I’m finally a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor! I had dreamed of this moment for the past few years, and now it’s finally become reality.
We had a long 10 day Instructor Development Course (IDC) during the Easter holidays in Gibraltar. There was a lot of worked involved, but well worth it at the end. The Instructor Exam (IE) took place two weeks after we had completed the IDC. This was hosted at the Atalaya Hotel in Estepona. We had packed the car the evening before, and made an early drive at 5:30AM from Gibraltar to Estepona, in time to register on the IE. It wasn’t until I received my IE assignments that it all hit me! I started to get very nervous.
The IE consisted of an Open Water Presentation, which included two skills, then a Rescue exercise demonstration to the examiner on the surface, which we did at the Marbella Port, a 20 minute drive from the Atalaya Hotel. Then in the afternoon we did the written exams. Five theory exams consisting of: Physics, Physiology, Recreational Dive Planner (RDP), Environment & Equipment, and an open book theory exam on the PADI Standards & Procedures. That was Day 1 complete and we all successfully passed all of the Modules.
Day 2 started with a Knowledge Development Presentation in the Classroom, followed by a Confined Water Presentation and Skill Circuit at the pool. It was a stressful weekend of examining, but at the end of Day 2, I found out I had met all the requirements on the IE and was now an Instructor!
Now let’s see where my new qualification takes me!