Divemaster Training Course in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo

February 22nd, 2012

Divemaster Training Course in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo

Our Go Pro Team is hard at work, we suspect, conducting Divemaster training with our local and international professional diving interns at our dive centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo.

Resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann and his Go Pro Team members, Alvin and James, were taking care of Victor, Hillary, Sara and Leanne.

Today they completed the Discover Scuba Diving workshop.

As Divemasters, the interns will be qualified to take Discover Scuba Diving participants on experience programs.

Yesterday they finished off the PADI Skindiver program, so our four professional interns are slowly coming into their own by building up their skill base.

Categories: PADI Divemaster, SCUBA Diving Internships, Whats up Diving Interns | No Comments »

New OWSI do Emergency First Response Instructor Course

February 20th, 2012

Busy giving care during the Emergency First Responder Instructor and Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor courses

Although all our candidates have successfully qualified as PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors, before being certified, they have to achieve the Emergency First Responder Instructor rating.

This last bit of essential diver education, plus Oxygen Provider Instructor, is what kept our former IDC candidates, now OWSIs, busy this weekend.

Mia, the MD of Wild Borneo Expeditions, joined as well, to upgrade her skills to instructor level.

Lead by Downbelow’s resident PADI Course Director, Richard Swann, also an Emergency First Responder Instructor Trainer, the group learned the finer details of how to present the courses.

The 2 days of hard work saw everyone successfully complete the Emergency First Responder Instructor and the Emergency Oxygen Provider Instructor courses.

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New Divemaster Sits for One Final Test: The Snorkel Test

February 17th, 2012

As a brand new Divemaster there are some serious social requirements you have to meet, for which luckily there is a test.

Once the seriousness of becoming a PADI Divemaster has been dealt with, the less-serious but also important Snorkel Test is presented.

During recent celebrations of our February IDC candidates’ success, Tiago’s success at becoming a PADI Divemaster was also celebrated here in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

He was put to one final test: The Snorkel Test.

Categories: IDC Graduates, PADI Divemaster, SCUBA Diving Internships, Whats up Diving Interns | No Comments »

Goodbye February IDC, hello May IDC – Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

February 16th, 2012

Congrats to all who sat the February PADI Instructor Exam in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

And that’s a wrap!

Congratulations to all the PADI Instructor Development candidates who sat the February PADI Instructor Exam in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Downbelow had a great time hosting the PADI IE at our PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya Island and we’d like to say a big well done to all the new PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors (OWSI).

The February IDC was one of the most exciting Instructor Development Courses we’ve had in recent memory, with a very diverse group of candidates and, of course, the whale sharks.

As our newly-minted instructors fins off towards the horizon, we now turn our attention to Borneo’s next IDC, which is taking place in May 2012.

The May Instructor Development Course takes place from 16 – 25 May and is again immediately followed by the PADI Instructor Examination on 26 – 27 May 2012.

Now is the time to join one of Downbelow’s professional scuba diving internships, which can be customised for your needs and be anything from 1 – 6 months in duration. We also offer ELCAS qualified scuba diving courses for members of the British Armed Forces.

Want to turn your recreational diving into a professional diving career? Contact us and Go Pro with Downbelow.

Categories: Dive Instructor Training, IDC Malaysia, SCUBA Diving Internships | No Comments »

Feb PADI Instructor Examination in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo

February 15th, 2012

PADI Instructor Examination: Day 1 orientation with PADI Examiner Robert Scammell

All good Instructor Development Courses must come to an end.

Our February PADI IDC in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo is doing exactly that; with a PADI Instructor Exam, of course.

Yesterday our IDC candidates assembled for day 1 of the PADI IE, which kicked off with an Instructor Examination orientation from PADI Examiner, Robert Scammell.

For the next 2 days our candidates will sit for theory tests and demonstrate various in and out of water skills to Mr. Scammell, showing him what they’ve learned and why they qualify for the prestigious title of PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.

Good luck to our February Instructor Development Course candidates!

Categories: Dive Instructor Training, IDC Sabah, SCUBA Diving Internships | No Comments »

Borneo IDC Candidates Prepare for PADI Instructor Examination

February 14th, 2012

Our Borneo IDC candidates are back on the island writing test Instructor Exams

It’s a busy and exciting week at Downbelow’s PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya Island off the coast of Borneo as our Instructor Development Course candidates are prepping for the upcoming PADI Instructor Exams.

