Archive for the ‘PADI Courses’ Category

More PADI Awards!

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

At Thresher Shark Divers we always strive to be the best in everything we do and so we were over the moon to be recognized again in the PADI Annual Awards.

This year we were awarded finalist in two out of the five categories: the Project AWARE Conservation Award and the Outstanding Dive Center Business Award.

The Project AWARE award is one that we actually won last year, and we are very happy to have continued recognition of our conservation efforts. Currently we are focusing on adding to our artificial reef mostly thanks to Matt and Emma’s hard work over the last month.  More on that story coming soon!

PADI Project AWARE Award

We are especially pleased  and proud to receive the Outstanding Dive Center  Finalist award for the second year in a row. The award recognizes outstanding achievements across all areas of our operation. TSD always tries to maintain the high standards we have not let slip since opening, but we also continue to expand into new areas. In the last year alone we have…

It is the most prestigious award granted by PADI and we were up against some very tough competition.  As a relatively new business compared to most of our competitors, it means an awful lot to us.

PADI regional manager, Jimmy Christrup visited Malapascua recently to formally present us with our awards.

PADI Awards

L-R TSD Instructors and DMs: Holly, Riza, Justin, Dino, JN, Gibb, Mike, Andrea and Jimmy Christrup from PADI

Also this year we have been awarded the following:

Project Aware 2009 International Environmental Achievement Award

The International Environmental Achievement Award honors dive operators around the world who display commitment and excellence in their efforts to protect underwater environments within business operations and their community.

“The Environment Achievement Award is about rewarding vision, excellence and pursuit of conservation. More importantly, this award ensures the enjoyment of underwater environments for future generations.”

Go Eco Status

Go Eco Operator The main objective of Project AWARE’s Go ECO is for dive centres to minimize their impact on the aquatic ecosystem whilst contributing to environmental, economic and cultural conservation. Dive centres are required to meet best practice environmental guidelines and commit to the Project AWARE Go ECO philosophy.

Joanne Marston, Manager, of Project AWARE Asia Pacific added, “We are pleased to recognize Thresher Shark Divers as a Go ECO Operator. We look forward to working with them to implement environmental best practices and educate tourists about how they can travel responsibly.”


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One for the Road Pirates Historic Visit

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

One for the Road Pirates Dive Club

One for the Road Pirates Dive Club

After the amazing fortnight we have just had, we feel we owe an entire blog entry to the One for the Road Pirates Dive Club.

After a full-on two week visit by the 35-strong contingent of the Chinese ex-pat Pub and affiliated Dive Club, they sadly left us yesterday, exhausted and recovering, but with a lot of great memories. They became part of the TSD family and we are missing them terribly.

After a shaky arrival and a slightly rough crossing during the typhoon that devastated Manila, we met in the Pub to get reacquainted with old friends, meet new friends, and sort through the stash of goodies brought from China courtesy of Jason (two suitcases full, I kid you not!).

Stuart and Marie were here for the second time; Jason, Hannah and John we here on their third visit, Fernando on his FIFTH! Many of them were not yet certified and the Pirates took a whole range of courses all the way from intro dives for those who just wanted a taste (way to go Marie!) up to instructor level courses for Fernando.

Poor 9 year old Siv was desperate to do her Open Water course, but as she is still too young, did PADI’s Bubblemaker and Seal Team programs for kids. She has already told her parents they are coming back in May so she can do Open Water with Mike when she will be 10.

While our instructors worked flat out for two weeks teaching assorted courses, the others did lots of diving on our boats that were hijacked and kitted out with PIRATES flags.

Pirate boats

Pirate boats

Congratulations go to all of those who passed courses and made for our biggest certification celebration evening ever:

Bubblemaker and Seal Team: Siv

DSD: Marie

Open Water: Max, Stephen, Nicolas, Nat, Bryan, Ruby, Jamie, Gobby

AOW: Max, Amber, Jake, Stuart, Eric

Nitrox: Max, Amber, Jake, Stuart, Eric, Lee, Soo, Jason K

EFR & Rescue: John and Jason

PPB: Jason

Thresher Shark Specialty: Jason and Jake

Wreck Diver: Ian, Minney, Eric

Instructor Update: Fernando

Certification celebration shots

Certification celebration shots

And a nod to all the various people who did non-certification courses, with special mention to Steen and Johanna

The pirates know how to dive hard and play hard and so there was a lot of merrymaking in the evenings including three (or was it four?) ‘fining’ sessions. After a few days, people learned to be careful with their mistakes, as very few went unnoticed and all were subject to public humiliation and a kamikaze shot in the bar during these official fining sessions. Fines were given out for anything from the traditional instructor fines for calling fins ‘flippers’ and leaving your mask on the top of your head, to not showering often enough. Late arrival Lee was fined first for bringing the good weather, then for bringing the typhoon (no I couldn’t work that one out either), Stuart for asking what WE means on his Suunto computer (it means Wednesday, not that you need a toilet break). Soo was quite justly fines for booking Jason K’s flight ticket Cebu-China return rather than China-Cebu return, which meant that he arrived a day late.

And Erich was fined so many times, that at the second session we just gave him a snorkel test and got them all over in one go.  He was fined for a huge array for things, mostly, well just being Erich really, but also for his unhealthy obsession with finding a harpoon gun (we eventually had a miniature one built especially for him. )

Fine for Erik. Again.

