I suppose at this point I realized what a debt of gratitude I owed to my colleagues from Scuba Cat.  All the late night chat about releasing Nitrogen from our body or how to treat someone with shock had paid off.  The classroom hours with Christophe had been difficult, yet we were sure that our time hadn’t been wasted. In the saloon downstairs some people were being given good news. For others you could see disappointment.

"Waiting........"

When Jim called us down, call it fate or luck but the other group of ScubaCat 4 were being told their results at the same time. We would learn our fate at the same time.

And then the tears started – before we even knew how we had done as a group. All my own self interest was secondary as I found myself looking across at my colleagues.

Mikko smiling – that’s one. Corey passed – two. Alban being told in French by Christophe – as Jim did not speak French – three in. Gerd smiling as he shook hands, we had four out of four so far. Bruce was in tears – but had a huge smile. 5 down three to go. I was next – 6 in, and look at Christian and Alfredo. They were on cloud 9. We had done it. All 8 had passed. Hugs, smiles and tears as we shared in our individual and group feelings.

Out the corner of my eye I saw Bruce go over to shake hands with Christophe after he was given his OWSI certificate.  Much later over a coffee – and it WAS coffee he shared what he had said.

8 individuals turned up in Patong two weeks ago sharing a dream. Scuba Cat Diving made it reality for every one of us. And they added that this was as much their moment to share as ours.

"The life..........."

We had passed and become what we dreamed of becoming – Instructors.  The next few days were spent becoming Specialist Instructors, although I think the socializing was just as important. Hugs from ALL the ScubaCat  team every day.\

By the time we left to head home, the group were deciding what to do next and we’ve gone our separate ways.  Perhaps one day they will have this medium to tell their story.

"New Instructors"

For Bruce and I we are now living our dream. Dive Instructors in Fujairah, near Dubai. We couldn’t settle back in Scotland and we took an offer to run a 5* Center as our first job. Look up adventuredivers.ae to see what we are doing. Are we loving it – YES. Would we change anything – NO. Do we have the best office in the world – YOU bet we do.

"New Life"

This is a little of my journey with ScubaCat. I cannot say how much the support we had, – and still have from them has helped. Bruce wrote to and commended them, look for the “Certificate of Excellence” on the wall. Its not the only one, but it shows that the ScubaCat way IS THE BEST WAY. They don’t teach you how to be a Dive Instructor. They help you become a GOOD Dive Instructor and there is a huge difference.  Some IDCs teach you how to pass the IE. ScubaCat teach give you the knowledge, the skills and the abilities to pass the IE well. And that’s the ScubaCat way.

"Thanks Bruce"

Sarah, Christophe,  Christoph, Gerry, Andreas – and ALL the team are there when YOU need THEM. Their skills are to bring the best out in YOU. Platinum Course Director is the highest accolade – Scuba Cat Diving has many awards. If you want to be a Course Director follow the way that they do it at Scuba Cat Diving.

If you want to be an Open Water Scuba Instructor and  run a small dive center – speak to Sarah. She runs a Dive Center with the IDC centre.

"Scuba Cat Diving"

As Bruce said to – ” – The way the world learns to dive, Scuba Cat Diving– The way should encourage ALL centers to work”

Thanks again Ceri for sharing this with us………………

A big thank you to Ceri Duff, IDC Candidate Dec 2010, for sharing her story. I have decided to Break this into two installments, IDC and IE – she writes nearly as much as she talks!!!!

Choosing Scuba Cat Diving in Thailand as the place for us (Ceri and Bruce)  to go for our IDC took us some time. But it’s like the simple dive instruction – plan your dive – dive your plan.  We researched a few places but after my partner spoke to Sarah, he was convinced that this was the place to go.  Ok, talking to other old pros helped but there was something about the way Sarah seemed relaxed and well NON SALESY that we liked. So come 1^st October we booked it all, sorted out the flights and our countdown began………

Arriving in the busy resort of Phuket was a hot, humid and strange feeling.  This was to be “home” for the next few weeks, and by the time we got to the center we both wanted to jump in and cool off.

Sarah met us, introduced us to Christophe – our Course Director and we headed off to the Star Orchid to meet the hotel owner, his wife and beautiful little Elizabeth, their year old daughter.  Our room was comfortable, shower, loo and enough space to store our luggage. (Two BIG Mares bags, with our diving equipment and clothes for three weeks).

Christophe

And then we got some great news – have the rest of the afternoon and evening off, we start at 8:30 tomorrow. As we laughed, Christophe gave us a sheet with a schedule, a piece of paper showing how to tie knots and two red pieces of string.  God. Homework on night one!

So as we Scottish do, it was off for a beer and some lunch, and to practice our knots of course!

Patong is a friendly place, and it is indeed the land of a thousand smiles. Night clubs – yes, Bars – yes, touts selling T shirts – yes, massage parlours – yes, ladyboys – I think there are some at night but cant recall seeing them – night time was study time, but the guide books don’t tell you about the friendliness, and politeness of the Thai people. They make the town worth visiting.

Next morning we travelled the 25 metres to the ScubaCat dive “school” area and we met our fellow IE Candidates. An American, Canadian, Spaniard, Frenchman, German and a Finnish guy.

