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Archive | IDC

Marlies Tumolo: Certified PADI Instructor!

Guess what guys?  I finally made it!  I am now a certified PADI scuba diving instructor :) It was a long road and there are many thanks to be given so here it goes!

So happy!!

So happy!!

First of all I would like to thank my parents, my brother, and the rest of my family for always believing in me and pushing me to reach for my dreams.  Without them who knows if I would have had the courage or confidence to go for something like this.  No matter what crazy scheme I come up with you guys are always 100% behind me.  Thanks so much for always being there.  I love you guys!

Next I need to give a huge thanks to Blue Season Bali.  Thank you John and Tom for putting all your hard work into the Best Dive Job in the World.  This truly has been a life changing!   Thank you to Aqua Lung for providing me with a fantastic diving equipment package.  This equipment is so great that I actually feel like it is a part of me when I dive, how cool is that?  I also need to give a never ending thank you to Henley Spiers (my divemaster mentor) for always taking the time to teach me and explain any questions I had.  I have become a great diver and instructor because of your teaching.  Also a big thanks to Stefan Schneider for teaching our IDC and helping us become real PADI material! Finally I want to thank Charlie Smith, my first real Bali friend, for the million times she studied with me, jumped in the pool to practice my skills, and told me that she believed in me.  I love you sugar!

The Best Dive Job in the World was a difficult competition and it has been a long road to get here.  There are so many people that campaigned for me, helped me make movies and run events, and just generally supported me.  A special thanks to Jackie Davis for being there for me 110% and being my # 1 supporter!  Thanks to Biggie, Kiko, Marisa, Alex, Megan, Crystal, Steph, Anthony, Adam, Leah, Addy, Sunshine Divers, my wonderful 8, and all the others who stood by my side and showed that they supported me.  Also a big thanks to Greg Holt at Scuba Radio for recognizing my passion and taking the time to put me on his show.  It is a fantastic show for scuba enthusiasts and you should all take time to check it out check it out!

And last but not least I want to thank team awesome (aka team green), Katarina, Beth, Marissa, Tegan, Marcel, and Bryan for going through this whole thing with me.  It was a long 28 days and you guys really helped me through.  We were a fantastic team and I don’t know what I would have done without you!

Team Awesome becomes instructors!

Wow!  That was a lot of thank yous!  To be honest, I am sure that there are more people out there that I should be thanking.  Don’t think that I’ve forgotten you!  My final thank you goes to all those that I don’t know, who read my application or watched my video and supported my dream.  This whole thing shows that we have the power to make our dreams come true.  Thanks for believing.

We made it!

Woooooohooooooooo!!!

Team green ready to go!

Team green before IE.

Well, we are about half way through!  So far everyone has passed the dive theory and standards exams and the confined water portions of the instructor examination.  In about an hour we will do our knowledge development presentations.  Wish us luck!!

Mock IE, check!

IDC Days 15 & 16

We spent the last two days doing a Mock IE at Blue Season Bali.  Basically we ran through everything that would be on the IE as a practice run.  I passed!  Actually we all passed!  We are ready to start the real thing tomorrow.  Check back on Sunday to find out how it went!

IDC Day 14

IDC Day 14: open water presentations, DSD workshop, adventures in diving

Today was our last day of IDC.  We spent the day diving in Nusa Penida!  Our first dive was a drift at SD.  It was amazing to be back in the water again :)  During our next dive we went to Lembongan Bay to practice doing the discover scuba diving program.  The water was freezing that day, 18 degrees C (64 degrees F)!  Tomorrow we start the mock IE.  This will really show me if I am ready.  Check back in a couple of days and I will let you know how it went!

IDC Day 9-13

IDC Day 9: confined water presentation, teaching open water

I did my first confined water presentation! It was really cool getting a chance to run part of a course. I was able to manage the group well and got a decent score on my presentation. I still have more work to do though! We also did a presentation today on teaching open water courses. It was really useful to get more information on how to organize and sequence a course. I know that I will use all this once I start teaching.

