of drastically reduced visibility threatening the viability of the remaining courses . The rain never arrived , but the wind kicked up waves in the bay and prevented diving .
A 30-minute journey to the nearby town of Darsayt provided a solution , with suitably sheltered water . It wasn ’ t the usual clarity the locals were used to , but it allowed the last Open Water Instructor Course to complete on schedule . The next day saw the first of the Practical Instructor Exams . The weather gods were with us and we had two days of flat seas , allowing the exams to be taken locally .
Each candidate taught their group a randomly assigned lesson , closely observed by the staff instructors . The candidates worked extremely hard and were very focused and failed to notice what Gary Howard termed a ‘ beautiful juvenile porcupine pufferfish ’ ( after I insightfully labelled it ‘ a fish ’) during one of the exams , as it swam about the group .
The candidates presented their lessons from brief to debrief , then it was time for the hard work to begin for the staff , with reports to write . These were submitted to the Chief Examiner before being passed to the candidates with some excellent hints and tips on how to improve as an Instructor .
It wasn ’ t all hard work for the instructing / examining team . During the eight days they got to enjoy a barbecue at the club and a traditional Omani meal at a local restaurant . There was also a fantastic Indian meal on the last night before catching flights home at shortly after midnight [ clearly NI luck again ].
We were all tired , but satisfied that we managed to help create two Assistant Open Water Instructors , 10 passes in the Practical Instructor Exam and one Full Open Water Instructor who was a crossover from another agency . Their first steps towards becoming an NI !
Checking the buddy checks
Entering the sheltered water of the bay ring the sheltered water of the bay
The practical review was carried out as a pool session , with several tips and guidance points to ensure that instructors are focused on minimizing the distractions for their students . When we shifted this into open water , we encountered further elements that come into consideration for the instructor , such as student proximity for safety , visibility conditions , and water conditions such sea conditions and temperatures .
The instructors continually gauged the students ’ progress and fine-tuned the sessions to ensure we were getting the best use of our time . I ’ m very thankful for the opportunity and the time taken by the instructors to enhance my skills , and I look forward to returning that back to the organization .
Rene Lapalme and Doug Baker help each other kit up while Gary Howard assists Robert MacDonald on the Open Water Instructor course
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