zen

zen and the art of scuba instruction

i've been sitting here trying to think of something witty to write and i've just had a flash of insight. an epiphany you might say.

i'm just not that witty.

so i've decided to babble on about something i know a little bit about and like a lot.

teaching people how to teach people how to scuba dive.

utila is a small island about 7 miles long by about 3 miles wide. there are 10 dive shops along a stretch of road about a mile long.

three of these shops are registered PADI 5-Star IDCs. this means they can teach instructor candidates and prepare them for an Instructor Examination. in order for this to work each of these shops has to be represented by a PADI Course Director.

there are currently five CDs on utila.

myself (the best one) at Bay Islands College of Diving
peter (the tallest one) at Bay Islands College of Diving
phil (the most aussie one) at Deep Blue
andy (the most prolific one) at Utila Dive Centre
and neil (the soon to be one) at Utila Dive Centre --- neil has been accepted into the Course Director Training Class in california and deserves a hearty congratulations for that.

needless to say the competition for instructor candidates is somewhat fierce. this means the CDs on utila have to be at the top of their game. and they all are. as a result of this utila boasts one of the highest (if not THE highest) pass rates in the world for instructor exams. this is a good thing.

no CD wants their student to fail the IE. especially on utila. whoever has a student fail the IE has to buy beer for the other CDs ... and, believe me, these guys can drink!

everyone is gearing up for another round of competition beginning on june 10 for another IDC.
making sure each candidate has a solid theory foundation, great water skills, exemplary rescue skills, and the right tool kit for being successful in their new career in diving.

let the games begin!