PADI Diving Internships on Malapascua Island…. …Become a PADI Pro in Paradise!

Dive Careers Course Director, Chris Freestone writes about his first impressions of Malapascua, and what we hope will be the first of many IDCs at Thresher Shark Divers!

After a long overnight trip from the Gulf of Thailand to Cebu in the Philippines I was welcomed at the airport by a friendly guy named Paul, who is one of the drivers for Thresher Shark Divers. We had a quick chat about the local people and Malapascua Island and then, exhausted from the journey, I settled down in his comfortable van and reclined the seat for a nap. A couple of hours later we arrived at the pier, where one of the Thresher Shark Divers boats was waiting to collect me. At the pier, Malapascua was just a tiny island in the distance, but after only 30 minutes we pulled up on the beach just in front of TSD and I jumped out onto the beautiful Bounty Beach.

I was welcomed by some of the local and western diving staff who were extremely friendly and had obviously been expecting me.  I had quick chat with the manager, Dino, who I know from a few years ago on Koh Tao (diving’s such a small world!) and I was off to my accommodation to settle in for a good night’s rest.

The IDC Prep Course started on the morning of the January 24th. Only days before, TSD had finished building their new, improved and much bigger IDC classroom, and it was all prepared and ready to go. The classroom is just downstairs from my room, and also in the same complex as some of the candidates’ rooms, so it is really convenient for everyone.

After meeting the candidates I already knew we were going to have a fun couple of weeks together!  They were an interesting mix of different nationalities and a really nice group of people. As most of them had already been at TSD for a while doing additional training, they already knew each other pretty well and were good friends already.

L-R: Su, Chris, Livia, Willy, Benoît, Natalie, Natalia

We had Natalia from Russia and Livia from Switzerland, who had both been with TSD to complete Rescue Diver on up.  Benoît did his Divemaster, as well as TSDs patented DM Pro course. Willy from the Netherlands (or is that Finland?!) completed his DM with TSD last year and some Technical Diving Courses over Christmas and returned for more punishment; given that Willy was the main mischief-maker in the class, whether this was more punishment for Willy or for TSD, I am not quite sure!  Natalie from the UK had already completed TSDs DM Refresher program. The DM Refresher is a very useful course, only available to TSDs IDC candidates, that brings you up to speed if you feel you need some extra tuition in advance of the PADI IDC.  So if it has been a while since you completed your Divemaster, if you are entering the IDC from a dive agency that is not PADI, or you just want to build up your confidence, this is the program for you! And last, but not least, Su from Taiwan flew in especially for the IDC.

As the days sped by, first through the IDC Prep Course and then the PADI IDC, the candidates progressed really well and developed a close bond together, which always helps in any IDC. My job was also made a lot easier because of the great staff at TSD, and logistics regarding confined sessions and boat times for OW presentations was faultless. So a big thank you to Amy Walton and Dino for always having things organised without me even asking.

Of course we did find some time to socialize as a group and with the Thresher Shark Divers staff members. The TSD bar and restaurant, Oscars, has a good variety of food on the menu and always has a lively and welcoming atmosphere.  During my time around the dive shop and bar I very quickly saw that the TSD Instructors were not only very thorough with their teaching methods during the day, but also enjoyed evening antics with their students. One thing I will always remember is the certification Shark Bite shot for all newly certified divers, and the special speech that comes with it, that celebrating TSDs humble beginnings!  (You’ll have to come to Malapascua to hear it!).

The certification shots are really great personal touch and definitely something that will be remembered and taken away by the students. So to all TSDs Instructors, keep up the outstanding work!

Don't forget, your PADI IDC package includes free SHARK dives!!!

I also had a few great fun dives with the local guides (these guys really know where to find the cool stuff). Not to mention a couple of awesome dives with the famous Thresher Sharks. The best dives for me were at Monad Shoal, Gato Island and the Dona Marilyn Wreck. Malapascua has a wonderful mixture of macro, sharks and beautiful soft corals and there is still plenty left for me to see on my next trips.

