boats before and after the dives, kitting out the customers, assembling customer equipment, giving boat briefings, washing the equipment, learning to service and repair equipment and generally helping customers. Working for the dive shop, meant I got to go out diving twice a day, nearly every day. I completed my course over three weeks and logged around 30 dives. I also got to go diving in all sorts of conditions and really felt more confident in my own diving, after learning to dive in sometimes challenging conditions.

Confined Water work

Usually, 2-3 afternoons a week were filled by pool sessions. Part of the pool-work was practising our own skills, so that we could perform them to a demonstration level. Also, previous training was reviewed, to refresh our memories, particularly with EFR procedures. Once this was achieved, we were given the opportunity to demonstrate and aid in the training of actual clients. Something pretty special about doing pool work in Costa Rica is the troops of howler monkeys that pass overhead in the canopy nearly every afternoon. There’s the odd iguana chewing on a mango to observe too.

Theory for the PADI Divemaster
When the afternoons not taken up by pool sessions, I usually did my theory work. This involved working my way through the divemaster manual, dive encyclopaedia and workbook. For me, the "Physiology of Diving’"chapter was very interesting and I found myself often thinking about what I had learnt while on a dive. You also learn about equipment in detail, marine biology and the physics and chemistry of diving. Mostly, the theory work could be done independently, however, if I ever had any trouble Georgia was always available to give a one on one tutorial. The theory section is an area where you can quickly become aware of how experienced and knowledgeable your instructor is. Georgia is an excellent course director and the level of training provided by her and the other instructors is outstanding.

Stamina Tests, Maps and Plans!
Other parts of the course, such as the stamina tests, dive site map and emergency action plan are completed at any time during the course, whenever you have the time or feel ready. The stamina tests include an 800m snorkel, a 400m swim, a 200m tow and 15 minutes of treading water. These tests were challenging, but certainly not difficult for people of an average level of fitness. The dive site map involved plotting a dive site by taking depth readings at certain intervals and noting underwater formations. This could be easy in good conditions, but I would pick a good day because it was a bit tricky in rough and low visibility conditions. The emergency action plan was just a more detailed version of what I had completed in the EFR course. Costa Rica was a beautiful location to choose for my Divemaster training. The people are so friendly, the food is great, everything is cheap but most of all the nature is spectacular. I did a day trip into the Manual Antonio National Park, and saw two and three toed sloths (a massive highlight for me), white-faced and howler monkeys, a massive iguana, tree frogs and abundant bird life. I also visited the sloth sanctuary in Limon, which was also a wonderful experience. I wish I had had more time in Costa Rica because there are so many national parks to explore, the leatherback turtles to check out on the Caribbean side, bull shark dives and (for those with more cash than I had!) the famous Isla del Coco is also accessed from Costa Rica.

The Fun!
Something I really appreciated about the culture at Ocean’s Unlimited, is the way teamwork is encouraged. There is none of the hierarchy issues, with DMT’s considered free labour for the duration of their training, as I’ve heard happens with other companies. Everyone works together and everyone socialises together. Mike’s bakery around the corner is the lunchtime hangout (oh the hot rock dogs and chocolate fudge brownies!) and then after work everyone gathers at La Ranchera for a drink. The staff are approachable and take training seriously, but there is also a very relaxed and fun vibe with the people there. I was also lucky enough to have a great group of DMT’s to go through my training with.

Taryn Foster - Australia

IDC Costa Rica...live the Dream!

2010-10-19T09:48:00.001-07:00

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

Dive master Role playing

2010-09-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

As part of your divemaster internship there is a section that you must complete called "divemaster conducted programs". One of the programs that all budding dive masters must practice and take part in is running a discover scuba diving experience. For the first time diver this is an opportunity to experience scuba in a controlled environment, like a pool or confined water area. Our divemaster in training takes the role of leading the group of "non-experienced" divers in the pool, practicing simple tasks like "how to breath" with scuba up to more technical skills like mask clearing. The other dive masters in training get the chance to play the role of "students", allowing the leader to practice control, teaching skills, and to solve any novel problems that may arise. Its always good fun as it give the other candidates a chance to improvise, throw some novel problems out there and this time, we had some mask problems, buoyancy, problems and my favorite this time by far, issues with swim technique including the wonderful "windmill arms". Ileana, our "dive master" for the class did a great job of keeping track of here unruly students and passed the class with flying colours. Our next chance to play the unruly student...next week!

Completing your Divemaster Internship and Instructor with Go Pro Costa Rica

2010-09-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Want to know what its really like to come and train with me here in Costa Rica....Read on....

