Becoming a PADI Instructor: Part 1
“So what are you going to do after college?”
Thanks for asking (for the billionth time)! For the past two and a half weeks I have either been diving, studying about diving, or training to be a better diver (almost) every day. I knew that I wanted to continue my dive career from the first time I was underwater at 18 years old. When I studied Spanish abroad at 19 years old, I picked a location that I knew would allow me to continue my dive education as well: Quepos, Costa Rica. In Quepos I met Course Director James Timney (JT) at Oceans Unlimited Costa Rica, who certified me as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and a Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialist. While he was training me, he also had Divemaster students (DMTs), as well as PADI Instructor students. I loved diving with all of them and seeing them jump through rigorous hoops to accomplish their dreams of becoming PADI Professionals. With this, I also observed JT’s teaching philosophies and strategies. He usually had multiple students at a time, but always made sure that every one of us knew that we mattered to him. He pushes all of his students to succeed, because he believes that we all have the ability to do so. After leaving Quepos and going back to college, my post-graduation plan was obvious and exciting. So now, years later, I am a DMT (future PADI Instructor student) studying under JT at the new Oceans Unlimited location in Golfito, Costa Rica. With this series of blog posts I’ll be updating everyone with the details of my training, while Caleb and I continue to post about other day to day adventures on other posts.
Diving Days
At Oceans Unlimited, Golfito we dive as often as we can (similar to all divers). We set up trips based around when we have students (of all levels), fun divers, professionals (underwater photographers mostly), etc. Some days we just have a few students such as myself and maybe one other, while on other days we have Open Water students, fun divers, and ourselves!
I get to the shop at 7am on the days that we dive, because diving in the morning is the way to go during rainy season in Costa Rica. I usually know what the plan is for the dive the night before, but always check to make sure when I arrive in the morning. I bring my computer and anything else I’ll need post-dive (textbooks, DVDs, chargers, etc). I get my dive bag put together and set up, and then start putting together bags for students or fun divers that we have that day. I ask them about sizes, have them try on gear, and get their weights together. JT checks air in the tanks and we all help take gear down to the boat. Things usually run pretty smoothly here in Golfito.
After getting things together, finishing up paperwork, and anything else that needs to be done pre-dive, we head out to the sites. Most of our normal locations are only about a 20 minute boat ride in to the Golfo Dulce. We usually do two-tank dives, each for about 35–45 minutes for those that can do so. We see all sorts of marine life such as whale sharks, a variety of rays, sea turtles, dolphins, eels, etc. Come August and September we should start seeing multiple pods of humpback whales, which come into the gulf to birth their babies and teach them how to breach. Personally, I cannot wait to see a whale, let alone dive with one.
Three of our locations also include wrecks. One of the wrecks is an intentionally sunken sailboat, and the other two are larger ships which are still intact and very cool to explore.
While exploring all that the Golfo Dulce has to offer, I have also been completing training tasks such as tying knots underwater, learning to map, navigating, searching for and recovering items of various sizes, calming stressed or panicked divers, and watching the teaching techniques that JT uses for students of various levels. On the surface of the water I’ve also been training for rescue situations such as towing people to the boat while giving rescue breaths (in a COVID-friendly practice manner) and removing equipment, giving CPR on the boat, etc. For DMT we have to swim various lengths in open water in certain amounts of time, which we have been doing in between dives (during surface intervals). So far I have enjoyed training, even when it’s difficult, because I know every task is making me a stronger diver and a better future PADI Instructor.
After each dive we usually discuss what we saw on the way back while breaking down our gear. If it was a training day, we talk about what we did well and what could be done better next time. JT is great at giving feedback that students can actually use to become better. When we get back we unload the boat, clean our equipment thoroughly, and put everything away to dry for the next diving day.
I usually go home for lunch after this or eat something at Banana Bay Restaurant, which is right in front of the shop on Banana Bay Marina. Afterwards comes studying, prep for the next day, or sometimes the pool for more training. Diving days are long, but to me, they’re always good.
Pool Days
In diving, most skills are practiced in the pool (confined water) before they are practiced in open water. This means that students of various levels spend time in a pool at one time or another. So far in Golfito I have been to the pool to practice/complete Rescue Diver skills, practice/complete Divemaster skills, and to observe/assist with Open Water training and Discover Scuba Diving training.
Some days, like when we have a beginning Open Water student or Discover Scuba Diving student, the whole day will be spent at the pool working on skills. Other days we dive in the morning and head to the pool afterwards for a few hours. We use the facilities at Hotel Casa Roland, a very nice pool attached to a hotel. There are usually other people there with family or friends that love watching us complete skills and lug around our gear.
For rescue, we practiced techniques like towing, rescue breaths in the water, equipment removal, panicked diver (underwater and on the surface), tired diver tow, bringing an unresponsive diver to the surface, etc. This day was fun, but definitely challenging being that we did a lot of towing.
DMT skills in the pool was the hardest day I’ve had so far. We mostly had to perform skills as if we were demonstrating them for students or teaching them to others. We also did a few skills that tested our mental toughness and ability to stay calm underwater. These were rigorous, but again, I know that doing them has already made me a more confident diver.
The day that we took two students to the pool was probably the most fun. I had to do a few demonstrations such as putting together gear, how to enter the water, how to signal out-of-air and share with a buddy, etc. I got to work with one student closely that was calm underwater and seemed like a natural. I loved working with her and getting a taste of what it’s like to have a student.
At the end of all of these days we pack up from the pool, head back to the shop (less than 10 minutes away), and put away equipment. Usually I stay an hour or so after we get back to discuss how the day went and what I should study that night.
Studying (yes, even after college graduation)
I’ve never had a huge problem with studying, but it’s definitely not the most glamorous part of becoming a PADI professional. When we first arrived in Golfito, I had to study for my Emergency First Responder (EFR) course, then for the Emergency First Response Instructor (EFRI) course. With both of these, JT spent time in the classroom (which is in the shop) with another student (Esteban), Jimmy Campos, and I going over the material before we took our exams. With the Rescue course, there was more studying that I had actually started online on the PADI website and basically completed by the time we started the Rescue course. The three of us still worked together to learn the material in the classroom before and after our skills tests in open water and the pool. Between all of these, Jimmy and I taught an EFR class to a group of people that all work for the marina (in some aspect or another). Again, I loved having students and practicing my skills and demonstrations (though with almost all of the students speaking little English, my Spanish was put to the test).
As for right now, I have been studying my PADI Divemaster Manual and all of the different materials that come with it such as videos, diver slates, etc. I have started to flip through the PADI Instructor Manual and the Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving, but haven’t gotten too far into those yet. All of the above have a ton of interesting and important information that I have loved learning about so far.
In my next post I will update everyone with what my days look like as a DMT at Oceans Unlimited Costa Rica, Golfito, such as specific DMT training and skills. This post was very long, so if you made it to this point, thanks for sticking with me!
— M