Fine for Erich. Again.

Biggest smile went to John who won the free “Discover Tec” experience from our Project Aware fundraiser and absolutely loved it.

Finally, congratulations to Jason and Hannah who got engaged while they were here. (Hannah perhaps wins joint biggest smile after she was asked.)

Champagne

Champagne

Many thanks to Jason and John for organizing such a wonderful trip. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves tremendously and all of us at Thresher Shark Divers enjoyed having them. The place is not the same now they have decamped….

But we are hoping to see Fernando back in November to do more Instructor courses, John over Christmas to do his Advanced Nitrox, and maybe later on for DM. And the whole group plus more (they are threatening 50 people!) back in May.

Cheers!

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August IDC

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Our IDC started on August 1 with four eager but slightly panicky candidates.

Martin with Petr and Mike getting ready to do skill circuits

Martin with Petr and Mike getting ready to do skill circuits

First up we had Martin, who is changing careers. He’s making a sideways jump from the snowboarding industry to diving and had been with us for 4 months already. He had spent an unprecedented 6 weeks out of the water due to ear infections and was hurriedly catching up on missed water work prior to the IDC.

Next was Petr, the crazy Czeck children’s brain surgeon. Petr was at TSD last year doing his DM and came back for his summer holiday this year to do his Assistant Instructor course.

Petr’s first few days were full of mishaps. On the day he arrived he was so excited to be back, that as he was getting off the boat, waving at us with his phone in his hand, he managed to drop it in the sea. Very shallow sea, but still deep enough to kill a very expensive Nokia. The next day, he managed to lose a fin on a dive. The day after he broke a fin strap on his brand new pair of fins…. And then he got himself an ear infection. Still, it gave him time to finish his knowledge reviews and brush up on physiology which was not his strong subject (joke only, ha ha, he’s a doctor). Despite all this he managed to do stunningly well on his Assistant Instructor course.

Number 3 was Lil’ Dave who was still recovering from being ill for a week, and it was touch and go as to whether he would be okay in time to start.

Working hard!

Working hard!

The only person that was in tip-top shape at the start of the IDC was Mark. In retrospect, this was to be expected as he had just come from Manila where he was practicing with his teammates in the Volcanoes, the Filipino national Rugby Team. Mark kept his ‘other job’ very quiet from us all until it slipped out after the IDC. His month as TSD was his ‘break’ before he heads off to Malaysia to play for his adopted country. But despite his excellent physical shape, it had been a year since Mark did his DM and some serious swotting up on Physics was required.

So the run up to the IDC was slightly hectic with lots of last minute preparations. But then… we all sat down for the welcome lecture from CD John Taylor, and it had begun…

The IDC begins...

The IDC begins...

The IDC went very well. Petr finished his Assistant Instructor course and sadly had to leave halfway through… but someone has to save those children’s lives in the Czeck Republic. He plans to come back next year to finish what he started. The others carried on to finish the entire IDC. Everything went very smoothly and by the end of the course our lads were up to speed.

Confined Water Presentations

Confined Water Presentations

After all this preparation and all the training, our three candidates sailed through the two day Instructor Exam. No problems at all – everyone passed everything first time, scoring mostly 4.5’s, 4.8’s and 5’s (out of 5).

Classroom presentations

Classroom presentations

Martin, the poor thing, got Spencer limits to explain, but Mark lucked out and got the same classroom presentation he had given during his IDC.

After returning triumphant to TSD as newly certified Open Water Scuba Instructors, it was time for them each to complete five Specialty Instructor Ratings. Our instructor, Kim, joined them for this one and finally there was some female input on this IDC!

Wreck Specialty Instructor course - learning how to tie off lines inside wrecks without getting yourself all tangled up in knots!

Wreck Specialty Instructor course - learning how to tie off lines inside wrecks without getting yourself all tangled up in knots!

Last but not least, after three weeks of very hard work, was the IE party. We made it into a big party with a spread laid on courtesy of TSD for the candidates, our staff and customers.

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

A very good time was had by all.

Mark has already moved on to find work before he has to head off to Malaysia for the Asian rugby tournament. Martin and Dave will be with us for a few more weeks completing their MDST Prep program.

Congratulations guys!

TSD's three newest Instructors!

TSD's newest Instructors L-R Instructor Examiner George Wegmann, Martin, Dave and Mark

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The PADI Thresher Shark Diver Specialty Course arrives

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

We finally received approval from PADI for our unique Thresher Shark Diver Distinctive Specialty. PADI staff even went as far as to say that they would like to come and do the program themselves. Although a PADI course, Thresher Shark Divers is the only place in the world where you can do this specialty.

As if the Mola Mola sighting wasn’t enough, proud owner of the first ever PADI Thresher Shark Diver Specialty Certification was Chris Mayernik. On this, his third visit to TSD, he also completed PADI Drift, Naturalist, Oxygen Provider and EFR courses, bringing his grand total of PADI certifications through TSD up to a record 17 certs. We are running out of courses to teach you Chris. Luckily for Chris, Trevor is currently in Puerto Galera doing his IANTD Technical Instructor Course with Dave Ross and Sam Collett. See you in October Chris, get ready for those twinsets!

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