So you want to become a Dive Master/Instructor hey....with Georgia?
I recently had this thought myself, and after searching all across the globe and making enquiries with many dive centres I decided upon Georgia at Oceans Unlimited, Costa Rica. This was a tough decision which required a certain amount of trust and I guess some good fortune. From my first email I was pretty certain that I would not regret this decision and as it turned out I got a whole lot more than I first expected.
My intention upon arriving in Costa Rica was to enjoy a leisurely but thorough Dive Master experience over a six week period. The first week went according to plan with a typical day as follows:
7:30am - arrive at shop, get all my gear ready before clients arrive, check the dive plan for the day.
7:45-8:00am – greet clients and help with equipment needs, load up the truck and get down to the wharf.
8:30am – 12:30pm – Double boat dive. Chat to divers on the way out to dive sites, get an idea of experience levels, anxieties, discuss dive site, what to expect, etc. Typical dive boat chat. During the dives I would follow behind and keep group together or buddy up with a nervous diver.
12:40pm – back at shop and unload truck, wash out gear but not all of it surprisingly. I was pretty happy to hear Georgia tell me to go and get some lunch and leave that for the paid staff!
1:30 – 3/4pm - Now for the fun part. Classroom time. Lectures, theory, presentations, tests, etc. All the stuff that you need to know and can’t escape no matter where you go! The afternoons was also the time for getting the pool work done, sitting in on open water courses and DSD’s, also working on demonstration skills and rescue practice. Some afternoons were spent just checking out the dive shop, getting to know how things operated and getting to know the other staff. Some afternoons were free and were well spent checking out local life around town.
Now that was the easy first week, but then things got a little mental...
There happened to be another guy who was due to start the IDC. After some thought and discussion with Georgia about the possibility of fitting this into such a tight schedule, the decision was made to take on the IDC. My theory was that it made sense to continue to the IDC while the DM was still fresh and also from the impression I had already developed of Georgia’s ability as an instructor. I also had a chat to one of her previous students who had passed his exams with flying colours and convinced me to do it.
Georgia then went away and came up with a plan off how this would all happen. From this point on it was go go go! Mornings were spent the same way and in order to get my 100 dives up I was in the water everyday which was fine by me. Free afternoons were a thing of the past and Georgia and I were spending up to five or six hours either in the classroom, the pool or a combination of both. 12 hour days were not uncommon. This was a big job for Georgia to take on which she managed to do easily whilst also keeping the training interesting and entertaining. It was not all fun and games though and I was pushed hard when needed. “Feeling a bit hungover and tired hey? Too bad, have to do this exam”! Or Georgia’s favourite trick – the impeccably timed stamina tests which always seemed to coincide with my biggest nights out! So yes, she could be tough and uncompromising, but only when it come to standards which had to be met. In general though the day to day structure was flexible and relaxed. As long as I kept up with the work there were chances to take a day off or miss the afternoon lessons and go for a beer. But honestly, you may as well make the most of this opportunity and take in as much as possible!
This pattern continued over the remaining few weeks with each little theory, technique, demonstration, lesson or aspect of the course drummed into me until I could do it with my eyes closed. By the time I got to the instructor exams I had complete confidence that I would pass.
The highlights – diving every day, meeting new people, a great experience in a faraway land and becoming a dive instructor.
The lowlights – pushing yourself to sit through one more lecture after a long day, 2x800m stamina tests while sporting horrific hangovers.
So if you are reading this and are deciding whether to take the plunge and become a dive master or instructor, DO IT!
If you are deciding whether to trust Georgia with your hard earned cash and future livelihood, ABSOLUTELY! I found Georgia to be very thorough and professional in every aspect of the training. We got along great which was very important considering the amount of time spent together over six weeks. This also included after work drinks and Friday nacho nights, as we both recognised the importance of the social side of diving.

AIr please!

2010-09-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Important lesson of the day:

When demonstrating and "out of air" excercise with your instructor, remember to turn their air BACK ON when signalled to do so!!!!

Discovering Divemasters!

2010-08-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Discover scuba diving practice yesterday as part of the DIvemaster Program. During the Dievmaster course, all candidates must take part in a divemaster conducted programs segment. One of these is that they must conduct, under supervision, a discover scuba diving experience. This is a very popular program for us here in Costa Rica, when many families and friends, want to experience diving, but don't want to commit at first to a course. This afternoon we took a family of 6 into the pool to try out their diving skills for the first time. Time to put your demonstrations to work!

Practising the Skills for the Divemaster Course

2010-08-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

During our pool sessions for the PADI Divemaster course you get the opportunity to practice all of your skill demonstrations. Always aiming for the top score! Here is one of our current Divemaster Trainees practicing her Controlled Emergency Swimming ascent.

Divemaster Floating..

2010-07-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

So off to the pool yesterday for our first run with the new divemaster trainees, for the skill circuit. 20 dive skills need to be covered in the skill circuit and all need to be demonstration standard. If you are thinking of going on at later date to complete your PADI Instructor training (or even if your aren't!) you want to aim for a score of "5" on everything...Perfect! Remember, practice, practice practice......

Back to Studying

2010-07-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

I especially like the perplexed look on the face. Sums up really the fun part about the divemaster course, the studying. Truthfully though, its not that bad. There are 8 exams that you need to complete including the 5 theory of Physics, Physiology, general skills, RDP and equipment. If you study hard at the beginning all you have to worry about later on is diving!

Buena suerte Muchachos!!!

Congrats to our new PADI Instructors!

2010-07-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our new PADI professionals...Good job guys!

2010-07-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Confined water fun at the IE!

Pool Skills

2010-07-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Having Role model skill demonstrations is an important part of being a Dive professional. During the IDC you will get to practice in confined water lots of times. Practice makes perfect right?!

Dive Instructor Training in Control

2010-07-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

So as we are drawing to end of our June IDC we headed out to the ocean for the final open water assessment. Assignments were set and after some great briefings we hit the water. Skills this morning included the “controlled emergency swimming ascent” and compass navigation. Some of the more challenging skills when it comes to demonstrating control. As an dive instructor you need to demonstrate that you have control of your students, whether you are directly working with them or not, especially when they are at the entry level. This was certainly put to the test today with our budding instructor candidates. The conditions at this time of year can be especially challenging due to the rains reducing the visibility, which for a leadership level course, like divemaster or Instructor is a fantastic learning experience, because if you can control your class in these conditions, you can control them anywhere!! When I used to work in the carribbean, Roatan and Utila I thought I had my work cut out but was not used to in any way working in conditions with anything less than 30 m viz. However, the majority of places in the world have less than that so its always good to practice in varying water conditions. The end result is that you will have better instructor and supervising skills, or.... thats how I feel anyway.
Even though we had less than perfect conditions our candidates did a great job and showed a true sense of adapting to your environment , especially with the navigation. It was a good chance to discuss different supervision techniques and positioning so that you can try to keep control of all activities as much as possible. Following the open water presentations we moved into the adventures in diving workshop. This involved practicing both underwater knots and using a lift bag. Knots are always fun underwater as you not only have to remember them but also deal with floating ropes. To finish off we worked with the lift bag once again, the idea being to demonstrate control with neutral buoyancy and a slow ascent. Lesson learnt very quickly..don’t but too much air in at once!

Studying this hard is tiring!!

2010-07-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

All this dive theory study is making me sleepy..........

Exam fun...no really!

2010-06-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

So exam part one over with. All pass on the IDC standards, well done guys! Keep it up!

Monkeying around in the Pool!!