IDC Day 10: knowledge development 2, theory exam, confined water presentation, rescue practice

We are trucking right on through IDC.  Today we worked more on theory and did another confined water and knowledge development presentation.  It is great to practice and get so much feedback from Jon and Stefan.  I know that I will be more than prepared when we get to the IE.

IDC Day 11: open water presentations, standards exams

Today we did our first open water presentations and boy was I nervous!  It was completely different controlling students in ocean and there were so many more things to thing about!  I had to present 2 skill and I passed both :) Lets hope the same thing happens in the real IE 😉

IDC Day 12: presentations on adventures in diving, rescue, and divemaster, confined water presentations

Henley and Me

The best divemaster mentor ever!

Today we spent time talking about how to conduct the adventures in diving, rescue, and divemaster courses.  I think the most interesting was the divemaster slideshow.  I found myself thinking a lot about Henley and my own divemaster experience.  I am really lucky to have been through such a great program.  Henley is a fantastic mentor and continues to support me as I work towards my goal of becoming an instructor.  Thanks Henley!

IDC Day 13: knowledge development presentations, 4E’s, risk management, confined water presentations

Wow, we are almost done with IDC!  Today we did a knowledge development and confined water presentations.  We also talked all about the duty of care for PADI professionals and managing risks as dive instructors.  I already knew how important it was to follow PADI standards as a diver and instructor, but now I am even more convinced.  I am lucky to be doing my internship at a place like Blue Season Bali that puts such a high value on safe diving practices and following PADI standards.  It is really important when you look for a dive shop or somewhere to further your diving education that you find a place that is professional and puts diver safety first.

Tomorrow is our official last day of IDC.  We are heading out to Nusa Penida to do a few workshops and have a little bit of fun together.  I can’t wait to get back in the ocean and do some diving!

IDC group

Almost finished with IDC!

August IDC Day 6-8

IDC Day 6: orientation, theory exams, pool sessions

Today we officially started the IDC!  We started the day with Jonathan Cross giving us an orientation about the components of the IDC and the IE (Instructor Examination).  It was good to take time to really understand what would be required of us during the IE.  I am also totally confidant that we will be prepared after completing the IDC here at Blue Season Bali.  We also took some more theory exams for practice.  I passed every section this time!  Now I know which areas I am weakest in and can take time to study more about them.

Taking a dive theory exam.

Taking a dive theory exam.

IDC Day 7: CESA/descents/ascents workshop, knowledge development prep

Today we go to go out in the ocean, yay! We spent some time practicing the CESA skill in open water. It is proabley one of the most difficult skills to control and asses properly out in the ocean. It was really nice to be able to practice and get feedback from our instructor.

IDC Day 8: knowledge development presentations, confined water presentation prep, rescue workshop

Today we did our first knowledge development presentations in class. I felt really comfortable and it was nice to be up teaching again! We also prepared for our confined water presentations that we will do tomorrow. I have to demonstrate regulator clearing. I have everything all set but I’m still a little nervous about tomorrow. I hope it goes well! I will let you all know what happens. Talk to you soon :)

August IDC at Blue Season Bali

 

Well, I have finally made it!  IDC has begun.  Here is what we have done so far:

Day 1 of IDC:

There is a group of 7 candidates from different places around the world participating in the August IDC.  The first day was very exciting and we were all a bit nervous.  We had some time to get to know each other and to learn more about what we will be doing for the next 28 days.  In the afternoon we jumped in the pool and practiced our skills.  I was really happy that I had the chance to perfect my skills during my divemaster program!  I can tell that I have a lot of work ahead of me but that I will also be learning tons!

Day 2 of IDC:

Today was another information packed day.  We started off our morning with an exam, EEEEKK!  After taking the exam I was really happy that I am doing the 28 day program, I still have a lot to learn.  Luckily Stefan reviewed all the answers with us and taught us how to do the problems and explained the concepts we didn’t understand.  In the afternoon we got some real live instructor training.  We jumped in the pool and practiced control and organization during open water confined sessions.  It was fun having the chance to practice being an instructor.  I can’t wait until I can do this for real!

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