The Dona Marilyn Wreck © John Nightingale

When it came time for the start of the PADI Instructor Exam, the candidates were confident but also nervous. But that is quite normal – the IE is always a stressful time for all of us as the candidates put into practice everything they have learned over the previous weeks.  George Wegmann, the PADI Examiner, evaluated the candidates over the two day IE process in the classroom, pool and ocean.

But as always at TSD, all of our guys passed easily, with some great scores and excellent feedback from George. Finally their hard work had paid off and it was time to party!

Congratulations!

After celebrations were complete, and hangovers nursed, most of the candidates took some PADI Specialty Instructor Ratings which will definitely help them in finding jobs.  Livia has already found work on Malapascua; Willy and Natalie will complete the invaluable MSDT Prep and Learn to Teach program; and the others are off into the wild blue yonder, hopefully to pursue their new careers.

I am now coming to the end of my stay in Malapascua, and I head back to Thailand soon. I leave with great memories of the people and the island itself. I look forward to coming back to work again with TSD at some point in the near future. Once again I would like to congratulate Livia Villiger, Natalie Dagnal, Natalia Andreeva, Benoît Guillaume, Su Huai and Willy Alberti for passing the PADI Instructor Exams. More photos here.

Congratulations to all and I wish you the very best of success for the future!

November saw the last PADI IDC of the year at Thresher Shark Divers. It was an exciting two weeks with many-times PADI Platinum Course Director Mark Soworka teaching this month’s batch of new instructors.

This time, we had a range of candidates from all over the world. Dom and Will from the UK and James from New Zealand joined the TSD team earlier this year and we have seen them flourish through their Divemaster course, all three continuing on up the PADI Pro ladder onto the IDC.

Vera and Mladen, from Croatia, first visited TSD 2 years ago as relatively new divers.  They completed their Adventure Diver course with us and were so inspired by our star instructor, Angus, that they soon returned to complete Rescue and Nitrox.  Eighteen months later, after a lot more diving that included a PADI Divemaster course and their own underwater wedding in Palau, they thought it would be a great idea to go back to their roots for the IDC!

Mylene from France, wanted to further her career as a dive professional and left her financial job in Hong Kong to spend some time here on Malapascua. Finally, Brad joined us all the way from rainy Wales to go onto be a PADI Instructor.

The course started as always with our free IDC Prep Course which includes dive theory as well as waterwork. This is not part of the official PADI IDC program, but is vital to cover the ‘bridge’ between DM and Instructor theory and to make sure skills are up to scratch.  It includes theory lectures for those who need a little more tuition on Physics, Physiology etc. and practice exams all round. But it turned out to be a breeze as everyone was very well prepared having studied from the DM Crew Pack and the Dive Theory online.

After this, the group took to the water for their first skill circuits. We could tell their skills were a little rusty as Mladen and Brad forgot to put their heads in water for snorkel to regulator exchange! They didn’t make that mistake again!

Next came the nerve-racking part of standing up in front of the class and giving an academic presentation. We are not sure if they had been conferring or not, but we heard all about the Deep Adventure Dive at Monad Shoal several times, with almost all the candidates selling this course!  Mind you, who can blame them, with our thresher sharks, at a depth of 30 meters, being one on Malapascua’s massive attractions and perfect for a Deep Adventure Dive?!

The hardest part for some came when we went to the Open Water. In this they teach two skills from a course, whilst spotting any mistakes and learning how to keep control of the group.  This is not even mentioning the usual real life problems when mask straps broke, whistles were lost and inflator hoses stuck! Nothing that couldn’t be easily repaired though.

We had Annie and Baby Annie out during the Emergency First Response Instructor Course so the candidates could role play and demonstrate those all important life saving skills.

Mark held his usual Marine Resource Management class. This is a unique Specialty authored by Mark and we offer the Instructor Level free to all of our candidates.

Half way through the IDC we thought it would be a good idea to have a little down time, and arrange a get-together with the other candidates from around the island. And so was born the Malapascua Inter-IDC Social and Pool Competition! Unfortunately there is no picture evidence, but everyone had a blast and of course TSD won to pool comp!

Course Director Mark was very impressed at the high level of the candidates throughout this course and confidant all of them will make great instructors. Needless to say all seven candidates easily passed their Instructor Exam.

Lots more photos here on our PADI IDC Facebook page!