2010-06-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

During any PADI Divemaster or PADI Instructor training you will always be taking part in lots of confined water training. Over the past couple of days we have been focusing mainly on skill demonstrations. As a PADI Divemaster or Instructor you need to be able to teach and reteach many different
scuba diving skills from simple mask removals up to Controlled Emergency swimming ascents and more. As you enter the Divemaster program I try as much as possible to get everyone in the water for a skill circuit, so you have an idea what to aim for. The perfect score is a "5" when you can demonstrate a skill, slowly and with "exaggerated" movement. Over the course of the current Divemaster course we have had lots of skill practice, so i decided to finish off the skill circuits and then start with some scuba review practice.Getting each student to teach a scuba review, so they can practice what they have learnt, brief and demo some skills and help correct any problems. During the week previous everyone had had the chance to work on some PADI IDC presentations which is a good example of how to break down and teach in confined water, as well as demonstrate control of your students. For these sessions I decided to move to a different pool location, where we could work in water a little bit deeper, and quieter, so that everyone could focus on the task at hand. We started off great with a good fin pivot and some free flow regulator work, (one of my personal favorites) before moving onto our second student Emma. She very competently got her refresh divers organized and started to brief the controlled emergency ascent. In the background the trees around the pool started to move.......followed by some squeaking....yes we had company......a lot. All around the pool, we were surrounded by a troupe of Titi monkeys who are very fond of the mango trees by the pool. It was too much for Emma who couldn't continue her brief over the chattering monkeys so we stopped the class to just watch them from the pool. After they had quietened down a bit, we continued again, the whole time with our little visitors bouncing around in the trees. Everyone did great, and along with the fun distractions, it definitely added something new to confined water training!
. . . . . . .

PADI meetings

2010-05-27T09:42:00.001-07:00

So on Tuesday evening we had a great event here in Manual Antonio when PADI came a calling and hosted the first PADI member forum in the south central area of Costa Rica ever!! This is a meeting that PADI hosts all over the world from Thailand and Australia to Utila, Roatan and the rest of Central Americana and the states. We cover new standards, products, courses and anything else new in the diving world. As a PADI professional its always great to attend if you can as it also gets you the chance to meet your regional manager and staff members from other nearby dive shops, always a bonus! At Go Pro Costa Rica and Oceans Unlimited we try as much as possible to organise different events, and after the Sherwood clinic last month and the PADI forum, we are looking to plan our next endevour...any ideas?

Conservation Class time

2010-05-17T04:29:00.001-07:00

As a part of my PADI Divemaster training here in Costa Rica, I wanted to use some of my knowledge of biology in order to benefit the local community and with conservation as a HUGE passion of mine I thought I would make this my focus. So yesterday, I gathered together some of my fellow Divemaster Trainees from Oceans Unlimited and we headed up to a local school here in Manuel Antonio to talk to the students about mangroves (or 'mangals' here in Costa Rica).
I chose mangroves because I was a little unnerved by the amount of trash I had seen dumped in the mangroves in the area... I think it was about the time I saw a refrigerator lying amongst the trees that I decided it would be a good idea to try and make my impact through education. The mangroves serve a very important role to the marine environment where they act as a nursery habitat for different fish species and also as a filtering system for the reef. So we prepared a small talk for the kids, with a lot of pictures and facts, however inevitably there were technical hitches and we all ended up sitting on the floor gathered around a tiny laptop computer. Improvising is the key!
Before I began, I asked who had seen a mangrove before. Seeming as Quepos and Manuel Antonio were originally all mangroves, only 3 hands went in the air. While explaining a little about the biology and importance of these special trees here in Quepos, it was fun to watch the kids realize that they lived here amongst these, and probably see them every day.
By the end of the talk the class had produced some wonderful posters, which now take pride of place here in our Divemaster classroom. The kids were a pleasure to teach and it was a really enjoyable morning, and we have more plans in the future to visit more schools.

Regulator Function

2010-05-04T11:41:00.001-07:00

As an extra bit of fun during the last PADI IDC here in Costa Rica, we had the pleasure of being able to host a Sherwood Equipment clinic. Rolando, a rep from Sherwood Scuba, came to Quepos and and to Oceans Unlimited to train our staff, and visiting staff form dive shops in the surrounding area, how to fix Sherwood regulators. This has been a much awaited workshop and as it fell during the PADI IDC, I thought it would be an added bonus for all of our candidates. Not only do you get to train as a PADI Instructor, but you can gain a qualification in regulator repair. I always rememeber when I attended my first workshop on regulators a few years ago on Utila. Since that first one I have been trying to attend as many as possible, because you can never stop learning more about regulator repair!

With over 20 people present, it went great all round and everyone definately learnt something. We started off at first covering the first stage of the regulator. From the very basics about balanced and unbalanced, up to repairs like adjusting intermediate pressure. After a quick break we started on the second stage, looking at lever adjustment and free flow issues, as well as simple service issues. We all got the chance to practice adjusting the levers in the second stages and really to explore the ins and outs of basic reg repair. Rolando was conducting the clinic in both English and Spanish and he did a fantastic job. All of our PADI Divemaster trainees got to take part as well which was a great bit of extra training for their equipment module and upcoming exam, (I can hear the excited cheering now!)
We finished up the afternoon with a look at some of the future regulator designs as well as a good question and answer session.
Fun was had by all as well as some serious brain work, looking out for the next one.

IDC review

2010-04-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

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 King 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 PADI 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 PADI IDC and my time with Oceans Unlimited was and will continue to be.
Drew MacArthur – Wales

Pool play

2010-04-29T21:01:00.001-07:00

So today we headed to our final confined water session for the April PADI IDC, here in Quepos, Costa Rica. After 4 days of rainy afternoons it was bright and sunny so we headed off to the pool. With some fun skills lined up the first
presentation of the day was a rescue "quick reverse" skill. Our "instructors to be" set to work correcting problems including head first panicked diver encounters and severe lack of communication on the part of the rescuers. The next couple of presentations went smoothly including a very impressive problem solving demonstration with a free flowing regulator. What's one of the most important things to watch for ? Make sure your student is breathing!! Well spotted ; ) For our final presentation we were treated to the Controlled Emergency Swimming ascent presentation. The candidates decided to be that little bit more dramatic this time and I was treated to some fantastic reg spitting and turbo swims! General result.....great all round! We rounded off the afternoon with some more skill practice and rescue drills ...all ready for the PADI Instructors exam next week ; )

Challenge is on..

2010-04-26T20:43:00.001-07:00

We are half way through the current PADI Instructor development course here in Costa Rica, and as everyone starts to relax and get into the swing of things I like to ramp it up a bit and throw in some extra challenges...coz I'm nice like that!! Yesterday, admitedley was an unplanned challenge during the confined water session. Seeing as it was Sunday afternoon, we were accompanied through out presentations by a live band which made for some fun demos to music! Anyway, classroom presentations this afternoon were on the agenda and as the third presentation for this PADI Instructor course, they are starting to get more creative. Today I was treated to some presentations on Dive Tables as well as Conservation of coral reefs. Everyone did a great job and as each presentation progresses I am treated to more and more creative ways of using training aids. So this time I issued a little challenge...for the MOST creative training aid. Can't wait to see what the next set of presentations brings! Rounding out the day after a well earned break it was standard exam time....smiles all round ; )

Don't float off!

