PADI IDC and Divemaster Courses, training and internships Costa Rica - Go Pro!

Deep diving, divemaster fun and some whales thrown in too!

2012-01-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

End to the first week of the new year and what a great week it has been! We have had beautiful waters, great diving and to finish it off this week we thought we would go deep diving. With some of our PADI divemaster trainees on the morning trip we decided to hit a couple of our deeper local dive sites including Geo's ridge and Sitting Bull. With great visibility and zero currents, our free descents were nice and easy and made both dives great fun. After playing around with different objects at depth, as part of some deep dive training for the divemaster program, we headed up Geos ridge into schools of snappers and grunts, plenty of other reef inhabitants and finishing it off with a school of surgeon fish at our safety stop. Our second dive we started at a 90ft pinnacle and then slowly made our way up the ridge to the sitting bull. With some large sting rays encounters and then schools of Barracuda, there was definitely some exciting moments. But the best came by far when we finished our tour and had the chance to hang out with 3 humpback whales on the surface. A baby with 2 adults who decided to come up right next to our boat and hang out briefly before disappearing beneath the waves. All in a good days diving!

Divemaster and Instructor skill cicuit practice

2011-12-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

With the super crazy busy xmas week almost over we are well into high season Yeah!!! Water is looking nice, and warm, rays and sharks are out and about, turtles have been spotted and even the elusive guitar fish has made an appearance, so what do we work on with the divemaster and instructor trainees, during all this madness??……….Skills!!!! An essential part of any professional dive course to brushen up your skills , as well as fun bubbling almost every day. With all of the discover scuba diver classes, open water referrals and more, there has been plenty of opportunities for everyone to assist in the confined water with classes, so to practice demonstrations before hand is key. With the full skill circuit of 24 skills including skin diving skills there is plenty to work on, and once your pro training is over there is no need to stop practicing and polishing them. There was some good hovering and pivoting skills, as well as reg recovery and mask skills. So circuits and practice over, Now to demo to some real time students. With even more classes coming up it's a perfect time to get in the pool and put the practice to work!

Scuba divemaster trainee internship - Turtles and Crazy Canyons

2011-12-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

As an important part of the PADI Divemaster internship you need to practice your dive briefings. And who better to practice on at Go Pro Costa Rica than me! So finally the sun shone down on us today and some abnormally grey days for this time of year and we headed out to Canyon reef, one of my favorite dive sites here in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. For a first briefing I was suitably impressed by our Divemaster trainee, but I definitely think the fact that she followed her slates to a tee helped, but that's what they're there for right?! Anyway, after my thorough briefing we headed into the water and did a nice free descent onto the bottom of the deepest canyon and started to head off in a northerly direction up it. After getting to a good turn around point we back tracked and then headed up the reef towards some shallower canyons to explore a bit more. So far so good, and with minimal movement in the water, there wasn't too much difficulty negotiating the canyons. Plenty of schooling fish, some grunts, snappers, puffers, but then, as we headed into a particularly small canyon and were faced with a large boulder. Peering over the top, we had stumbled on a peacefully grazing hawksbill turtle. He didn't seem to notice us at first, but then as we hung out for a while he seemed to clock on and decided to move. However that would mean going over out heads, so…decision time……. After swimming within a meter for a closer inspection he decided against it, went back to his original spot, and continued to eat. Much more fulfilling than checking out the 2 large objects with bubbles coming out of their mouths.

So after that fun encounter, we continued onto the next Canyon, hoping for something else, temptation got the better of me as we headed up another particularly small canyon, at which point a wave rolled in and the roller coaster effect set in. Having experience at negotiating this is key, moving with the surge, using your buoyancy control to steer around rocks and it certainly proved to be a good learning experience for budding future divemasters. What will the lesson be tomorrow?!

PADI IDC packages - now with MORE freebies!

2011-12-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

New season, new dive team and it seems only right that there are some new "extras" in our packages. With our Go Pro packages already chock full of goodies, why not put some more in! We already offer unlimited diving when you sign up for a go pro packages during your training and with the divemaster training, we have FREE specialty training, as well as additional DAN training and FREE surf lessons, for your down time (if you ever want to get out form under the water that is!!!). For our PADI IDC packages, we offer unlimited diving during your training AND that includes your FREE IDC prep. There is also 2 FREE instructor specialties which you can choose, from EANx, Deep, Equipment or many more. If you are having to travel light then we also include FREE rental of a BCD and regulator, and also 5 nights accommodation with meals. Phew!! Oh, and before I forget, also included is a free surf lesson, to take in some of the Pura Vida lifestyle during or after your scuba instructor course. And once you finish, we will help you prep your CV, look at job placement and even help you teach your first couple of classes, before heading out to live the scuba dream. As the only PADI 5* IDC center on the central pacific coast ,the most comprehensive selection of continuing education courses in Costa Rica, the only dive center to offer DAN instructor training AND the only Technical dive Center in Costa Rica we definitely host the fun in scuba training, so why not check us out!?

Come join the Go Pro Costa Rica and Oceans Unlimited Dive Family today! We are waiting to blow bubbles with you!

Sharks and rescue throws...what next?

2011-11-24T20:36:00.001-08:00

Today was the last dive of our advanced class and then also some additional training for the PADI rescue course. So we headed off to south point, ignoring the rain to complete our "boat" dive to round it up. Nice drop into the canyon, cruise along the reef and then spotted!!! first shark of the season. He was chill cruising past once, then coming back for a second shot which was great as everyone got to see him. Some cool parrot fish, puffers and then heading up for our safety stop. During our surface interval time for some extra practice on boat response. Okay, so what do we have to use, throw rope, ring, fenders, plenty of easily accessible items to assist with a rescue, so lets play out a scenario. In steps in our intrepid rescuing , 1,2, 3 throw that rope..... or maybe not. Second attempt, here we go, and, rope goes up, rope goes down. Need a bit more practice for that I think. Second dive search pattern practice went better, that's for sure, at least we found what we were looking for and a cool ray! Tomorrow, more throwing and some rescuing of non-responsive divers, should be good, stay tuned!