Contact us for more info on upcoming PADI IDC programs.

L-R: Russ, Gary, Bobbie, Nathan, David

Thresher Shark Divers is owned by Andrea and Trevor whom I met more than a decade ago.  In 2003 they started working as instructors on Malapascua; a small, undeveloped island off northern Cebu.  Malapascua fostered a reputation for superb dives off Monad Shoal, one of the few places in the world to dive with thresher sharks, and the only place in the world where they are seen daily.  This began to attract divers from many countries.  In 2004, Thresher Shark Divers was born and through hard work and dedication, Andrea and Trevor built up one of the most successful dive centres in the Philippines.  This professionalism shines through with their dive professional level training.

The TSD PADI IDC Team

The July PADI IDC Instructor Course, had two candidates, Bobbie and Gary.  Both had completed Rescue and Divemaster training with Thresher Shark Divers and started the IDC extremely well prepared and full of enthusiasm.  I was particularly impressed how strong they were with dive theory, skill demonstrations and rescue exercises.  It is such a pleasure as a Course Director to have candidates arrive so well prepped and it is a credit to the team at Thresher Shark Divers that helped with the training of Bobbie and Gary. So thanks to Russ, Angus, Chris, Mac and the others.  It made my introduction to Malapascua relaxed and fun.

Enough time for some fun nights out in Oscar's!

On the subject of fun, an important part of an IDC is also to have a good time!  One of the best things about working in the dive industry is that it is just so enjoyable.  Training as an instructor should be no different.  Right from the beginning Bobbie and Gary introduced me to some great nights at Oscar’s, the Thresher Shark Divers bar.  The whole dive team meets at the bar each evening at 6pm to celebrate the days dives, award anyone completing a course with their ceremonial free “Shark Bite” shot, and to generally socialise with all divers and dive students.  I even managed to coax the manager Dino up for a drink or two, when his knee wasn’t acting up.  It was always a really friendly atmosphere that continued throughout the IDC, including highs of David’s snorkel test to complete his Divemaster and Master Scuba Diver, right through to a great party to celebrate a very successful PADI Instructor Examination (although I may have embarrassed myself dancing to YMCA).

Congratulations to David on becoming a PADI Divemaster!

Those nights were important to get a very nervous Bobbie to relax.  That anxiety right from the beginning was a reflection of how seriously Bobbie and Gary, and in fact the entire Thresher Shark team, took the IDC, and really wanted to succeed.  That touch of anxiety, although unwarranted, ensured near perfect scores throughout the PADI Instructor Exam. From the start, they both did really well with exams and presentations, even though it took me a while to understand Bobbie’s thick Essex accent and realise she was not asking for something for ‘Free’ but was in fact referring to the number ‘Three’.  That understood, the rest of the classroom was a breeze. Nathan, one of the TSD staff, joined for the day for the Emergency First Response (EFR) Instructor course and Oxygen Provider Instructor. Later, TSD Instructors Russ and Mac joined the others for my own PADI Marine Resource Management Instructor course which I include free is all my IDCs. This included lots of really interesting insights from Russ about whale sharks which drew on his time working in Donsol, Philippines, one of the best places in the world to see these gentle giants close up and personal. We also completed loads of water presentations with a short boat ride to a beautiful little bay, Bantigue, where the staff and DMTs David, Dana and Stefan all chipped in to play problem students for the IDC candidates.

Congratulations to Gary on becoming a PADI Instructor!

While on Malapascua, I managed to pick up a couple of thresher shark carvings for my kids.  I even got a hair cut and a shave from the wood carver. Probably a mistake, as left with a quiff like the tail of a thresher shark. However, the whole experienced felt like a wonderful holiday on a relaxed little island. This is just how an IDC should be. And as always, TSD ended up with some more really well trained instructors that will be an asset to the dive industry.

Congratulations to Bobbie on becoming a PADI Instructor!

Bobbie and Gary have left to travel around South East Asia and have already being picking up some work. It is a great sign for the future and we wish them the best of luck.  The guys at Thresher Shark Divers and Dive Careers will always be around to help with any questions and point them in the right direction for work.

Congratulations to the new PADI Instructors!

