Instructors
Candidates
LEARNINGCURVE
Candidate ’ s story :
Fiona Lemaire
Justin Meyers helps Fiona Lemaire into her kit
I had successfully completed a PADI Instructor Development Course in July here in Oman and had sworn afterwards that I would never take another course or do another exam ever in my life ! The ten-day PADI course had pushed me to an extent I didn ’ t want to be pushed again . It was also run half in Arabic and half in English , so my brain ached at the end of each day , followed by a couple of hours homework each night . I was lucky enough to pass , but others failed on just the theory exam .
And so , when the idea of the instructor course came up for our BSAC club I was a little hesitant , to say the least . However , as the club needed numbers and Neil our Diving Officer promised me that I wouldn ’ t have to sit an exam as I would be doing the crossover course , I decided to join . I also thought it would be interesting to see how BSAC taught their instructors and that learning more about diving is always good . I might also be a glutton for punishment !
However , from day one I noticed that one of the main differences was that the BSAC approach was very much “ we are setting you up for success ”, so the fear of failure was removed . Our instructors reassured us that they wanted us to do well and would help us towards the goal of becoming BSAC Instructors . Our instructors remained encouraging throughout and showed confidence in our abilities which boosted our own confidence .
What I really liked about the BSAC course is the focus of breaking things down into manageable chunks , which is actually a very good philosophy for tackling anything challenging . Together we managed to break down teaching key skills into up to 20 parts . Sometimes this seemed extreme , but at the end of the day means that any student struggling with a skill can achieve even just a part of it and then go on to achieve the whole skill . The BSAC approach seemed gentler somehow , and although there was a framework to follow with the presentations , we were also encouraged to find our own style and illustrations . It is definitely one of the best ways to teach and I will take that forward with me to other areas of life .
The setting up of the course and the logistics involved in having divers come over from Doha meant that there had been a lot of preparation leading up to the event . Getting the course started in the first place and then completed feels like a great achievement , given the logistical challenges .
We became a very close-knit group , helped by the fact that the Doha divers were staying in our homes , as well as the instructors . We supported each other during the training and had some real laughs and fun as well as learning and work .
Our friendships within our own club became stronger and we were lucky to make a whole new set of friends with the Doha club as well as the instructors . Despite my earlier doubts , I was really very glad to have taken the course . I never thought I ’ d say it but I might even do more courses ! �
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Staff and students of the first IFC
Instructors
Dave Lucas : NI course boss Gary Howard : AI Instructor trainer John Colquhoun : AI Instructor trainer
Candidates
IFC 1 : Behrooz Bashokooh , Fady Hmade , Ann Allin , Gareth Simmonds , Renaud Lemaire , Michael Dunmore , Kate Bowman , Wayne Bryant
IFC 2 : Robert MacDonald , Fiona Lemaire , Naaman Al-Busaidy , Rene Lapalme , Justin Meyers , Doug Baker , Rene Lapalme
OWIC 1 : Fiona Lemaire , Fady Hmade , Naaman Al-Busaidy , Rene Lapalme , Robert MacDonald , Douglas Baker
OWIC 2 : Ann Allin , Gareth Simmonds , Renaud Lemaire , Michael Dunmore , Justin Meyers