New Budding open water divers

2011-11-20T18:40:00.001-08:00

First class of the new season was a PADI e-learning open water class. After a 3 month hiatus I decided to "get wet" again. With new Go Pro interns and students coming through our newly opened doors there are is plenty of enthusiastic help on hand. Pool session went well, I just wish that one day, someone will pass the message around here more that more chlorine doesn't necessarily mean cleaner! Even though there are still some rainy spells in the afternoons and evenings we were lucky enough to have some nice viz the water was a little cold for my liking though, 78 F. Yes, I know I am spoilt with warm water. Highlight was definitely the last dive, Punta Quepos, diving down to about 17m, skools of Porkfish, snappers and some Jacks. I did have a look out for some sharks but I guess they are not a fan of the cooler water either. I'll just have to wait until it heats up a bit before I start seeing them again. Everyone did a great job and I am happy to welcome 5 new open water divers into the world of scuba diving!

Costa Rica to Surf and Dive

2011-11-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

After a great DEMA show its back to Costa Rica and even though have only been back for a week, it is the everlong adventure. First order of priority, get back in the water. With a temperature of around 82 F (about 29 C for you metric heads!!) at the surface you can easily see how easy it is to spend around 2 - 3 hours in the water just watching the world drift by. As yet I haven't had the chance to venture under the water but this week with some open water referral classes coming in that will change. I also have some great new divemaster trainees coming in and with an IDC starting next weekend it is going to be a running start to the new season. After a day of pretty much non-stop rain yesterday and a relatively grey looking day today I am hoping for sunshine tomorrow. With a pushy pitbull nudging my arm every 5 minutes though, he is not too concerned about the weather, only for the fact that he needs a walk NOW and the beach is calling. Come on sunshine, we need a "bright" class tomorrow!

Sherwood clinic, tinkle with some regulators!

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 at DEMA show was completely hectic! It was awesome though to see some of our reps , especially my favorite Sherwood rep Rolando, who had great news and let me know that he would once again be visiting Costa Rica this coming year! You know what that means……equipment clinic!!! The dates are yet to be finalized but we will definitely be running another equipment clinic at Go Pro again this coming year and we will coincide it with an IDC and some Divemaster training so not only to you get certified as a technician you can grab that specialty as well, for FREE. Keep posted for dates……..
You know that you want to come tinkle with some regulators, just some great training to add into your portfolio as a new instructor or divemaster!

Scuba bunny at DEMA show Part 1....

2011-11-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

So Day 1 of DEMA show is over and once again a great day. One of the fun things of DEMA is the chance to catch up with dive friends from around the world including some good buddies from the states. Especially our friendly northerly neighbor "Seven seas scuba" in Vancouver Washington! Days are always jam packed with PADI seminars and lectures, swotting up on new standards, seeing what new materials and programs are out there and what interesting opportunities and gadgets are hitting the market. As a dive pro, keeping up to date on standards is very important and ensures that all our dive training is very safety conscious, especially important when training students. Found some fun HD video cameras today, which would be great for taking on some underwater adventures, so keep posted for that one. Tomorrow is another day of socials and important dive education…what will it bring?

New Scuba Dive Season, New Start....

2011-10-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost upon us and then Christmas!!! The year has flown past and what an eventful one it has been. I have finally started surfing, (not very well at the moment, but give me time!!), and took a hiatus off of diving. Starting mid November I'll be back under water again though and to kick off the new season a new IDC. A great way to begin with new instructor candidates and new instructors for the new season. Currently in England having enjoyed a relatively sunny October, the rains have now started and I'm looking ahead to spending a week in Orlando with friends at the dive show DEMA. This year I have the added excitement (and nervousness!) of speaking at the show, so my main focus at the moment is that, (and my halloween costume). Another good way to kick start the new season! Once that's over, it's back to Costa Rica and the revamped, new look Oceans Unlimited and Go Pro Costa Rica. Challenge of the new season, scheduling my diving around the surfing, and we must never forget, the most important part of all. Making sure that Damian gets his allotted walk and scratch time. I think the new season will be busy.......

Exploring the unconvential reef - in a marina

2011-07-28T07:36:00.001-07:00

Another beautiful sunny morning to be heading out diving. I am seriously hoping that it stays like this as I am not diving until this afternoon. Knowing my luck it will be raining, "oh no! I don't want to get wet!!!" Ha ha. This afternoon is full face mask diving in the marina, fun you may say.....but the really interesting part is some of the different life that we find down there. On the last dive in the marina we found some enormous sea urchins that we hadn't seen before, as well as some schools of triggers that we rarely see. The additional fun part is that with the full face mask gear on we can have a conversation about this as we are down there! So, for this afternoon, I wonder what new fun creatures we will encounter?!