2010-04-24T20:03:00.001-07:00

Heading into the Open water today for the current IDC the first issue that is always addressed is Control. When taking students in open water its always important, for safety reasons to have control over the activities and dive. During your IDC this is something that is practiced first in Confined water and then later on in the program during open water. First thing we tackled today was descents. How do you keep control over at least 4 students, and direct your divemaster?! Relatively straight forward with just a bit of practice. You always need to anticipate problems before they occur and make sure that you plan your dives, it will allow you to keep control during your class. Following the descent practice we started CESA practice. The CESA, (controlled emergency swimming ascent) one of the more technical skills during the open water course and a skill that requires a lot of control on the part of the instructor. You must maintain contact with your student and an ascent line at all times, as well as monitoring all other student actions. After ending the CESA workshop, the final part was practicing control of surface skills. Very easily overlooked, when teaching a class on the surface you need to be aware of currents, wave movement etc, as with in a couple of minutes, you can have easily drifted away from your down line and maybe even your other students! In short, with one hand you can take the line, other hand the student you are working with and the rest of your students can daisy chain off of the line. Sounds straight forward? Good, now practice!! Once we begin open water presentations we can put all of these ideas into practice and see how everyone does...Fantastic!

Keeping it under Control

2010-04-01T18:03:00.001-07:00

Easter is upon us and the shop has been abuzz with people visiting for their vacations. With some new Divemaster trainees in the shop, the focus this week has been to work on some rescue training so after some intense pool sessions this week we headed into the ocean this morning for some practice and scenarios. With our newest divemaster Rachel and Divemaster trainee Emma ready to put their acting skills to their test, we started with some missing diver practice. I have in the shop, especially for these classes a very hideous doll. We have very fondly named her Mindy (don't ask) and if it was not for the fact her head is on backwards, falling off, has scars on her face and bright red painted nails I'm sure she would look very pretty ; P Anyway, to start with Mindy accidently on purpose went missing and our 2 intrepid rescue divers, Joe and Paco went a searching. After a very good, coordinated search they managed to finding her, tucked behind a rock looking worse for wear. After her sucessful recovery and only a moment to catch their breath we noticed that 2 unfortunate snorkelers had managed to get caught in current, adn both having leg cramp, couldn't reach the boat. To the rescue once again comes Joe and Paco!
The final test of the day was the rescuing of an unconscious diver at the surface. A very impressive rescue team pulled her to safety and believing the class was over everyone started breaking down their gear.....but wait...in the distance another panicked diver!!! After getting them safely onboard, the class this time was officially over (I promise!!). the boys were very exhausted but had done a great job and we made our way back to shore with dearest Mindy in Tow.
Well done all round guys! Remember that all through your Divemaster course, keep on your toes..you never know what will happen ; )

Congrats to our new Instructors!

2010-03-19T10:26:00.001-07:00

Well done guys!

So another PADI Instructor course finished at the end of last month and everyone was ready for the Exam at the beginning of March. Whilst the nerves were flying, everyone was prepared as they could be. The exams came on some very sunny days and about halfway, through once the written exams are over, they all started to relax and even start to enjoy it! After some fun in the open water on the last day it was over and congratulations to all of our new instructors! A continual 100% pass rate for Go Pro Costa Rica and looking forward to the next group of instructor trainees!

Balloons and Sausages!

2010-03-07T15:38:00.001-08:00

So for our last set of academic presentations I decided to set everyone a little challenge. Find the most interesting object to use as a teaching aid. I had specifically chosen some of the , not so light subjects, for everyone to present including Divemaster physics and physiology. What resulted was a mix of detergent bottles and latex gloves! (don't ask!). The highlight definately went to a physics presentation on density and volume changes of gas. What started as a tank and a balloon, accompanied by a head scratch, resulting into a very imaginative demonstration of how pressure changes volume. There was even a good promotion of safety sausages involved. Definately a great way to get everybody thinking a little outside the box!

Open water antics

2010-03-04T19:34:00.001-08:00

So, as the IDC is drawing to a close with only a couple of days left, we headed out to open water for our final open water presentations. By this time in the IDC, everyone is hitting their rhythm and presentations are pretty straight forward. With some good scores as well as a couple of ones, everyone benefited from each others presentation. Rule learnt for the day today...don't leave students unsupervised on the surface or underwater or they might swim off! For the second part of our dive session we headed back into the water for the Adventures in Diving workshop. This is a chance for all the IDC candidates to have a go at teaching some of the skills from the advanced course. Specifically, for this course I decided to go with the search and recovery workshop, to give everyone the chance to practice their knots and their liftbag skills. The search and recovery dive is a fun dive that we always try to incorporate into our advanced programs. With more interesting skills and useful tests in can prove to be a great fun dive compared with some if less challenging dives, i.e. boat! Anyway, for the workshop each candidate takes it in turn to play their instructor role and they each run a skill practicing with other candidates for their students. We had some good fun playing with the knots and then ended our session practicing using the liftbag. The session ended on a good note and we headed back to the dive boat for one last surprise...the 800m snorkel swim, which everyone seemed to have conveniently forgot about..oh dear! After some mild protest they all jumped in and snorkeled their way back to the dock. Snorkel by sunset...nice way to finish a session!