Thresher Shark Divers is very happy to announce a very special IDC for July!

Our Course Director will be non other than Platinum CD, Mark Soworka.

Mark comes with stellar ratings and he is one of the most experienced and successful PADI Course Directors in Asia. Throughout his 15 year career as a CD, he has maintained the highest of success rates on PADI Instructor Exams and has helped thousands of instructors and divemasters find rewarding careers in the dive industry.   From this, he has built up a network of successful dive instructor candidates all around the world which he now uses to help new Dive Pros in their careers.

Originally from Australia, Mark has been diving since he was twelve years old.  He has experience diving all over the world, from Australia, to Africa, South America and even a few months in the Arctic Circle! Before becoming a Course Director, he certified almost 2,000 student divers and worked as General Manager and Training Manager in various dive centres.

This extensive diving, teaching and managing experience sets Mark apart from most PADI Course Directors. He has been teaching PADI IDCs on Koh Tao and Koh Samui since 1997 and has more than a staggering 3,000 Instructor level certifications.

Mark’s qualifications include:

• PADI Platinum Course Director. One of Asia’s first to be awarded the Platinum Course Director, PADI’s highest Course Director recognition
• DAN Oxygen Provider Instructor Trainer
• DAN Hazardous Marine Life Injuries Instructor Trainer
• Marine Resource Management Instructor Trainer (offered FREE on this course!)
• PADI Shark Awareness Specialty Instructor Trainer – NEW!
• Additional PADI Instructor Specialty Trainer ratings include: Wreck, Enriched Air Nitrox, Rebreather, Naturalist, Fish ID, Deep, Night, Digital Photography, Videography, Navigator, DPV, Equipment.
• Aqualung, Scubapro, Mares workshop certificates
• PADI Emergency First Response and Care for Children Instructor Trainer

Mark continues to attend courses in diving medicine, physiology, dive equipment, plus environment and ecology. Experience, knowledge and a passion for Instructor level education is what you should look for choosing a Course Director and Mark has all 3 in abundance!

Mark Soworka:

“Over a decade as a PADI Course Director has given me the opportunity to meet a load of really nice people. The network that you develop after a bit of time in the dive industry spreads around the world.   Many dive shop mangers, owners and course directors from Thailand to the Maldives, Mozambique to Cairns, have completed training and internships with me. This network of friends is why I still enjoy working in the dive industry and is the strength of our job placement programmes. My commitment to the PADI Instructor programme is not simply getting you through the PADI Instructor exam, but creating a confident and competent dive professional with real world job prospects.

“In over ten years, with over 3,000 instructor level certifications, I have maintained a 99% success rate on PADI instructor programmes, which must be one of the highest success rates worldwide. But the real strength of my PADI instructor programmes is that they are about getting you a rewarding and successful career in the dive industry.

Free bonuses on your PADI IDC with Mark:

• Marine Resource Management seminar and Specialty Instructor Rating.  “As dive professionals I feel strongly that you should have a good grasp of how the marine environment works. You will be in an unique position as a dive professional to pass on strong environmental concepts to your customers.This is not officially a part of the PADI IDC, but I feel it is vital information for dive professionals.”

• CV workshops and job forums for the dive industry. Mark’s programmes include a commitment to helping you finding a rewarding career. “Not only am I teaching you to get through a PADI Instructor Exam, but I am also helping you get work in the dive industry. A Dive Careers programme is your passport to a quality education and successful career that can take you around the world.”

On a personal note, I am especially happy about this as Mark was my own CD many years ago and he is one of the reasons that TSD exists today

The Prep Course for Mark’s IDC starts at Thresher Shark Divers on Malapascua on July 11. Spaces are limited on each IDC, so sign up soon!  If you cannot make this one, Thresher Shark Divers run PADI IDCs run throughout the year.

With 5 candidates for our May IDC, it was the perfect number to ensure a good mix of personalities and that everything was easily covered with their presentations.

L-R: Louis, Katy, Simon, Max, Lorien

Max from Canada is with us for 5 months and completed his Advanced  Open Water at TSD as far back as February. Irish Katy has been with us almost as long.  As for the Brit contingent: Lorien and Louis completed their Divemaster and DM ‘Refresher’ respectively at TSD, and Simon used to be a PADI Instructor many moons ago but has not taught in 12 years and wanted to get back into diving.  Well, who wouldn’t?