Eagle Rays and Eager Divers

2011-07-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

So with rainy season well underway, (more specifically the "can never get my clothes dry season") viz has dropped locally and Cano trips are not as frequent. However, there are still plenty of eager divers around to brave the fun packed waters of Manuel Antonio. I was lucky enough to have a young referral diver come to me this past week, only 11 yrs old and super excited to be finishing his open water certification. On the first dive he proved very quickly that he was definitely made to be a diver, with a great demonstration of buoyancy control, and considering the lower visibility and strong surge, fantastic confidence. Then I found his Kryptonite, the compass! but in all fairness, this does tend to be for many new divers a tricky task to conquer. After some practice we hit our bearing and started swimming, but wait.....4 metres in front of us a beautiful eagle ray was hangin out so obviously we had to stop and just hover there for a few moments to admire him. Now, back to the compass, what heading where we on?....... Ok, start over, start swimming and wait....who appears again! Appreciate it very much, once again watching and admiring but really?!! could you just wait a couple of minutes till we had finished?! Never the less, after another few minutes we finished of our compass work and continued on our dive. Definitely a fun part of the certification to remember!

http://www.goprocostarica.com

2011-07-01T06:49:00.001-07:00

So, this November, heading to DEMA again, but will be speaking during the show with my good friend Nicolle. Looking forward to it!

Open water Course Fun in Manuel Antonio

2011-05-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

So the past week, (or maybe month or 2?!) have been pretty hectic. We had a group of visiting travel agents who were in Manuel Antonio doing the most sensible thing really....Learning how to scuba dive. So, it was time for me to step out of the office and back into the water hoping all the while that I wasn't going to melt! (just kidding...no....really!) As they were on a pretty tight schedule, checking out other parts of Manuel Antonio, kayaking in mangroves, booze cruising(one of the must sees?!) I had to keep the class moving, which with anything over 4 people does have its own sets of challenges sometimes. Anyway, first class sessions went on without a hitch and then it was into the pool the first morning. After a pretty long session we had managed to get through the first 3 confined sessions. There is a lot to cover for these, especially with buoyancy, emergency out of air skills and even just equipment set-up. After a break for lunch everyone headed off on a different tour, whilst I set about prepping for the open water the next morning. We are now into green season which means more rain and reduced visibility, therefor making supervision of divers a little trickier. Good practice for my new Divemaster in Training as he will need to keep a close watch on everyone!
So after a few nerves we got down in the first dive. A little bit of yo yo ing but altogether very good! After the morning dives and a lunch break everyone headed back to the pool to finish off the confined and then finish the open water the following day. Having recently got over a cold I was dreading the Controlled ascents (lots of up, down and up again!) but everyone completed first time. After some very skilled coordination of the compass work we managed to complete everything and by the end of the morning, 6 Happy new open water divers! Goal achieved! Now back to the office for a few days, wonder what the next class will bring?!

New PADI IDC and Divemaster training

2011-02-19T17:43:00.001-08:00

So with the new IDC well underway its time again for the EFR instructor class tomorrow. Are we prepared? The instructor class has been very relaxed this time around, with the new Divemaster trainees getting a chance to help out with some of the classes too. This is a good opportunity for everyone to polish their skills up to instructor level standard!

Ballast stones and Back Flips - A sunny days diving in Manuel Antonio

2011-02-01T16:57:00.001-08:00

Another beautiful day on the water, and this time I remembered to take my camera. As ever, you get to see the cool stuff when you don't have the camera and when you are carrying it, well fantastic dives as ever, just waiting for that moment. First dive, we hit canyon reef, I love exploring around there. As my open water students are completing their skills I noticed a perfectly oval stone sitting amongst the coral. Its a decent size stone with perfectly rounded ends. The first one of these I had seen, was when Capt Bob had pulled one up before and got super excited, as he thinks, but we are not 100% sure that it could be a ballast stone from an old boat. Now low and behold, I find a second stone , in roughly the same place. Hmmmm, could it be a stone from an ancient ship??!! who knows, but's its exciting to maybe have a bit of history.
Back on the boat, enjoying the sunshine before we head over to complete open water dive 4 and have 2 new certified divers! Michael, one of our open water instructors, who I have to add never ceases to entertain me, decided to work on his water entries, seeing as I had the camera. At least I managed to capture, one memorable moment on camera!
Please be aware, this is definitely NOT part of the open water course!

Beach Divemaster Stamina Test

2011-01-26T11:53:00.001-08:00

So, stamina test time again for the PADI Divemaster Internship class and instead of swimming back and forward around the pool I thought we'd take advantage of our beautiful surroundings and head to the beach. The parts we needed to fulfill today were the 800m snorkel and the 100 tired diver tow. Damien was very pleased with the outing as he got to leave his normal security post and play meet greet on the beach....Much more fun!!!! So just to make sure that everyone snorkeled the right distance we added an extra lap, just in case ; ) The final lap ended up heading towards a another beach on the other side of the bay which was great but on finishing, I can see the DMTs chilling out, not being so enthusiastic to make their way back to finish the tired diver tow!! Once back we set up and completed the tired diver tows over 100m which everyone put in a fast time which was good! Damien I think would have preferred a slower time as that meant more time to hang on the beach. Nice new classroom location!!

Just Hanging out....with the Whales!

2011-01-17T11:52:00.001-08:00

So, it may not be humpback whale season officially here in Costa Rica but they still like to show their heads (and fins) occasionally. Heading out to one of my favorite sights in the Manuel Antonio National Park Geos' Ridge as we are entering the water we see a whale tail rise and dive into the deep. Nice! So we all enter the water, I was escorting some discover divers that morning on their first dive. As soon as our heads were underwater we could hear the whales and they were definitely chatting away!! Throughout the whole dive the whales were singing very loudly, and on surfacing our captain announced that they had passed about 100m nearby which is pretty close. I have still yet to see them whilst scuba diving underwater, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It is a very surreal experience as it is a sound you are familiar with, having seen documentaries on Discovery channel and national geographic but still, when you hear it for the first time, it takes a moment to truly recognize what exactly you are listening to! After surfacing with my divers, and still having a fair amount of air in my tank I decided to go for a solo exploration and just "hang out". I swam to the end of the deepest ridge and dropped down to around 18m. The background music was still loud and I just hovered there listening for about 20 minutes before making my way back up to the top of the reef and completing my safety stop. Definitely one of my coolest dive moments!