Up and Down and Up again

2010-03-01T21:58:00.001-08:00

Day 5 of our first PADI IDC of 2010 and all is going good! Today in the afternoon we headed out into the ocean for the first of the open water presentations. As a warm up before the class everyone took part in a descent workshop. Workshops are a very important part of any IDC as it gives each student the chance to practice skills that they will use in the real world. Workshops for the first open water session that I like to use are descent workshops and CESA workshops. The most important element is to practice control of your students during the descent and ascents. We first decided to practice the controlled descent, with each candidate taking it in turn to play the role of instructor, whilst trying to keep control of the other students. Following that we moved onto the CESA workshop practicing ascents with one student at a time performing their controlled emergency swimming ascent. Its always a good thing to keep our own skills fresh, so playing the role of student for this excercise is definately a good thing.
After everyone had had a couple of trys playing instructor and student for both excercises, we moved onto the presentations. We had a mixture of surface skills, descents and underwater being presented so everyone had the chance to see, or take part in a mixture of assignments. After some fantastic control being shown on our surface skills, we moved into some underwater fun with compasses. Instructor Candidate Alonso managed to keep his students from zipping to the surface which was great, before we moved onto both Cesar and Ali with some buoyancy excercises. One of our last presentations of the day was a demonstration of the importance of using familiar equipment when diving. If you are not familiar with your BCD then you may not know where the dumps are! Whilst boobing around and almost performing an ascent he did a great job of keeping his students under control, but they where after all model students (or supposed to be!). Next time, know your equipment and I will say it only once, no improvising of problems to give the poor nervous instructor candidates extra stress ; P

Mannequin with 4 legs?!

2010-02-25T16:23:00.001-08:00

To kick off the first PADI IDC this year, I decided to run the EFR Instructor program first as a light hearted beginning. Now a pre-requisite for any PADI open water scuba instructor, the emergency first response instructor is a valuable tool and brimming with essential, and what I feel to be necessary skills for any scuba instructor. The first half of the course is learning about the breakdown of the course, standards etc. The afternoon we spent practicing skill circuits with each candidate taking it in turns to play the role of instructor while the others play the problematic students. How much fun can we have playing problematic students I wonder ?! We started with some basic assessments and CPR, moving onto bandaging, bleeding and splinting later on. Damien my ever present pooch, decided that the mannequins weren't doing a good enough job and decided to take over, however there were no volunteers to practice CPR on him! Fun was had all around and have to end with this little note...how many guys does it take to operate a AED trainer?! (check out the pic!)

Nitrox Instructors ; Wibble or wobble board?

2010-02-16T19:07:00.001-08:00

If you are soon to become a PADI dive professional or already are one then one thing that you will soon learn is super important is continuing your dive education. Even as a course director I am continually learning and building on what I already know, as the world of diving is so dynamic and is continually changing. Whether its the way we learn or the way we teach, an important skill is to adapt to that change and keep learning new skills. The new skills in question today where the skills and knowledge to teach a new group of Enriched air instructors. One of the most popular specialty courses in the PADI list, the enriched air diver specialty is a great course, enabling you to dive on Enriched air up to 40%. As one of the most popular specialties the EANx instructor is something that as a PADI dive professional is a great asset. We held our latest class this afternoon where two potential new EANx instructors were put to the test. One of the things I have noticed most recently that is whilst you are taught how to use your enriched air tables during your initial certification, many people then forget their use as they are commonly using computers. As a result of this the first hour or so after covering course basics, is generally spent refreshing everyones skills with the 2 EANx tables and especially the equivalent air depth table and oxygen exposure table. After a quick revision its on to the Presentations by each potential candidate. A key part of any knowledge development presentation is the use of teaching tools and it was almost like listening to Rolf Harris and his wobble board (the brits get this one!) with the turning over and over again of giant tables. I like to be a meanie and set the harder questions for presentations to give everyone plenty of time to practice and everyone today rose to the occasion and did a great job. After practical application practice and some tank analyzing followed with some pre-dive simulations. Practicing those equations can be such a nightmare?! Marketing and structuring courses with a good discussion rounds out the day before finishing up with paperwork.
Well done to our new EANx instructor!!

Full Face Mask Fun!

2010-01-20T20:09:00.001-08:00

So we have hit a pretty incredible milestone at Oceans Unlimited. We have officially certified the first full face mask students in Costa Rica! How incredible is that? This is only the first part of a whole new chapter in the Oceans Unlimited and Go Pro Costa Rica story. Our next step is to then start with the public safety diving program.
First 2 guinea pigs were myself and Alonso our head DM. Scott our instructor and ever great 'jefe" took us out for our first exploratory dives with the masks and comm systems that we have already tried previously in the pool. This was for the completion of the specialty. After diving so much with standard scuba it took a bit to get used to but definately by the second dive we were starting to get in the flow, communicating pretty well, where are you?, check that out etc. Hand signals where still coming into play for a bit when we forgot...oh yeah we can talk!
Full face mask diving seemed such a daunting task to start with but all in all its relatively simple and sooooo much fun. For those of you that want to try something a bit different then definately this is the way to go. PLan this week is to take them out again to get super comfortable and then head out to one of the offshore sites....here we go!

The importance of everything else

2010-01-10T18:27:00.001-08:00

If you are either already working in the dive industry or thinking about it for the future, then one thing you need to realize is that it is not only about diving. There are so many other aspects and skills that will benefit you in your career as a dive professional. These can include, gear maintenance, web design the list goes on and on. Some of the skills we were training with this week was visual inspections, tank cleaning and maintenance. Every 5 years all scuba tanks must be hydrostatic tested and then every year visual inspected. All our visual inspections we complete inhouse here as we have the technicians to do so, and as such train all of our Divemasters to do so. This year, very strangely, we found during our routine checks some tanks that needed a little extra care, so lessons began in how to clean tanks effieciently without having all the high tec machinery at your fingertips. The result was a tank tumbling process somewhat modified. We filled the tank with the correct cleaner and then proceeded to roll them back and forth to each other across some matting. When you don't have everything make do with what you got! The end result was great and we had some super clean tanks that our divemasters got to practice their visual inspection skills on. Valuable lessons learnt for future careers!

Underwater Radio

2009-12-27T13:02:00.001-08:00

New toy time!!! I know I will be reprimanded for calling them toys which I know they are technically not, but new gadgets at least! At Oceans Unlimited and Go Pro Costa Rica we have brought in Full Face masks. We have slowly been expanding our curriculum to include technical diving and now with this latest addition we can include Public safety diving. With full face masks and underwater communication systems we can communicate whilst salvaging, mounting a search or just talk about the coral we are looking at. This course will be available in the new year to anyone who wishes to taste!!
As for the first training session here...the hardest part for me was remembering to press the com button every time I wanted to talk. Also you need to remember to talk slowly through the coms, so us Brits need to take a breath before hand! The only main skill was practising bail out, which after being so used to recreational scuba systems, is a bit crazy, with the whole reg system and mask being removed, but nonetheless a fun challenge. Next week we are planning to take them out diving off of the boats and really put them to the test. No more peace underwater then!

