It seemed appropriate as another Diploma in Scuba Instruction Course comes to the end and our latest candidates passed their PADI Instructor Examinations today that we should ask our very own Paddy (Patrick Keenan) what life as an instructor has been like over the past year since he qualified.
As soon as I became a PADI diver I started seeing that slogan everywhere “Take the GoPro challenge!” So at this time last year I did it, I took the GoPro challenge and became a PADI dive instructor. Like so many things in life the bigger the challenge the better the pay off and becoming a PADI instructor was no different.
After a year of instructing part time at Dive & Ski HQ I have found that the biggest challenge about going pro has been learning to adapt my style of teaching to suit every individual who is learning to dive. The reward though, is the feeling of pride you get after a student tells you “I just can’t do it!” but then they have a breakthrough and nail it after you have worked with them and changed the way you were teaching. At the end of a session it’s a great feeling when you see the look of accomplishment on the face of a diver who had been struggling with what you were trying to teach them.
Part of taking the GoPro challenge and being a PADI dive instructor is get to know your students and keep the course fun for them. At the beginning of every course I ask my students “why do you want to learn to dive?” and for most people the answer is the same “I have always wanted to.” Learning to dive is a lifelong dream for so many people which makes keeping a course fun, easy. I remember the first group I took to the ocean, the conditions weren’t great but they came out of the water with wide eyes and smiling from ear to ear, and all I did was take them on a bit of a swim.
Keeping your diving fresh is a challenge that every PADI instructor faces. I’ve found that it’s important to keep developing your skills and making sure your still excited about getting in the water because you never know how comfortable and capable your next lot of students will be. What I have come to realise though is that as soon as I’m taking a group of new divers out no matter how many times I have dived a particular spot or how bad the conditions are, as the instructor I’m still having fun because I know that my students are having the time of their lives. That’s what keeps my diving fresh is the enjoyment I get from helping other people to enjoy themselves.
Becoming a PADI dive instructor was absolutely a challenge, and no doubt it will continue to be one as technology and theories change so too will I have to change. My next big challenge comes in the shape of going from being a part time instructor to a full time one with Dive HQ in the New Year. So no matter what challenges I’ve come to face in my first year of instructing the reward has always been more than worth it and I’m sure that will always be the case.
Paddy