2011-01-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

I love it when classes and diving are SO serious....

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

With another IDC drawing to a close, the IE this weekend, there is no rest for the wicked!! Who wants to join me on the next IDC in Costa Rica??!!!

Learning a New Lesson

2010-12-04T17:13:00.001-08:00

I am sure that when I tell my students that I learn something new, nearly every time I teach they don't believe me, yet its true. Whether in the way I teach, adapt a class or organize, its always good to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. After completing some good open water sessions this morning we worked on our classroom presentations and then went into the 4 e's selling workshop, practicing sales techniques, presentations etc. I learned something today during these sales presentations...be careful when you say improvise, otherwise you can end up with "pretend" honey-moon couples, sporting interesting jamaican accents, desperate for a bargain. Hmm

How tricky do I want to make it?

2010-12-02T20:07:00.001-08:00

One of the fun things about being a course director is teaching IDCs. I am currently on day 3 of my final PADI IDC of the year and today we hit the pool for our first confined session. After some great demos yesterday I was eager to see what our budding instructors to be had to offer. All in all a good job. With the first session, i will normally mark a little more to the lenient side as everyone is nervous being their first presentations. That doesn't stop me throwing in some interesting problems for the candidates to pick up on...hehe! I wasn't being too creative today, we had some non-bubble blowers, caught hoses and serious lack of signals. Most problems were spotted and corrected nicely so we did a good job. Start plotting (I mean planning) for the next session ; )

Free diving Mexico...

2010-11-18T09:42:00.001-08:00

So in addition to my great time just relaxing and diving in Mexico I got to witness a pretty cool event. Free diving is not necessarily a sport that I personally have participated in but I find that fitness and discipline of the athletes amazing. I was never entirely clear on the different facets of free diving, being under the ignorant illusion that there was just with fins and without (sorry : ( ) but have since learned that not only is that but also static (just breath holding) dynamic (in a pool) no limits (sled) and so on. ON my first full day in Mexico I got to witness the ladies national record being broken in dynamic free diving. The athlete is a local lady called Estrella, is not only climbing the ladder of the free diving world but also has been making her impact in the conservation world by working closely with whale sharks, looking at DNA and tracking. What was particularly incredible about the national record attempt that morning was that along with the womens' record, she also broke the mens' record with a distance of 100m no fins. A pretty amazing feat. A couple of days later she also broke the depth record in the ocean with a depth of 52m. Again a national record! The question is with all of her conservation efforts and training, what will she attempt next ? Good luck Estrella!

Sharks, lions...oh my!

2010-11-11T11:15:00.001-08:00

Ok, first day diving in La Paz yesterday and I didn't quite realize quite what a great experience it would be. I'm lucky enough to be diving with a good friend of mine Luke who has been living here for around 10+ years working in photography, diving conservation and a monton of other things. There was talk of large pelagics, as in many places on the pacific but I have learnt not to get my hopes up to much as with diving, you never know what you'll see, that is the joy of it. So after over a hour of boat trip I was ready to get in the water. First stop el Bajo. Three beautiful deep pinnacles, lots of life, loads of triggers, few eel, plenty of schools of fish and....Hammerheads! Now hammerhead sharks have been on my wish list to see since I first started diving so to finally see not one, but 4 was for me, fantastic. Everyone else diving had had the joy of already seeing these magnificent creatures on previous occasions so I have to say I think my cheshire cat grin was wider than most : ) But wait...that was not all the day was far from over! After a short boat ride to another location we were greeted with the sound of barking, by sea lions. Again another first for me as my only experience with sea lions as been at Sea World which isn't quite what I would class as "wild" fun as it was. As we were eating lunch I noticed one of the members of the colony coming near the boat and trying to gnaw his way through rope on one of the nearby buoys. The thing that immediately strikes you is how large the teeth are and quite frankly could if wanted so some serious damage. After a quick chat with Luke we headed into the water with the general plan to head up super shallow and hang so he could grab some could pictures and I could just "play" with the sea lions. On approaching closer to the rocks you can start to hear them barking underwater at which point you are surrounded by silver fish in their hundreds. In front of me the school moved to their right which made me look and then start, as a (in my eyes) HUGE male swam past me. After a moment I continued the swim forward to what I guess in some ways was their underwater play pen. Around 10 or so sea lions where playing together, chasing fish and blowing bubbles. It was an incredible experience just to sit quietly and watch them play. They are so curious, coming up to the camera, one had a particular liking for my fins, swimming past so close. My only hairy moment (literally) was one decided to pull at my hair after which I tried to rapidly tuck it back in under my mask strap. The 50 or so minutes we were hanging out there just flew past and before I knew it we were back on the surface once again for me the cheshire cat grin is just growing!! The ride back seemed to fly by and we were soon close to the dive shop when we encountered some small whale sharks feeding in the surface. The first time I saw these beautiful sharks was when I used to work in Roatan. It involved jumping in the water by a bait ball, swimming rapidly with a snorkel hoping that you would see them which you did quite often. This was a very different experience. There were around 6 in total, swimming very close to the boat, feeding slowly, which allowed a very close up encounter. By the time the boat got back to the shop I really can't think of how I could have ended the day any better. Next on the wish list.....let me think ; )

Scuba Travel adventures

2010-11-04T05:50:00.001-07:00

So Rainy season lived up to its name with two solid days of non-stop rain. The roads up to San Jose, some of them almost impassable and yet we keep smiling. Dry season officially starts in 10 days (or is it 11) and I am counting!! In the mean time I am heading off to Mexico first for a spot of R&R and then LAS Vegas. I can assure you that Vegas is purely for work related purposes ; )...no really! Every year dive professionals from around the world meet up in either Vegas or Orlando to discuss the world of scuba diving. This can be anything from manufacturers with their newest regulator to new dive courses, scientific discoveries , gadgets...... Its a great time to catch up with your dive buddies from around the world and have a little social time too. But first for me as mentioned I get to hang out in beautiful La Paz (which better not have any rain!!) dive a little (or a lot, who knows) and hopefully just relax a bit after the crazy rains. By the time I get back at the end of November it will be straight into the next PADI IDC on the 30th, so non-stop! The flight is boarding so see you on the other side....