On staff for this IDC were Course Director Mick Chapman and IDC Staff Instructor Angus Thorburn.

The IDC Prep Course started with theory. After a lot of questions in the classroom, Mick and Angus decided to go for the more practical approach. There followed a session in the equipment workshop looking at cylinders and opening regs to help with the Equipment exam, and later practical demonstrations using sponges and wood to absorb water to explain Decompression Theory. Then what do you know?  The theory started to sink in!

The academic presentations started with some great contacts including: Rocky Balboa running though the snow to explain water resistance; search patterns around the classroom to find lost notes to explain rescue search patterns; and Angus’s personal favourite presented by Katy, who rewarded correct answers in class with candy to explain how to reward good diver behaviour. Yay for Choco-Mucho!

The sales workshop had the guys selling reels and regs….

…Nitrox courses…..

….and torches.

Confined water presentations included Katy getting pulled onto the boat 5 times while demonstrating rescue exits, Max trying to demonstrate equalisation techniques while the guys laughed, and air depletion without air depletion!!

Open water started with lift bag and knot workshops. Not everybody is a natural with rope, but they got it in the end.  The always tricky CESA workshop  is a necessity, and everybody got to play problem student.

The first open water presentations took place on the smallest patch of sand ever, so everybody lost environmental points, as well as points for forgetting to communicate with the DM.  But problem solving was always strong.

Highlights include the 5 point descent with Simon dropping like a stone, over and under inflating on hovers, and push ups on fin pivots.

The second round of presentations were a lot better, again with great problem solving and only a few problems with the lift bag.

All the candidates were exceptionally strong throughout this IDC.  Max and Lorien asked lots of questions, (making debriefs twice as long as needed!), but they wanted to make sure they got everything in They were both good all round.   Katy initially struggled in the classroom, but put in lots of extra work to get up to speed and was always excellent in the water.  Simon,who was taking his IDC  for the second time, was generally very good depsite the many changes in the IDC and in PADI teaching methods.   And last but not least, Louis, the youngest candidate, got great scores throughout, was relaxed, and just got it done!

All 5 candidates passed the PADI Instructor Exam in usual spectacular TSD fashion, scoring very highly in every section. Of particular note was Lorien, who scored perfect 5′s in everything  Also worth a mention is Simon, who kept it very secret until the graduation ceremony that the final day of the Instructor Exam was in fact his 50th birthday.  Now that’s a 50th to remember!

Max will be staying on at TSD for another couple of months to get some more PADI Specialty Instructor ratings including PADI’s newest course, Shark Awareness.  Max will also complete our Learn to Teach program which offers invaluable teaching experience and guidance from our experienced instructors. The others are already off on their travels and we wish them the best of luck in their future careers as PADI Dive Professionals.

More photos on our PADI IDC Facebook page.

Our next PADI IDC starts July 11, and is going to be a great one, with one of Asia’s top Platinum Course Director’s Mark Soworka, so contact us soon if you are interested!

The first PADI IDC and IE of 2012 are now all over, and we are happy to say that yet again all candidates were successful, and we now have five new PADI Instructors.  Henry, Judith, Lee, Mac and Martin are all now proud PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors hungry to find their first students.

Five happy PADI Instructors, one PADI Examiner and one PADI Course Director...

Following an extremely pleasurable couple of weeks in the classroom with me, and a couple of slightly ‘stressful’ days at the IE, the new instructors are now in a much more relaxed mood.  But it doesn’t stop there…  After a day of rest and relaxation, we are all back in the classroom to start with some Specialty Instructor training.  This training will help improve their skill and knowledge base, and make them much more attractive to potential employers.  This afternoon we start with Nitrox Instructor, and over the coming days we will be training in Wreck, Deep, Digital Underwater Photography, Reef Shark Awareness, Navigation and various other areas…

If you like to follow in the footsteps of the new instructors and become qualified to teach diving all over the world, then please send me an e-mail for further details…

Photos by Rich Reardon