So Chris Langehaug and I are attending the PADI Course Director Training Course in the Dominican Republic. Basically we are learning how to teach people to teach people to blow bubbles, becoming Instructor Trainers. Here are some of our adventures... Read more about PADI CDTC - The First Two Days
Other then the American rubbing their Independence Day celebrations in the face of the Brits, the day went very well. As with every morning, it was breakfast in La Cuna (the main eatery where we breakfast and lunch daily) followed by a 8am start. The first topic of the day was Instructor Development Standards followed by the Prescriptive Teaching Workshop. Standards are what guide every class a PADI instructor teaches. These are the “how, where and how many” questions that we answer every time we hit the classroom or pool. As Course Directors, we are looked at as experts when questions arise regarding interpreting standards. We don’t need to know all the standards but we do need to know where to look to find them. Read more about PADI CDTC Day 3
Good morning, says Alan Jans. Good morning, we all response, almost eagerly, awaiting the next words that will come. We will be receiving extra points for our team? Is there a summary of the days events? Will he surprise us all with a clever joke or perhaps a long lost nugget from the PADI treasure trove of instructor development? A tip that he has withheld for the last 10 years? The holy grail of marketing that will cause all dive business within a 100 mile radius to flood your doorway? Perhaps today is the day he has waited for soooo long. He patiently bided his time all these years, perhaps there was no one worthy enough, no one deserving. Read more about Day 4 at the CDTC
The waves were crashing into the boat from all sides. Walls of water 15 feet (5 meters) high battered our craft like a child’s toy. Candidates held on to the sides for dear life, crossing themselves and praying for deliverance. Meanwhile in Punta Cana, we were getting ready to head out for some Open Water evaluation training. We kitted up (that’s European for putting together our gear) on the beach next to the resort’s dive shop. Alan started the day by imparting some thoughts on control. Think about it, when students do skills, they are usually on a sandy bottom or a platform with the instructor right in front of them. What about when touring or ascents or descents? This is when problems can occur. Read more about PADI CDTC Day 5
Houston, we have a problem!! Nothing like a little gut check to be you back to Earth. The day started innocently enough. A little bus ride to a little resort and a little surface swim out to do a little skill training and then encountering a little problem.
And then I woke up. An hour bus ride to a mega resort, a monster surface swim completed 3 times round trip, a little surface skill with a huge mistake.
Read more about PADI CDTC Day 6
JAMES MORGAN, WAKE UP!! Not literally of course but from the dream like haze you find yourself you in day after day after day. Wake up from the dreams you have of a better life for you and your family. Don’t give up on those dreams, but stop dreaming and make it a reality. That is the vision of Team GreenGo. You have told us you are a busy executive, you have told us you travel for work, you have told us about your plans for a Caribbean Resort. Let us tell you about our plan to help you achieve this. Read more about PADI CDTC Day 7
Tuesday, we are in the home stretch. The general mood is one of dragging. This has become more of a marathon than a sprint. With a start time of 8am every day, ending between 5-6pm every day and then having presentations to prepare, we have had some very long days. Today appeared on the schedule as a very long day. We were supposed to start with a quick bus ride to Corales Bay and then confined water presentations. A quick reminder, Confined Water can be either a pool or an environment with pool like conditions in regards to deep, temp, water movement and vis. Many of us do strictly pool so it was interesting to see how the other half lived. However Tropical Storm Chantel was starting to make her presence felt. Read more about PADI CDTC Day 8
The day dawned......calm? Not too much wind but that may change as the day goes on. Last night, it seemed we should have some fun with Chantel around mid day. This morning, all reports show the storm has moved a little farther south and will miss us and come ashore on the island farther west. I guess we dodged a bullet. Over the course of the day we had scattered showers and some rain but nothing that bad. Read more about Day 9, The Final Day and Final Thoughts