Dive master training...Can you fix it?

2010-10-21T20:48:00.001-07:00

Down time in wet season is the perfect time to start tackling the yearly job of equipment servicing. With over 100 tanks, 30 reg sets and the rest, that all need to be checked and looked over, o-rings replaced etc. At the start it can seem like a daunting task but this year I'm lucky enough to have the help of a couple of enthusiastic Dive master trainees who are completing their internship with myself and Go Pro Costa Rica over the next couple of months. I like to integrate equipment servicing with the scuba equipment section of the PADi divemaster course. It goes beyond what is needed but allows the dive master candidates a much more thorough understanding of basic scuba equipment concepts and when preparing for a career in the scuba diving industry, nothing beats that additional knowledge of basic scuba equipment maintenance.
Our first couple of days we have so far spent trying to visual inspect all of our inventory of tanks. A super important job, checking for wear and tear in the tanks, threads and valves. The first couple seem pretty straight forward but after reaching tank 40, knowing you have over 100 in total, it can start to become repetetive which is why for me, nothing makes an equpiment room atmosphere than a bit of rock music playing in the background!
Once the tanks are down...onto the BCDs.

Doggy and Dive Ramblings

2010-09-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks of beautiful sunshine that is not very characteristic of "Rainy season" it has finally arrived. Yesterday was a completely grey day, and yes..... for a moment it could have been English skies were it not for the heat. Whilst the visibility has really been up and down I have been busy with a steady group of students as well as plenty of fun divers. It seem that no matter the weather or viz, a true diver wants to get wet! With the good diving days in the near future seeming sparser I will be turning my attention to more classroom based courses and tasks including my favourite thing of the year......inspecting all the tanks and overhauling all the regs. What fun I hear you yell, but in truth, the more you do the less rusty the next time right? For my beloved pooch who is now officially a single child ( we don't count the cat!) all of the extra time and attention devoted to him, especially during rainy season has not had the adverse effect I initially thought it might. We have managed to walk or run at least 5 times a week which has the positive effect on both of us but now it has led to a sulky dog every time I sit on the sofa and consider, just for a minute, that with the rain we may not go out today. There is only so many times that you can tolerate having your leg or hand nudged and listening to the big sigh. With only a month and a half left of the rainy season we are already planning the next instructor course for November which will certainly keep me busy. I think with the shop and classroom being so quiet right now , its also lack of neck scratching and attention from visiting clients that is keeping the woeful sighs frequent, but that will change soon.....

Diving can be tough!

2010-09-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Its Sunday...I'm busy, but there's still time to relax!

Surfs up!

2010-08-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Costa Rica is not only known for diving but for surfing too. A huge swell hit a few days ago, which while not so brilliant for us divers, definitely but a smile on the face of some the local surfers. Good chance to get some pictures in!!
!

Sharks and Cameras

2010-08-07T19:32:00.001-07:00

Headed off to Cano island on Wednesday. Mission, to finds some sharks and get some good pictures and video footage. I haven't had the chance really to take pictures for a while as I'm either with students, fun divers or busy elsewhere, so I jumped on this chance. My dive buddy Alejandro was filming the trip so that we could get some good video footage. There are always an abundance of sharks at Cano, but the majority of the time, they are pretty quiet, chilling on the sand patch. Not today though. They obviously knew the cameras were out as instead of lying half asleep, on entering the water, we were greeted with 4 - 5 of them. Instead of swimming around too much, I decided to hang out at one spot, with lots of schools of fish. In the space of a couple of minutes I had been treated to numerous passes by the white tip sharks. Great! I managed to lie in wait and even manage a couple of shots, so...mission accomplished!

Open water refresh

2010-07-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

So After my 3 day break, I returned today and jumped straight into an e-learning program. How convenient now is it study your dive academics online?! My student, completing his open water, turns out has been previously certified but back in the 70s, the age of strap BCs and life saver jackets, large one window masks (which are still very popular I have to add) and the rest. I love hearing about classes back in the 70s and 80s as the equipment was a bit more basic. Now its very safety conscious and bulky. He's doing the right thing though as its been so long since he was on the water and redoing his training. It may have been a while since he was last in the water but he was super comfortable and we worked our way through the confined water sessions. Next, onto the open water and the fish!
I know the picture above is old style...thats just what springs to my head when I'm thinking of scuba in the 70s!

Helping Paws..

2010-07-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Its always nice to have a helping hand (or paw) even if they are somewhat bigger than your average lap dog!

Back to Basics

2010-07-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

So my latest Instructor candidates were all successful which is fantastic. For me know, a brief pause from instructor training and back to much simpler things.....an open water course!

PADI IDC time

2010-07-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Studying for a PADI Instructor course means long days of diving and class and for me.... a lot of time sitting in front of the fan and snoozing.......Its a dogs life ; )

Deep Diving Fun

2010-07-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Off for some deep diving tomorrow for an MSDT course. Can't wait!

