My Life: Instructors Exams

So here we are, we worked for two weeks solid to prepare for the big Instructors Exams. Everyday consisted of writing exams, doing presentations, practising our skills in the pool, doing confined and open water classes and getting home work that kept us up until very late at night.

There was very little, but still time for fun in between.

Finally the last three days of the actual IE arrived. We were nervous and not sure what to expect. Was it going to be as the Instructors said it would be...

Our first day started at 17h00 - we were driven up to the Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya and sent up to the dreaded conference room where we awaited our exam papers.

After a introduction and filling out of forms etc. We started writing our exams at about 19h00 in the evening. We had three hours of exams ahead of us for the evening, but afterwards came out all smiles as be both passed and completed phase one of becoming an instructor successfully.

The next day started bright and early, we had a confined water session in which we had to perform five skills and give a presentation. Also successful.

Later was our classroom presentation, we shake like alcoholics from nervousness, but another one was completed and we were told we passed.

A early afternoon at home, we spent preparing for the next day and having a rest.

Bright and early again the next morning, was our final day. We got to the boat at 08h00 sharp, went out to Koh Sak and got told that we would do our open water presentations and rescue skills demonstration in a ripping current of a drop in 50. Now we were almost panicking, but you have to work so fast that you don't even think about it.

We completed our tasks and then you get to sit and wait for about an hour to do your final debriefing and hear if there is anything you missed or if you have passed. It is nail biting. But the examiner finally called our names and we were told that we are now fully qualified diving instructors.