Divemastering with an artistic streak

2009-12-13T19:28:00.001-08:00

There are many parts to the PADI divemaster course, from assisting to theory and one of my favourite parts by far is the mapping project. It is the objective for each divemaster to map one of the dive sites that they visit. The idea of the map is to teach divemasters in training how to effectively explore a site and relay their findings onto paper. Using the compass. measuring distance and skethcing underwater never seems to be the most challenging part for the DMTs. It always seems to be putting their drawings onto paper. I always ask for as much reality as possible, colour etc ( I didn't know reefs were flourescent yellow!) but the artistic efforts are always fun to see. It always makes me wonder when fish and specific reef residents appear on the maps.......you are 100% sure that they're going to be there when you visit again? I like using them later on to show open water students dive sites....also gives them something to aim for in the future if they feel so inspired! Go our DM picassos ; )

IDC Costa Rica..halfway through!

2009-12-06T18:46:00.001-08:00

A day of rest has just passed. For the IDC currently running at Oceans Unlimited and Go Pro Costa rica, we have decided to space it out a little bit more than usual to get plenty of diving in between. Yesterday was the first open water presentations. First out was descent and CESA workshops. Its so important to practice handling a number of students whilst performing the different ascents. Suddenly you have to have control of a group of students and direct your assistant at the same time!!! All good though. Everyone did great and we even managed to relax and fit in time for a short fun bubble with some interesting navigation results!? Presentation on our second dive went good with some excellent descriptions and great control demonstrated in some tricky conditions. Well done all round guys!

KD and hoods in the air con?!

2009-12-02T19:44:00.001-08:00

As the IDC at Go Pro Costa Rica is now underway today was assessment number 1 starting with knowledge development presentations. This is one of the most nerve wracking moments I think for a candidate. The first time you have to stand up and actually "teach". Our first topics were pretty straight forward and everyone did really well. We even had some interesting class interaction with mask and hood wearing in the classroom. Good fun and well done guys!

A little bit more ; )

2009-11-29T20:50:00.001-08:00

With only a short while under our belts as a Technical dive center here in Costa Rica, our selection of courses, and the lure to explore is proving very popular with many divers. This weekend proved no exception with some Decompression procedures classes. If you are thinking of taking the step into technical diving, you must seriously take a hard look at why you are doing this. Commitment and planning is the key with a very small margin for errors....however the opportunities that its offers is well worth it! Just because you are deciding to look at technical diving and extending your decompression limits doesn't always mean deep, deep, deep but that can be the draw for many. Most of our sites here in Costa Rica aren't so deep, one of our best offshore "deep" dives starts at 95ft and head on down to 140ft, but the advantage of deco diving is that you can extend your time at that deeper depth, so therefore enjoy at dive at 120ft/130 without having to end it at 10 minutes. Much more fun! Well done to graduate Dan today for completing his deco procedures course and taking that next step.

Voodoo mix ; )

2009-11-21T06:08:00.001-08:00

Mix a bit of this and mix a bit of that and what do you have??! Nitrox! Enriched air is too this day the most popular specialty course available and diving with enriched air is a popular choice by many divers. Our local diving around manuel antonio doesn’t really call for use with nitrox, but we always use it on our offshore pinnacle trips. This allows us to extend our bottom time and make the most of our time diving with the big fish.
Seeing as its the most popular specialty, it makes perfect sense to be an enriched air instructor. The course is straight forward and there are no dives involved and because of this we have decided to make it a special and give you guys to complete your course once you have finished your IDC, so why not jump on board?! If you want to delve a little bit deeper there is always the chance to go further and complete your Deep and Basic Tec instructor so what are you waiting for?!

2009-10-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

When completing any professional dive training, if you want to be the most prepared that you can be before starting your job in the real world, always find out what extra training is involved. For example, simple, everyday dive shop tasks like tank filling, equipment maintanence, even sales can be so important and if you get the chance to get experience whilst completing your courses, you need to grab it with both hands. You'll be thankful of it later on!

Can we fix it?.....maybe?!

2009-10-14T21:34:00.001-07:00

We started slowly yesterday, barely making a dent in the rather large task of servicing all the regulators and inspecting all the tanks before the new season kicks in. This is always a task so much better as a team effort. Today we started with visual inspections of 15 more tanks including some of the enriched air tanks. For some one that has never seen the inside of a tank or a regulator this is always a good learning experience. Best way to learn is hands on. First hard part is trying to bleed the tanks down without winding Dive dog Damien up. Something that "aquaman" Bob enjoys TOO much! All the tanks here are incredibely clean which maks the whole inspection process pretty straight forward. New instructor Drew and Alonso where on the tank line and did a cracking job. Next something new for both of them...regulator servicing. Once a year every regulator and BCD gets serviced and quiet time during October is the best time to do so. Part of a divemasters and instructors shop around the dive shop is to help maintain equipment and to be able to repair when things go wrong, so if you always seize the chance to learn about equipment repair as early as possible. Jump in and be as nosy as possible if you see someone breaking something down or cleaning. First up for our eager boys was first stage breakdown, swap parts out, clean and then back together. Next, second stages. Clean and rinse (check out that gunk!!!) change o-rings , seats and then everything back together. Turn tank on, (run away if your name is Alonso..) and listen and check for any problems. Ask important question.....where did those other parts come from? No really, all good. the more regulators down the more industrious and confident the fixers become. Good job guys!
If you don't get the chance to get involved with this sort of fun during your Divemaster or Instructor time then you are missing out.

Helping the community

2009-10-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today the community called upon the ever intrepid instructors at Go Pro Costa Rica and oceans to assist with a local group of trainees in first aid training. An emergency first response class is not just something for the world of diving. You might be called upon in any everyday situation to use the skills that you learn throughout this course so why not jump on the chance to learn. We only covered each part, (primary, secondary and care for children) very briefly as we were supposed to be presenting to people that are already certified. It was very clear though how easy it is to forget important skills like that when you are not practicing. On of the best things you do is keep refreshed and even go onto instructor training. If you are passing on the information to other people and teaching the course, not only are you benefiting them but you are benefiting yourself also. Be prepared!!! Even if you have no plans to become a scuba diving instructor, as a divemaster this is something that you should seriously consider to benefit you.