Diving above and below

2010-06-16T13:04:00.001-07:00

Whenever I go back to England, all I seem to hear about is the weather...how cold, how miserable.....blah, blah, blah. But on my recent visit in May, there was some fantastic weather. It was sunny, warm (ok...., not always!) and generally, it was all round nice. On my arrival in the tropical paradise of Costa Rica, I flew into what has been described as "the worst storm in 20 years". Interesting... On my drive home, we were faced with torrential rain, winds and even had to stop for about 30 minutes whilst other car drivers hacked away at a fallen tree with machetes they just happen to have in the back of their car! (sounds worrying I know but it is pretty standard here : ) ) On finally arriving in Manual Antonio, I got to my house to discover that the electric was out and then continued to be out for the next three days. "No electric?!"... "3 days?!" Here not so bad. Just meant I had to go old fashioned, light by candles and watch movies on the laptop. Or more commonly head to Quepos where they had electric, and enjoy the restaurants. All went well, but i definitely learnt the perils of reading by candle when I managed to set my magazine on fire (only the training bulletin part..honest!). We returned to normalcy after 3 days and then just had to wait for the water to clear. After a spectacular dive yesterday, I can definitely go with a yes!
.....

2010-05-27T08:53:00.001-07:00

So, on Tuesday I finally went to visit PADI Intl. offices in Bristol. Had a great time, checking out the offices and firing out lots of questions!

Lets get Wet ; )

2010-04-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

First time back in the water today for almost 2 weeks! Perfect day as it was beautiful and sunny and the thermoclines (that I lluuurrrve soooo much!) have disappeared which means I'm back in the 3mm suit. Fan of as its Pink....I'm not a rinky pink diver always, just like a splash occasionally. Today was some IDC open water presentations and demonstrations which can be nerve wracking for the students especially the first time. Everyone did a great job though and it was definately nice to get wet again. Luckily the next time I get back in the water I won't have to wait to long, more open water presentations in a few days. Yeah!

The Singing Mermaid

2010-04-06T20:18:00.001-07:00

So off to the open water today with one of the most enthusiastic, incredible little 10 year old mermaids that I have yet to encounter throughout my time teaching. You cannot pass more than 20 minutes without a joyful explanation about how exciting and fun everything is and as we began our open water dives I was looking forward to leading the "conversation" underwater.
Here on the pacific coast of Costa Rica, we do receive many visitors to our waters, especially in the form of humpback whales and sometimes as a rare treat we have the opportunity to listen to them singing. As we started on our dive about 10 minutes in I stopped for a moment, tilted my head, as I believed for a moment I was listening to some singing....but...no wait....definately not whales. Wait...a squeal and then definately some very distinctive singing.....coming from my little diver!!! This continued throughout the rest of the dive, interrupted occassionly with squeals of enthusiasm. Altogether a thoroughly fun and entertaining dive. I wonder what the compass exercises will produce tomorrow?!

Monsters in the Deep!

2010-03-28T17:18:00.001-07:00

So finally...after bugging and bugging and bugging, it payed off. Friday morning dawned and Scott, Bob, myself and the ever intrepid captain Tim packed the boat up and headed off to the famous site "Furuno". This is a large area about 30 miles offshore, primarily used as a fishing ground. We had heard rumours that in various places it hit bottom at 130 - 150ft hence in my eyes...so diveable. We put a dive plan together for a 140- 150ft dive with a good mix, deco bottles and headed over the side, with no idea what to expect. We dropped down our line and arrived at around 139ft. We had passed through quite a big thermocline at 90ft so were half expecting viz and temperature to be pretty unbearable, but it cleared up and we had a clear view of the bottom. With a temperature of 68 F I was glad I had on my 5mm suit!! We had a clear view all around us of the bottom, about 50ft in each direction and what we saw was a very flat plateau, with lots of small corals and rocks all over. There were a few small fans, and quite a few trigger fish so I think we were definately on a nesting ground. We started to head across the plateau, drifting with the current and the bottom stayed pretty much the same, with a couple of morays, few jacks etc. After about 20 minutes we decided to head up and start our deco. After a deep stop we headed to about 60ft. I was just checking my schedule, when my Tec dive buddy, tapped my arm and pointed. I turned around to see cruising past, about 7 ft in length, a huge, beautiful Marlin. I think the sound of my joyful screaming scared him off, as he swum past into the blue. Ever since I heard that this place was diveable, and heard tales of the "monsters" that could be "down there!" I always dreamed of seeing something amazing, like a Marlin, and here he was! After he dissapeared, we came across a school of large snapper before heading back to the surface with huge smiles on our faces. The second team to head in was Scott and Tim, and after our experience with the current, we decided to drop them on one side and follow them across the plateau. On their dive, they encountered what can only be described as a "carpet" of snappers and jacks, and all of a considerable size.
The day ended well with a cruise back to Quepos and a bunch of dolphins jumping along the way. As the first adventurous divers to ever see the site underwater we were extremely proud of ourselves, but there is so much more to see. Who knows what monsters we may meet next time!

More water please!

2010-03-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

One thing I have noticed as you slowly move up the Dive "ladder" and expand everything that you are doing, I am spending less and less time in the water. Whilst in some ways I am completely happy about this, I have so much else to do in the dive shop, ordering, Tec courses, Instructor programs, on super hot days like we've had through March, by around 8 in the morning I am dying a slow hot death! Its kinda my little joke now that if you put me in the water "i will melt-yes...like the wicked witch!! ; P" So, when some fun opportunities arise to get wet I am on it. I currently have an advanced class that started today, and will be running for a couple of days. One of our dives today was the drift dive. Whilst there is always some current diving around Manuel Antonio Park it can be unpredictable and this dive was no different. We starting our dive, placed our marker buoy and we went heading south.....but after drifting for 15 minutes, we started getting pushed the other way, okay lets go with it. Up the other side of the reef kinds north east...until the reef started to go shallower, now wait..... now we start getting pushed east. We go with it, that's drifting right?! We ended up having a fantastic dive but it truly shows how unpredictable the ocean can be!!

