BigFatJim’s Weblog

Almost a year to the day when I arrived in S.E. Asia, I finished my IDC staff instructor course. Probably the best course I have done so far in terms of it being challenging and rewarding, and best of all I get to actually teach an IDC next month (me teaching instructor candidates – who’d of thunk it…)

That’s Desi (Course Director) on the left and henry (IDC Staff Instructor) on the right. And yes Crocs are standard issue here…

Pattaya to be precise !

I’ve left the peace and tranquility of the island for the…. well let’s just call it Pattaya and leave it at that.

I’m here for about 3 months to do my IDC Staff training, teach more continuing education course and eat my body weight in junk food. Then it’s back to the island at the end of January

I’m already missing the island life…

well not exactly, but I did finally get round to taking a photo of some clown fish (or ‘nemos’ to the likes of yous)

aye, maybe no the best photo in the world but due to ovewrwhelming public demand I thought I’d stick something up. Also on the same dive we saw this fella:

This is a Hawksbill turtle (you can tell it’s a hawksbill as it’s shell has a ’serated’ edge to it)

Happy now ?

Oh, and thanks to Ian and Summer for letting me borrow their camera…

aye folks, I’ve finally reached the dizzy height of MSDT (Master Scuba Diver Trainer)

That means I have certified at least 25 students and can teach at least 5 speciality diving courses (I can teach 8 )

It took a bit longer than I had hoped as they do not have online processing here and everything has to be posted in by the student divers

Anyhoo, another step forward – next step IDC staff instructor, which I will be doing when I move back to Thailand in a few weeks

Impressed ? Aye right, you just want to see a picture of nemo, ffs…

I’ve got a job in the Perhintian islands in Malaysia for a few months – there’s no roads, cars, bikes on the island just beach and jungle ! I’ll be there for a while before I come back here and do my IDC Staff.

more info here:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Perhentians

I think the island life will suit me – either that or I’ll go stir crazy and start talking to coconuts (or was it a football ?) like Tom Hnaks in that film…

well kind of….

As I wasn’t yet in teaching status last week, I helped out on a spec

And here she is, the lovely Pia from Finland

oh happy days…

after 3 days of pre-IDC, 2 weeks of IDC and 3 days of IE – I am finally an instructor !

It was the toughest and best training I’ve ever had in my life. I am totally knackered.

Next MSDT and then IDC Staff…

couple of days IDC prep, 12 days of IDC and then if all goes well 2 and a half days of IE

Strangely enough even though I am totally bricking it (more so than my DM) I’m really looking forward to it.

So in just over 2 weeks I could be an OWSI, and I can walk about with an instructor shirt like I own the place !

NOTE: IDC – Instructor Development Course, IE – Instructor Examination, OWSI – Open Water Scuba Instructor

Tradition states that this is performed butt naked.

However, as it coincided with the final dive of my wreck spec (the dive where you actually penetrate the wreck) I bottled out of that not so much that it was a tight squeeze, but because I didn’t want to get anything caught/snagged on any metal or coral (btw most coral is as sharp as glass)

I did however get down to the buff when we came back out and me and German Mike went looking for one of the big bombs that are near the wreck

I think Mike is now traumitised as I decided to put my shorts on at the surface rather than at 24 metres and he had do hang with me for 3 minutes at the safety stop with me doing my nudey superman impression hanging from the line

Happy days…

Finally, I am now a PADI Divemaster !

Did my final ocean day yesterday where I has to do rescue 6 and 7 (bring unresponsive diver from bottom, get him to surface, administer rescue breathing while doing kit removal and then toe him back to the boat) and not forgetting underwater kit exchange.

As fate would have it I didn’t end up with any of my dive team who are about the same soze as me, oh no that would of been too easy, I got assigned to the lovely but every so tiny Chelsea (she is a size S BCD and I’m a L – genius !)

Props to Chelsea for keeping her cool during the kit exchange whilst I nearly lost the plot

Thanks also to the rest of my dive team – Matt, Sean and Neil. And not forgetting Barry the instructor for putting the time in for those 2 days but for also trying to take his BCD off in the ocean and for being the worst DSD ever !

 Next stop is the IDC (Instructor Development Course) which starts at the end of this month.

Oh and one more thing, I’ve decided to get this on the back of my divemaster shirt

                         DIVEMASTER
“MADE IN SCOTLAND FROM GIRDERS !”

Only Angus and Colin (the two Scottish instructors) actually get this, everybody else looks at me like I’m an eedjit

It was either that or

          DIVEMASTER
“GONNAE NO DAE THAT ?”

You decide…