2009-10-09T14:53:00.001-07:00

Had a great morning demonstrating correct EFR techniques to a room full of people. Another class is due to start on Thursday...hope that we have our voice back by then!

Divemaster Exams...Yeah Physics!!

2009-10-06T19:49:00.001-07:00

For many of you taking the step into the professional dive world, one of the biggest worries comes in the form of Divemaster exams...AAGGGGHHH! The ever frightening physics, physiology and RDP exams are the biggest worries by far for the majority of students. With the help of the workbook and encyclopedia, the best way to start is to doo some self study. What you can master by yourself is always a bonus, and from then on its finding what method of learning works for you. Different instructors use different techniques, but for me personally I think visualizing is key. Take for example, behaviour of gases and liquids. To demonstrate this concept, I always find having soda bottles etc handy. This way the students can visualize the concept and actually understand the theory behind gases absorbing liquids under pressure.
For those of you that fear the RDP, I cannot stress enough that for every dive you do , you should plan it on the table, so by the time you get to your exams during your Divemaster course, its not such a mountain! Now with the introduction of the eRDPml its even more straight forward! And always remember, the better understanding you have of the material through your divemaster, thats one thing less to worry about for your PADI IDC!

Photography and itunes!

2009-10-04T20:06:00.001-07:00

Advanced class, dives on the schedule Deep and photography. Deep up first, played around with our colour changes down at 95 ft and then made a nice multi level dive, watched some snapper and jacks before hitting the surface. Dive number 2 was supposed to be a first taster of underwater photography for my students. As an avid photographer myself its definately one of my favorite specialtys to teach. Underwater photography is so very different from photography on land. Whilst the fundamentals remain the same you have to deal with controlling your buoyancy as well as focusing on your subject! We had a nice slow descent but as soon as we were on the bottom I thought that i was hearing some strange noises in the background. 5minutes in they grew until we were listening to a full blown conversation between humpbacks somewhere off in the deep. Its such a surreal thing to listen too whilst you are diving. the rest of the photography dive went well and we managed to get some good shots but I'll definately remember this one for the underwater accompaniment!

Socialising in Costa Rica

2009-09-28T19:51:00.001-07:00

Whilst its been reasonably quiet (the time of year!) there has still been plenty of variety in the office recently. Last week was fun packed when our regional manager Jose came down to visit our store. First official visit for us so that was great that we finally got to show off what we had been working on for almost 5 years. This was followed by a trip up to Playa Del coco for the PADI member forum. Its always nice to catch up with our neighbours in the north and see what they're up too! On return to Quepos we had some enriched air classes which are always fun I always enjoy the challenge of some equations, feel free to call me a geek, but thats also my draw for tech diving.
The water has been really nice over the past few days with whale sightings regularly as well as sharks and some big sting rays. All the more reason to get wet!
With Divemastering one day and teaching Enriched air the next a dive instructors life is never dull!

Rescue diver....be prepared

2009-09-17T20:21:00.001-07:00

The rescue course is the course, that in my mind is the the start of the road to becoming a professional, prepared diver. This course, many refer to as one of the most challenging yet most rewarding. Focus during this course is shifted from yourself as a diver to recognizing and helping problems with other divers around you. Its all about being prepared and thinking before you act. One of the most challenging skills comes towards the end of your course when you are practicing a scenario involving an unconscious non-breathing diver....what would you do?!
One of the earliest challenges is learning to help both tired and panicked divers. This training always allows those playing the victim, to let loose. Hard work for those doing the rescuing but always a good valuable lesson ; )

So much to do..

2009-09-15T12:22:00.001-07:00

Whilst you may not be in the water everyday there is still so much to do. Today the decision is being made, try surfing, go rafting, try some zip-lining. What to do? The area of Manuel Antonio, home to one of the most beautiful parks in Costa Rica is such a great place to visit. Not just for the diver looking to go pro or experience some fab diving, we have something for all the family and your friends so why not come visit us. Manuel Antonio is the perfect place to dive so come and blow some bubbles with Oceans Unlimited and Go Pro Costa Rica!

Less mess...

2009-09-14T20:58:00.001-07:00

OKay..so its finally into the quietest part of the year for us here in Costa Rica. The rains are starting to set in a bit more regularly but as a dive instructor in or out of the water there is always plenty to do. Now its the perfect time of year to start some maintanence. This can be anything from regulator fixing to tank inspections, checking out everything and making sure its good to go for November. For any dive pro its also a ....perfect time to brush up on your EFR skills and maybe take part in some some out of water courses. Why not take some EANx or equipment classes?!
For some of the other members of the oceans team, the rainy season means something else....less time running around barking and "patrolling" and more time manning the security post under the reception desk! (Poor Damo!)

All quiet!

2009-09-12T19:48:00.001-07:00

After the non-stop schedule for the IDC and technical dive courses its back to some normalcy.. I think! OPen water courses and DSDs have been on the agenda for the past couple of days and today 3, intrepid adventurers took to the water for the first time and had a blast. We had some encounters with some moray eels and some parrot fish. Nice! Tomorrow we return to finish open water training. Warm water here we come!

Sunshine and whales!

2009-09-07T19:49:00.001-07:00

Whilst it may not be the best time of year with regards to the visibility for diving you can still have those once in a lifetime encounters. The divers came back extra happy today after being treated to a show of mum and baby humpback whale playing around on the surface. On one of the hottest september days I managed to cool off with a confined water class in the afternoon. Without that hose encounters today I think we would have melted!!

Open water and Technical diving....

2009-09-06T19:43:00.001-07:00

Decompression procedures course wrapped up yesterday on a good note. Anton showed excellent dive planning and execution, definately a good first step into technical diving! Today it was back to the quieter life with open water dives to finish a course. As usual Damien managed to keep watch over the shop with Jennifer in Reception whilst the divers were out diving around Manuel Antonio national park. It was a beautiful sunny day that ended with some open water certifications!! No rain yet today....maybe its not rainy season yet?!

No rest for the wicked ; )

2009-09-03T21:19:00.001-07:00

After a successful IE at oceans unlimited its back to the shop and a brief hiatus until the next IE due to start at the beginning of December. No rest for the wicked though as prep begins for a decompression procedures course. We can do anything here!!! Deep diving tomorrow!

Exams down.....into the water!

