Posted by TDI_2 on July 18, 2002 at 13:30:35:
In Reply to: You can reach more Monterey people through ba_diving (link) posted by brianc on July 18, 2002 at 12:43:01:
As for this coming Saturday, all I want to do is sleep. Then on Sunday I have 3 weeks worth of laundry to do.
The NAUI ITC over my past 3 weekends has totally worn me out physically, mentally, and emotionally. Tribes was right, it would be no cake walk. And it wasnt.
Our group of 7 NAUI instructor candidates will take the final exam tonight, a 3 hour test that covers everything in recreational sport scuba diving on an instructor level. The hardest parts of the test are diving-related physiology and diving-related physics from what I am told.
Three of us in our group met last night until 10 pm going over all the class notes, the NAUI master diver manual, and the Standards & Policies booklet.
The thing I got the most out of this ITC was a complete primer of everythng that I had ever learned before in diving, aside from the technical stuff.
We also addressed the issues of tactfully and in a fun manner teaching new divers how to use the scuba, as well anticipating what things can go wrong at every turn with students in the water.
Our I/T reminded us that we are not military instructors, so we cant come across as rude or arrogant. So true. We are being paid by these fun loving interested people to teach them how to dive while having fun at the same time.
I asked if I could use my PADI slates to teach NAUI classes, and that got a laugh, as well as a confirmation that as long as you write into your PADI slates the things that NAUI wants you to do, that is not covered by PADI, then yes it OK to use PADI slates to teach a NAUI class.
In NAUI you are taught standards and policies and you are told that you are always expected to EXCEED those standards. That is refreshing to hear.
For those of you who have OWSI aspirations, take the ITC/IDC/DDC while you are young, so that it wont wear you out when you become old. I was the oldest person in our group, and the next oldest person was 4 years younger than me. The youngest was 19. Most were in their late 20s or early 30s.
The best way to find a divemaster is to train up your own. Encourage your dive students to progress through AOW and rescue and Basic Nitrox. Then pick the ones with the best watermanship skills who are the most comfortable in the water, and give them a free DM course, on the condition that they help you out for the next year or so to pay you back intangibly.
Life does not have to revolve constantly around Putting Another Dollar In. Try doing a few things for free occasionally.
I hope there isnt room on PADIs john-doe summons list in their lawsuit with Eddie for me now. Thats why I perfer to post with a moniker rather than with my own John Henry. Or was that John Hancock? Or George Washington!