When people speak of leaving home and working in Thailand, what comes to mind? The idea of leaving the safe haven of home and travelling to a place alone comes with the fear of the unknown. Back home, people say I’m lucky to be here in Koh Tao. Lucky, to have found something I love to do, diving. But honestly, there is no luck. It’s about taking a risk and having passion and dedication for what you do.
I’m sure there are many other ways to make a living in Thailand, but I’ve started mine through diving and here’s my experience of becoming a Master Scuba Diver Trainer here at Sairee Cottage Diving, Koh Tao, Thailand.
Towards the end of 2014, I figured that an office job really wasn’t my thing. All I knew was that I wanted a change of scenery. I had backpacked earlier in the year and I loved diving so much that when advertisements of becoming a scuba diving instructor kept coming up on my Facebook Newsfeed, I figured, why not give it a shot?
After doing some research, I decided that I was going to do my IDC at a dive center I had once dived with before and booked my flight to Phuket. Some may call this faith, but after I purchased my flight ticket, the dive center informed me that they were not able to conduct the Instructor Development Course (IDC) for that year and recommended that I head to Sairee Cottage Diving at Koh Tao. Since I had already left my job and booked a flight ticket, I just went ahead with it and flew to Koh Samui from Phuket followed by a ferry from Lomprayah to Koh Tao.
Coming from Singapore, I have travelled to Thailand multiple times for vacations and the beauty of the country had never failed to take my breath away. Koh Tao, was no different. The sunsets have been absolutely amazing. Yes, there are days of rain as with any other part of the world but more often than not, the sunsets here mesmerise me and after 6 months, I still walk by the beach to take in it’s beauty and capture a photo.
With the PADI divemaster course at Sairee Cottage Diving, one gets accommodation at the dorms for the duration of the course and also, unlimited free dives during your training. I remember being shown the facilities and immediately met 5 to 10 other divemaster candidates (then know as Divemaster Trainees). The facilities were well kept and the people I met, to date, remain good friends of mine.
The Divemaster Course, was definitely a memorable one for me. The instructors whom I assisted taught me so much, and I have their guidance to thank for helping me develop into the instructor I am today. Very recently, I had a problem during a course that I wasn’t sure how to solve so I approached a senior instructor, Bobby, for advice. He sat me down and patiently listened to the problem and all the solutions I had already tried. Not once was he condescending. He explained what he had tried in the past with similar problems, gave me tips and reassured me that I was doing nothing wrong. He also continued to follow up to make sure that the course was going on smoothly, which it did.
Sairee Cottage Diving Divemaster Instructors
Jessie, Nat and Gaz have taught me so much. Jessie & Gaz who are now organizing the divemaster program, are strict when necessary but yet, probably the most fun people you can hang out with out of work. I personally feel that they are protective, like parents of the Divemaster Candidates, yet also a great friend to have. The balance they manage to strike is admirable.
Like most dive schools out there, all newly certified Divemasters have to partake in a snorkel test. For my batch, there were 7 of us who completed the course around the same time and as it was near St. Patrick’s Day, we decided to do it on St. Patrick’s Day itself. If you did not know before, Sairee Cottage Diving is an Irish/Thai Dive Center so St. Patrick’s Day was a big deal. People dressed up in the weirdest hats and wigs. It was hands down, one of the best nights I have had on Koh Tao.
I started my IDC about 2 – 3 weeks after my snorkel test with 2 friends I did my Divemaster Course with. No introductions were necessary. We knew each others’ quirks, and jokes were heard from day 1.
Everyone who’s done an IDC, would tell you that it can be quite intense. It’s a lot of theory and information to absorb in a short period of time. I’d be lying if I said it was fun 24hrs a day, 7 days a week but there was never a day that went by without laughter. We messed around with each other but we also had to put in our fair share of hard work. If we had any difficulties, our Course Director, Marcel Van Den Berg, would be more than happy to be of assistance. There were many times that Marcel stayed behind a little later to help anyone who needed a little extra help.
The 3 of us were also lucky to be joined by Jodie Jodes, now IDC Staff Instructor, and Felix Keene, now Master Instructor, who are both experienced instructors. We had the luxury of picking 3 brains for different styles and tips that we could include into our own.
After the 2 weeks of IDC, we were nervous but definitely prepared for our PADI Instructor Exam (IE). The 3 of us breezed through our Theory, and met 2 guys from Koh Phangan who got grouped with us for the rest of our IE. All 5 of us did incredibly well and there were only smiles at Sairee Cottage Diving that day.
As always, we ended the day with a celebratory booze cruise with all Sairee Cottage Diving Staff, Divemaster Candidates and friends, because joy needs to be shared.
Sairee Cottage Diving Open Water Divers
I’ve been a diving instructor now for around 2 months. I have instructed diving courses with the support of a senior MSDT Instructor and also conducted my own courses and it’s been an amazing experience so far. I have seen people come from being afraid of being underwater to dancing in front of the camera followed by continuing on to the advance course. Words cannot explain how happy and proud I feel whenever I see my students enjoying themselves.
More often than not, students become friends because diving is about the mutual love we share for the ocean. If you are even remotely considering dropping everything and coming over to Koh Tao to live the life of a dive professional, feel free to comment below and I’d love to help with any doubts or uncertainties you may have.
Signing off,
Denise McIntyre (A.K.A DMc)
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Hi there,
I’m heading over from London on January 9th and arriving in Koh Tao on the 10th to do my divemaster and IDC. Anything I should bring that you wish maybe you should have packed when you first left for your training? Any tips would be very helpful right now.
Many Regards
Mike
Dear Mike,
I always send this to my Divemaster and IDC candidates:
-Laptop (if you have one)
-Smartphone and tablet (if you have one)
-2 Passport Photos
-Medical Statement from Physician (You can get that also here on Koh Tao for 300 baht)
-PADI C-Cards (from Open Water to Divemaster) If you don’t have these then we can look you up in the computer, but bring as many you have
-Copies of all non-PADI certifications (NAUI, SSI, CMAS, BSAC etc.)
-A notebook to write in
-Calculator
IDC Dive Equipment:
-Full set of dive equipment (You can rent this, from us for free during training)
-SMB (Can be purchased here)
-Whistle (Can be purchased here)
-Dive Knife (Can be purchased here)
-Pocket Mask (Can be purchased here)
Compass:
To be able to teach effectively you need a compass. Officially by standards any compass will do. But to teach you need a big one, best on the wrist but console is ok to. A computer compass will not work for teaching. During the IDC some of you will have navigation skill assignments. For this everyone need a big compass again preferably wrist version.
You also need a timing device:
A Dive Computer is a must for any Dive Instructor. If you don’t have one, you can borrow it from Sairee Cottage Diving during your PADI Divemaster or Dive Instructor IDC training.
Preparing:
-Please study the IDC Dive Theory Summaries (I can send you this by email, if you want)
-Please watch the Skill Circuit Videos on the IDC Koh Tao YouTube Channel
I hope this helps!
Kind Regards,
Marcel van den Berg
PADI Platinum Course Director at Sairee Cottage Diving on Koh Tao