Well done guys!

2010-03-19T10:24:00.001-07:00

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!

Wait for it.....

2010-02-22T18:43:00.001-08:00

Okay..its official I love my new camera! Set off this morning for Cano Island diving on the snazzy new boat..(only 1.5 hours to Cano!!) On the way, about 20 minutes out we spotted a group of dolphins playing. Perfect timing as I had just finished chatting to one of our divers about the chances of seeing any. Cue ...the dolphins! I had luckily managed to remember to pack the new fun camera so after swing in the boat around a couple of times (we love you captain Tim!!) , and the dolphins conveniently jumping every time I wasn't looking I managed to get a good shot. For an amateur I am suitably impressed and am hoping that this is only the first taste of things to come ; )

Another Hot day...

2010-02-01T20:20:00.001-08:00

The thing with us Brits is that the weather is never quite right, its either too hot, or too cold. On a scorching hot day, around the middle of it actually, the electricity, stopped, along with fans at which point I start wishing for a Discover Scuba diver to walk through the door so I can head up to the pool. For the past couple of days I have been busy working on some web graphics etc, and not spending a lot of time in the water, but hey, there's so much more to being a busy instructor. After a great Assistant Instructor course wrapping up at the end of last week, there is a short break this week, before we start some study sessions with our Divemasters, in preparation for the next IDC. At this moment I am trying to think of ingenius ways of making the "anti-reading" Divemasters study. There's only so many ways you can remind them of the fact that if you don't start early.....da de dah next moment, panic attack...Exam! I figured that if I start with study assignments every day in the form of more of a discussion group, that may get them going. Today the distraction was the pooch, tomorrow who knows but I will keep trying. The scubabunny will win over the divemaster and they will enjoy studying YEAH!

Almost didn't get it!

2009-12-27T13:11:00.001-08:00

Finishing dive 3 and 4 today of an open water course. We had just started our descent when I almost forgot my camera. Back to the surface to grab it and then off we treck. Visiting one of the lesser dived sites, on a lovely calm day. I always attach the camera (when I remember it!) to my BCD just in case. After practising some skills and checking out some cool parrot fish, I noticed something slightly out of place....closer look....Seahorse! And camera!!!! Double Yeah! My student Siva was managing to get a good look as well and I just about managed to get a couple of decent shots. V happy. I would have seriously been kicking myself it I had had second thoughts and then left it behind.

Toadfish Findings

2009-12-16T11:18:00.001-08:00

It has to go down in my book as officially one of my favorite fish...the Toadfish. When I used to live in Roatan it took me around 8 months to find one and that was after listening to them on numerous dives. I have my reasons for this one being that they sound like motorbikes revving up underwater which in the whole moment of being underwater can be very strange. Once you have managed to stumble upon your first you tend to recognize where they might be so on subsequent dives. I used to find that they like sand chutes and shallow water. It amazed me on one night dive when my previous employer, Alvin at Native sons found on one dive! And yet there are people that after diving fr a number of years have yet to see one! Anyway, Costa Rica diving for 4 years I have not have the joy until about 1 month ago when I heard the all too familiar sound of some toadfish singing. I desperately hunted around but alas. Then just last week after completing an open water diver course What did I see below me, next to a rock but a toadfish!!! Smaller then the caribbean friends and lacking his bushy beard but definately a toadfish. After doing my mini dance underwater and waggling my hand under my chin I frantically at my divers who looked non too impressed. I managed to snap a picture before we surfaced and once back on the boat continued to explain what my crazy actions were underwater. That made my week and now onto looking for the elusive batfish!

Blue water and sharks are out!

2009-12-02T19:33:00.001-08:00

Finishing an open water class today and it was a perfect day for it, sun and all with super flat seas (for the pacific!) With clearer water we decided to head out to one of the further spots in the park and where not dissapointed. After my great student Dante finished he skills we went for an explore. there is an area on Geos' ridge where there is without fail large schools of different fish and today we were not dissapointed, but had an extra surprise! We hung and watched some parrot fish and grunts before noticing 2 "bigger fish". It took me a moment before I realized it was 2 White tips out for a "cruise". They hung around momentarily before dissappearing behind some rocks. A few seconds after another one appeared, did his circle and then also buggered off! What more do you need for your first dives in the ocean?!

Divemaster training!!

2009-11-21T06:06:00.001-08:00

So rainy season is drawing to a close and we are already starting to get busier. After a fab week in the states at DEMA show, and a big hi!! to everyone, it’s back to tropical costa rica. No rest for the wicked before a new Divemaster trainee Shane arrives, ready to get down and dirty and have a great time bubbling with us here. As always it’s academics, academics to get started on the Divemaster course but once those first 3 exams are down its all water work from then on out, and we’ve certainly kept him busy with diving morning and pool afternoons fro 3 days straight. Welcome with a splash huh?! On a personal note I’m looking forward to getting wet on Sunday before the shop bbq and C-rads Divemaster initiation...bring it on!!!

Halloween approaches...with a scuba theme?