2009-09-01T08:34:00.001-07:00

So off to the IE! After saying a fond farewell to boss of the shop, Damien the dive dog ; ) the candidates and myself started the 4 hour trip up to Coco for the IE. We managed to squeeze in a stop to look at the crocs hanging out in Tarcoles before arriving in Coco just after midday. The IE started at 3.00pm sharp and the PADI man himself was a very nice guy called Eric. After intros, Drew and James started on their exams utilising the whole time to make sure they were successful. They both came out with a look of relief and a big smile as the first part is now over. The rest of the evening they had to prepare for the confined, open water and knowledge development tomorrow. Good luck to you guys and the other candidates form the north... I know you'll do great!

And so it ends....

2009-08-29T21:35:00.001-07:00

So the final day of the first official IDC at Oceans Unlimited drew to a close today. The morning finished on a good note with some great prescriptive presentations. Everyone breathed a collectively sigh of relief but only for a day as on Monday the IE will begin. Well done guys!! Even Damien was a bit sad as I think he was enjoying the air conditioning and constant attention a bit too much ; )

Confined Water and some play acting!

2009-08-28T21:57:00.001-07:00

A usual early start at 8(ish!) started well. Expectations are high as the IDC starts to wrap up. The last inwater training session began in the afternoon as the storm clouds started to roll in. With 2 presentations each there was a relaxed atmosphere and we decided to throw some creative and dramatic affects into the problems. I think that honourable mantion should go to Frederico for so expertly placing and clearing an upside mask, and to James for throwing his regulator and mask so dramaticaly at the same time. Well done to the candidates for staying in control and giving such excellent presentations whilst trying not to laugh into their regulators. ; )

Inwater presentations and dramatic effect

2009-08-28T21:53:00.001-07:00

Swim test and some Karaoke

2009-08-27T22:31:00.001-07:00

The IDC is starting to draw to an end now and today was the last presentations in open water. After some nice rain a couple of days previous the ocean was calm and the visibility decent. The key lesson today was practicing descents and controlling students which proved to be quite tough, especially when you have some one trying to go head first down a line! After an adventures in diving workshop where everyone got to play around with knots and lift bags the instructor candidates and Divemasters to be who were helping out all had to complete their 800m snorkels. We decided to make ourselves comfy on the bow of the boat and turned it into a bit of a karaoke session with the nice new loud speakers and PA system to cheer on the snorkeling students! Top points for Kats rendition of "I want to know what love is" and for Drew pulling of a fast snorkel swim and a pair of red rocket fins. Extra mention to Conrad the DMT who managed it. end of story!

Superspeedy diver tows!

2009-08-26T20:23:00.001-07:00

Another beautiful day in Costa Rica, sunny and bright, but our studious candidates were busy with their heads buried in books for the day! Typical, when it rains you're outside, when its sunny, you're in! Other students were out on the boat today to witness Divemaster trainee Anton produce a supersonic Stamina test! He must not be using the local Rayovac batteries then! During the afternoon IDC students presented their first prescriptive presentations which went really well and now evryone is looking forward to the adventures in diving program and open water dives tomorrow, with hopefully a bit less current this time ; )

First day of the OWSI

2009-08-25T22:03:00.001-07:00

The first official day of the OWSI portion of the IDC at Oceans Unlimited. We got straight into the heavy duty with talks on Dive Industry trends followed by Standards and Procedures. These were then broken up when a local diver came to the shop with three very old looking tanks requesting for their inspection. Everyone got very interested when on closer inspection it was discovered that each tank was around 30 years old and on the inside were in a very messed up, rusted state. There's always time for a break to play around with equipment! After lunch it was back to the pool for more Confined presentations and rescue assessments which everyone did really well on! Good job guys....remember.....

The EFR Instructor Course

2009-08-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

We took a break from the IDC today and worked on our first aid skills with the EFR Instructor course. Whilst the morning was spent studying hard the afternoon involved skill practice and coaching sections. Novel problems and laughter ensued as we were faced with upside down baby mannakins and AED pads placed on the side of heads. Damien even manged to get involved with the class. When anyone is playing victim he always feels the urge to lie down next to them for a scratch!

Rocking and rolling in Open Water!

2009-08-23T20:37:00.001-07:00

An overcast morning turned into sunshine and blue skies as our intreped IDC candidates started the first open water preparation. Some unexpected currents made the descent workshop impossible at first, however the CESA workshop, though challenging was successful. Good to try a new skill in tough conditions, you will always learn more from it! Our second dive was in the quiet bay of Biesanz in Manuel Antonio and this time, after a practice descent, we moved into the presentations. The conditions were not easy with some surge and low visibility after the rains but everyone did really well and scored well, after we even had time to play around with the lift bag afterwards! Remember guys...the last place you want to be when someone else is using a lift bag is beneath it especially when there's a big weight belt attached ; )

Confined Water lessons on IDC day 3

2009-08-22T19:15:00.001-07:00

Day 3 of the IDC at Oceans Unlimited in Costa Rica dawned sunny and bright. After a full day in the classroom yesterday getting into the pool was looked forward too. After some great presentations from the guys on Search patterns and ascents we headed up to the pool. For an extra challenge each person was given an extra presentation for the pool. Everyone did great for their first time at confined water teaching, but Anton the divemaster felt a bit unused so was "encouraged" to swim around during one of the last presentations. Remember....make sure your assistants are being used effectively! Here comes the open water tomorrow : )

Day 2 IDC Costa Rica!

2009-08-21T21:04:00.001-07:00

Day 2 wrapped up today. After a full day in the classroom, interaction was the key. Morning was spent preparing knowledge presentation and discussing Discover Scuba Diving followed by Confined water discussions in the afternoon. After spending the first day outside, Damien decided that he would prefer the air conditioning and managed to figure out how to open the new doors by pushing his nose at the right angle. It didn't take him much before he then contributed to the discussion at the end of the day with strange vocalisations presumably indicating he was tired after a long day at the IDC, much to the amusement of others.
Presentations start tomorrow!

Welcome new instructors to be!

2009-08-20T21:55:00.001-07:00

New Instructors here we go! Day 1 of the IDC begins. On a bright and sunny day everyone sat down with their loaded crewpacks and materials looking through the schedule with anticipation about what is to come. Assignments were handed out intros made and the day was rounded out with a well done skill circuit. Lesson learnt: Don't confuse a DIVE ALERT with an inflator (ouch!)