Trust me to pick the IDC with no other females.

Not to worry, they treated me like a guy, although there were several whispered conversations in the morning about who did what and where!!  We managed to speak together and found out that we had mainly one thing in common, a passion for diving, which was shared by our “teacher” Christophe.

Each day we knew where we were to be – 720am for pool sessions, 7:30 for days on the boat and an 8:30 start all other days. No days off, and we could study as much – or as little as we liked in the evening. Christophe was an excellent mentor for the course, but the added benefit to us students was that Sarah was on hand in the evenings.  I had one bad day doing mock exams, and after chatting through my feelings with them both, they agreed I could resit the paper downstairs in the coffee area.  Right on the street, the guys trying to be quiet but failing miserably, and a beer in hand. Sarah laughing in the background at some of the stories – maaaaaassssssaaaaaaaaggggggee being shouted often. But I resat that mock exam – with Sarah making sure I didn’t cheat, and scored over 90%. It was the noise I needed.

Classrooms/Bar!

Pool sessions were fun. Teaching eight students how to teach is no mean feat, but with the help of Gerry and Andreas we managed the sessions quite quickly. Just in time for a lunch break – try the Irish bar down the road for Penang Curry, then back to work. But that’s the thing, yes it was hard, it was difficult but we all helped each other, and no-one ever said no to any request for help………….

………..To be continued

Night diving is something that divers seem to love or hate, just like marmite!!! Night diving offers an experience that is completely different to day diving.  First and foremost it’s dark and a torch is a must. The torch gives light, but it is concentrated, so you only get to see what is in the beam.  If anything, this lets you focus more on the marine life that is highlighted.

Diving in the Dark

It’s incredible to see the difference in life. The day shift is going to bed and the night shift is coming out. You will find fish tucking themselves into cracks in the rocks for protection against the nocturnal predators. Parrotfish, for example, can be seen with a protective mucus bubble surrounding them. This can only be produced once during the night, so it is important not to disturb the fish when shining the light.

If you should be lucky enough to see a turtle sleeping then just say “hi” and “goodbye”. When a turtle sleeps it lowers it’s heart rate, so that it is able to sleep without having to go to the surface for air. If the turtle is disturbed then it may become disorientated and doesn’t know which way up is.

Also, the shock of being woken could induce a heart attack, which is not a good scenario!! So it is important to show respect for the sleeping creatures and not shine the light directly into their eyes. Can you imagine what it is like when you are fast asleep and someone walks into your bedroom and puts the light on?

Predators, like moray eels looking for a midnight feast can often be seen free swimming at night. They look amazing as their undulating bodies move across the reef. During the day morays tend to hide in rocks, so it is hard to appreciate their size and beauty. Barracudas are really quiet cheeky and often use the torch light to locate their next meal. So, if you don’t want to be responsible for fish becoming a meal then don’t shine you torch on it!

The night shift includes crabs in all different shapes and sizes. Have a look in finger corals to find small porcelain crabs, look under coral blocks to find the larger ones. Decorator crabs, with their legs covered in camouflage are difficult to find as they look like the coral surrounding them.  Sponge crabs are amusing to watch as they try and merge with the rocks, so they can’t be seen.

Lobsters can be seen walking around the reef and are very good rock climbers and they don’t even need crampons!! It’s amazing how quick these cumbersome creatures can move. Look in coral blocks and you will be able to see red dots, like little rubies. These are the eyes of shrimps, many different species in all shapes and sizes.  Again, a lovely sight as they dance around.

There is just so much to see on a night dive, but the key is to move slowly and concentrate on a small area. Always take the opportunity to blank out your torch by placing it against your body (don’t switch it off) and wave your arms around. If the Bioluminescence are in full swing then you will create a magical moment as they sparkle around you.

Night diving is an experience not to be missed ………………………

Why leave it all to chance……….. enjoy your first night dive experiences with a Professional, so you can enjoy the wonders anytime day or night.

The video footage of the Thai Girls, thanks Matt for all your work on that day, I know it must have been hard work!

http://youtu.be/Ets-aK7lPsc

Life is never dull here at Scuba Cat Diving, 5 * CDC Phuket, Thailand.

The Hard Rock Cafe was celebrating its first anniversary of being open here in Phuket and came to see us to see if we would be involved…………….. Some of the instructors threatened me with Death if I dared say no………….

They were to Host “Miss Hard Rock -Phuket”!

Miss Hard Rock Cafe Phuket 2010

and strangely enough the male instructors on the team were queuing up to take the Beautiful Thai Girls for one of their first round challenges…………..

Try Dives and a Beach Clean up in Patong.

Claus and Darren were two of the first Volunteers to take the Hot Thai Girls on their first Scuba Diving experience and Matt Butcher, Scuba Cat’s own professional videographer recorded the Dayalong with many helpers, including our Instructor Interns!

The Gorgeous girls all had a great day,

……….However it was the first time we have had to clean the pool after try dives to prevent the filters being blocked by false eye lashes, earrings…………….

So after reapplying their makeup, and redoing their hair……… the Thai Girls went over to Patong Beach to Clean up ……………… I have never seen the trash get cleared up so quickly as it did by these skimpily dressed Thai Girls!!!!