2009-10-26T13:24:00.001-07:00

Halloween, to me an excuse to dress up, or more importantly to dress up the scuba pooch! And yes here we are, back by demand, Damos' scuba outfit pictures. I have been relatively quiet this week, getting ready for DEMA and just wrapping up some classes before we head out. I have been helping some of the local divers getting there scuba certs finished, and as experienced divers , we have been adding some extra challenges including plenty of buddy breathing! Its a great class to teach as the divers have already been out there in the ocean, often with bad habits, so its a second chance almost, to reinforce the importance of diving safely.
Due to this not mush chance to think about upcoming halloween parties?! and costumes. Damo is ready but what about my costume?......maybe the spider idea will go!

New Places

2009-10-14T20:27:00.001-07:00

Road trip.....down to Golfito on sunday afternoon. Monday had the chance to go exploring new places and went diving in Golfito, a small town in the south towards the Panamanian border. This will hopefully become the extension of oceans unlimited soon but who knows?! First dive was a nice reef, loaaadddddssss of fish, jacks and BIG sting rays. Water was so blue i could have been in the caribbean. Second dive we hit a nice wreck, delibrately sunk , but not by the owner ! Whoops ; ) What was so nice is that it was home to a big grouper and his snapper buddy. Always nice to see big fish. Our third dive we hit a local landmark called the "widow maker" duh duh duuuuhhh! sounds ominous huh? but actually a very cool canyon, pinnacle ridden area. Cool dives all round and definately worth more exploring..until next time chikadees !!!

Are you prepared?!

2009-10-09T15:03:00.001-07:00

Today the community called upon myself 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!!!

2009-10-08T22:10:00.001-07:00

Trying to find moments of inspiration for some new t-shirt designs. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have tried to unblock the brain with combo of tea and then moved onto something with a kick....still nothing!

Physics...Divemaster FUN, FUN, FUN

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

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! I find that 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 do 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!
With physiology its always fun trying to remember all of your definitions, for the types of DCS, hypoxia etc I always draw people diagrams, labeling what effects where. Seems to help all my students too.
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!

Underwater photography with background symphony.

2009-10-04T19:57:00.001-07:00

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. %minutes 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!

Juicy equations..mmmm

2009-09-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

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 (only the last 2 for me!!). 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! On return to Quepos I had some enriched air classes to teach. I always enjoy the challenge of some equations, feel free to call me a geek, but thats also my draw for tech diving. Complex dive planning, analyzing...love it!
Today was dive mastering.... Oh the simple life.

Rescue Diver..1,2,3,....panic!

2009-09-17T20:25:00.001-07:00

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 and generally most eye opening challenges happens at the start of the course. This is during one of the first training sessions and is about 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. Its the time for the Divemaster trainee who just finished his rescue course to play it up for the next would be rescuer.....All fun!

Its a 24/7 life...but I love it!

2009-09-14T20:42:00.001-07:00

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 me its also lots of planning for courses even when it is raining...perfect time to brush up on your EFR skills! For some of us, 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!)

Back to Open Water

2009-09-12T19:58:00.001-07:00

After the non-stop IDC, IE and then Technical dive courses its back to basics. Three adventurous students had their first taste of the underwater world. They were lucky enough to meet some morays, parrotfish and other reef residents and everyone had a good time!
After the fun of the morning afternoon was spent on true traditional style relaxing with a cuppa!

Sunshine and whales

2009-09-07T19:40:00.001-07:00

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 playing around on the surface. I unfortunately got to miss it and on one of the hottest september days, I managed to cool off with a confined water class in the afternoon. Without that today I think I would have melted!!

Deco and open water certs!

2009-09-06T19:42:00.001-07:00

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?!

IE over.....now to the Technical side

2009-09-03T20:55:00.001-07:00

After 3 days away in playa del coco for the IE I returned home and managed to crash pretty quick. However there is never any rest for the wicked in the world of professional diving. The technical diving course, Decompression procedures starts right away! Time to switch over to tech mode!!!

Exams down...water here we come!

2009-09-01T08:28:00.001-07:00

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, I left Drew and James and wished them success as they started on their exams. Utilising the whole time to make sure they were successful they both came out with a look of relief 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. My part as a CD is finished.... its all up to them now!!

And so it wraps up....

2009-08-29T21:33:00.001-07:00

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 with dramatic effect!

2009-08-28T21:51:00.001-07:00

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. ; )

Swim test and some (BAD) karaoke

2009-08-27T22:34:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-08-26T20:35:00.001-07:00

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 ; )

The OWSI begins and a chance to see some serious rust!

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

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! Nice job everyone....now remember....;) "

Emergency First Response Instructor Course

2009-08-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

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!

Open Water rocking and rolling

2009-08-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

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!

Day 3 IDC and some confined assessments

2009-08-22T19:03:00.001-07:00

Day 3 of the IDC at Oceans Unlimited in Costa Rica dawned sunny and bright. After a full day in the classroom yesterday we were eagerly looking forward to getting wet today in the confined water. After some great presentations from the guys on Search patterns and ascents we headed up to the pool. For an extra challenge I decided to give them an extra presentation each 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 and occupied!

Day 2 and Damiens nose

2009-08-21T21:06:00.001-07:00

OKay, we finished our second day of the IDC. 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!

IDC Day 1

2009-08-20T20:58:00.001-07:00

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!)

2009-07-31T15:20:00.001-07:00

blending some voodoo mix!

Welcome

2009-07-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm going to keep this short and relatively sweet I hope! Costa Rica the pacific coast home of big fish as well as little fish. On the central pacific coast is a big dive center known as Oceans Unlimited which is where I am based. My plan is to introduce as many people as possible into the professional world of diving so you to can live the dream. Down here we are teaching everything from Coral ecology to Technical deep courses and having fun whilst doing so. There are more ups than downs but fun all the way and this will give me a chance to share that with anyone and everyone....I hope you will enjoy!