It’s been a whirl-wind 2 weeks of developing for our going-to-be instructors, with whale sharks on the first in-water day, skills development, presentations and now finally the exam prep.

After spending a few days in our head office’s classrooms on the Kota Kinabalu mainland, the IDC candidates were back on the island this week.

Richard, our resident PADI Course Director, and his Go Pro Team, were putting the candidates through the paces with a few mock Instructor Exams.

These are the final opportunities for our candidates to expose the areas of knowledge and skills, which they need to brush up on in order to show the PADI examiners that they have what it takes to become PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors.

The February Instructor Development Course here in Borneo will certainly be remembered as one of the most exciting ones we’ve had, with all that we’ve seen and, of course, our diverse collection of candidates.

Categories: IDC Borneo, SCUBA Diving Internships, Whats up Diving Interns | No Comments »

Instructor Development Course Candidates Practice Presentations in Malaysia

February 13th, 2012

One of our IDC candidates Fabien, practices the Coral Reef Conservation presentation

Downbelow’s Instructor Development Course in Malaysia continued over the weekend with our candidates all rising to the occasion.

As presentations are vital for knowledge transfers, delivering a good presentation is key to effective communication and helping scuba diving students understand the knowledge.

To that end developing this skills is important.

Our IDC candidates thus practiced various presentations, giving our resident PADI Course Director and his Go Pro team the opportunity ensure that it is done to PADI standards.

The PADI Instructor Exam is coming up this week, which means the February IDC in Malaysia is coming to an end.

One final push and our IDC candidates will become PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors.

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Instructor Development Course in Malaysia in Full Swing

February 10th, 2012

A skills briefing for our Instructor Development Course candidates in Malaysia

City classroom, island classroom and underwater classroom – our Instructor Development Course candidates have experienced them all here in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Halfway through the February IDC course, the candidates have practiced many of their existing skills and have learned new skills.

Presentations have been developed and will have to be practiced before the big exam to refine and perfect their delivery.

All the while, resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann and his Go Pro Team is ensuring the Malaysia Instructor Development Course candidates are adhering to the highest standards.

The PADI Instructor Exam is on the horizon…

Categories: IDC Malaysia, Whats up Diving Interns | No Comments »

Sabah IDC Candidates Log a few Classroom Hours

February 9th, 2012

Presentation Day and PADI Course Director Richard Swann inspects candidate Sarah's intriguing training aid...

In addition to all the learning fun we have in the conducive and creative learning environment at the PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya island, the Sabah IDC also requires a few classroom hours for presentations and theory.

A few such hours were logged by our February Instructor Development Course candidates this week, as they develop their presentation skills.

As future PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors, knowledge transfer will be one of their most used skills and will directly affect the knowledge of their students, hence its importance.

The Downbelow head office in KK Times Square on the mainland in Kota Kinabalu, is not just a dive shop and office, but also features a multi-media equipped class room, perfect for presentations.

The Sabah IDC candidates can’t be blamed for feeling like fish out of water right now, but soon they will return to the warm waters of the TAR Park for more skills development and practice and, who knows, whale sharks perhaps?

Categories: IDC Malaysia, SCUBA Diving Internships, Whats Up IDC Candidates? | No Comments »

Borneo’s February IDC Skills Circuit Continues

February 8th, 2012

After all the hubbub surrounding the weekend’s whale shark diving, the Borneo IDC candidates returned to doing what they’re here for: developing as PADI Open Water Instructors.

The rest of Saturday was spent in the shallow lagoon in front of our PADI 5 Star IDC Dive Centre on Gaya island, demonstrating and perfecting essential skills and working through some problem scenarios.

Under the supervision of resident PADI Course Director Richard Swann and Downbelow’s Go Pro Team, the candidates showed their confined open water skills set, fin pivots and buddy breathing.

The Borneo Instructor Development Course also deals with problem scenarios, which the candidates have to show they can deal with.

How to use a free-flow reg for breathing, for instance, is an important skill, which needs to be effectively taught to new divers.

Alternating between roleplaying having the problem and providing the solution, the candidates illustrated using alternate regs, surfacing an unconscious diver and the controlled emergency swimming ascent (CESA).

All-in-all it was an exciting first day here in Sabah, Borneo on the February Instructor Development Course, and we look forward to the next week and half.

Categories: Dive Instructor Training, IDC Borneo, Whats Up IDC Candidates? | No Comments »

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