ScubaDivingInstructor.Com   





Consult Dive International WebSite



NAUI Professional Development in South East Asia

By Frederick Claro CD#18819.


    We all have been noticing wherever we are in the world a certain decline in our diving businesses and the diving industry as a whole. The reasons of this decline are multiple and the objective of this article is not to solve the problems, but to bring to the NAUI membership the results of an interesting experiment, which is taking place in Phuket, Thailand and soon in other countries where NAUI leadership courses and instructor courses are scheduled with Consult Dive International.
    In many resort and non- resort places worldwide, the common solution implemented to attract more students, divers and leaders in our facilities has been to drop prices and get the whole system into a “state of war price” for courses, trips, live-aboard cruises and equipment sales.
    Instead of playing the game of trying to knock the competition out, some NAUI members from different parts of the world decided to join efforts and combine their abilities to train NAUI leaders in a true tropical paradise: Phuket, Thailand. Known internationally for its beautiful landscapes and excellent under water tropical marine life, its national marine park of the Similan Islands and the exceptional dive sites around Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, accessible by liveaboard cruise vessels and the fantastic sea conditions and dry weather during the peak season from November until April, Phuket was the perfect location to train NAUI leaders in the best possible conditions.
    Three NAUI affiliate members: Kata Beach Dive Shop from Phuket a NAUI Platinum Pro Affiliate, Consult Dive International a worldwide diving education and business consultant offering NAUI leadership courses and Ocean Zone Divers from Switzerland specialized in NAUI training and NAUI Technical diving training, combined their leadership training to bring five candidates to Divemaster and Instructor levels. The training started in mid January 2000 and culminated with the certification of 2 candidates as new NAUI Instructors, one candidate as a NAUI Divemaster in March. Two divemaster - trainees from Holland are still under training and will graduate in April.         
    Mr Azad Osman from Sweden (originally from Lebanon) was the second candidate to graduate from a full Professional Career Program after Mr Daniel Petersson also from Sweden, has successfully graduated in November 1999 and is now back in Sweden working for a busy NAUI facility. Both Azad and Daniel went through an intensive training bringing them from Rescue divers to NAUI Instructor via Master Scuba Diver, Divemaster and ITC preparatory courses. Azad’s training buddy in the long process was Miss Isabelle Veljaca from France who was the candidate for Ocean Zone Divers and finished brilliantly her Divemaster training to become one of the first NAUI female Divemaster resident in the French part of Switzerland.
    After some weeks of volunteered divemaster experience, Mr Osman join the ITC with Mr Guy Currie from South Africa, Kata Beach Dive Shop’s candidate who already was a NAUI Divemaster and Skin Diving Instructor. During the ITC training, Isabelle and all divers under training at the facility took an active part in the confined water and open water sessions, increasing their knowledge and skills far beyond the usual Divemaster training as they participated in the water phases of a complete ITC.
    Academic development, in water training, rescue evaluations, First Aid/CPR and Oxygen refreshers were conducted alternatively on a shift based training by the courses’ staff, which was composed of one Course Director, three Instructor Trainers and one Instructor Evaluator, former graduate of a Phuket’s ITC: Mr Richard Catrambone (#34139), who finished a Staff Training Workshop prior the start of the ITC.

    During the ITC rescue workshops, the candidates trained specifically to rescue divers with back mounted BCDs as these devices tend to be more “fashionable” for recreational divers nowadays, thanks to Andrew Fortune (IT#19310) who brought Tec diving BCs with him and was extremely valuable in developing the workshops. They also trained with in water resuscitation and oxygen-therapy with pocket masks.
    The best part of the process was to see all the combined efforts of NAUI members coming from so many different horizons bringing so much energy and spirit to the training. We are trying to prove that in the difficult times the scuba diving industry is going through now, sticking together, training together would be so much more profitable to all of us and acting accordingly will always put NAUI members in the path we chose: quality training and keep our commitment to our students whatever level we are training them, because they are the one who deserve our maximum attention to give the world at the dawn of this new millennium, the divers and diving leaders who will show the path of safety and environment protection through their well acquired knowledge and skills.

[Diving courses] [NAUI Pro] [NAUI Instructor] [ Instructor Packages] [Course Director]

[Facilities ] [Dive Travel] [NAUI] [Tec Courses] [FAQ] [Environment] [Consult] [Home]

  e-mail : info@scubadivinginstructor.com 

Training News - Graduates Comments - Published Articles - International Consultation
Profile - Diving Business Opportunities - Great Offer - Institute