My Journey to PADI Dive Instructor in Thailand with Sairee Cottage Diving

Teaching diving as a PADI Dive Instructor has completely changed my life. Here is my story on the steps I took to become a PADI Dive Instructor and how I ended up doing my IDC on Koh Tao in Thailand with PADI Course Director Marcel van den Berg at Sairee Cottage Diving.

Over many years, I dedicated myself to my studies in order to find a career in which I felt I would work for the rest of my life.  I gained the impression that this was normal and necessary from society as well as my family.  However, after each accomplishment and further advancement in my career as a mental health therapist, I was still in search of what was next.  Passion wasn’t absent from my work nor success, but I did not live a balanced lifestyle.  I craved the perspective and happiness I once felt in traveling.  After severe burnout and doors opening and closing at the right time, I decided to quit my stable government job and private practice to travel the world.  Before I left, I took my first PADI open water scuba course in a freshwater lake.  It was a diving lake so it offered some underwater excitement with black hawks, school buses, computers, and more.  From there, I made the journey to Thailand with an 11 kilo pack on my back and no plan in sight but to travel to as many countries as possible.  I knew scuba diving was one of the many adventures I wanted to experience while traveling.  However, it wasn’t until my first experience scuba diving in the sea that my mind started turning.  After that, I signed up for my advanced course and a liveaboard.  From there, I was hooked, as I found a lifestyle not just a diving career that I fell passionately in love with.

I completed my PADI divemaster course and worked for three months leading fun divers around Thailand.  I knew very quick into my experience that I craved the same feelings that I had when I first went into the ocean.  The feeling of learning that there was a whole new world under the water and also mastering skills I had never done before.  I knew teaching would be the best way to show people this amazing world and help them feel confident in exploring it.  As I had worked with many dive instructors with both positive and negative qualities, I understood finding the right place was more important than just finding somewhere to do my PADI instructor development course (IDC).  After researching various PADI course directors and dive schools in a few different countries, I decided to do it with PADI Course Director Marcel van den Berg at Sairee Cottage Diving in Koh Tao, Thailand.  Of course, many factors came into play including cost, location, timing, housing and Marcel’s IDC teaching experience.  I had no previous experience with Koh Tao and as a diver in Thailand heard stories in the industry about the factory culture on the island.  However, my worries were put to rest in talking with Marcel over email.  I learned the stereotype about Koh Tao was anything but true.  His communication was organized and clear, which made me feel confident that his IDC was not focused solely on passing the PADI IE (Instructor Examination) but more importantly on teaching me how to be a quality instructor.  I know that the fish and ocean entranced me to become a dive instructor, but without the amazing instruction I received throughout all my diving courses leading to the IDC, I would have never continued in the journey.  Certain that I would not only pass but would learn how to truly be a Dive instructor, I quickly made the decision to complete my IDC with Marcel.

Although I had tons of experience traveling throughout 7 countries in Southeast Asia, Marcel was always available to answer questions to support my travels to Koh Tao. I was openly greeted by him even though I arrived later than expected.  The accommodation in the dorm was a major advantage as part of the IDC on Koh Tao and was more than expected especially after backpacking throughout Asia.  After visiting some of the other dive centers facilities throughout my time on Koh Tao, I learned Sairee Cottage Diving has extremely well maintained and updated facilities.  The IDC is held in an air conditioned classroom which was my comfortable home for the next two weeks.  Unbeknownst to me before coming to the IDC, Marcel and Sairee Cottage Diving emphasize ECO conservation education which was impressive and became one of my favorite parts of the whole experience.  They even have a free water refill machine in the classroom which saves on cost and helps the environment!

I felt tremendous stress at first in seeing the fast paced schedule but was quickly relieved by Marcel’s sense of humor and teaching style.  We also had two great diving instructors helping us in the journey as they were also studying to become PADI IDC Staff Instructors.  Firstly, Flav who has a wealth of knowledge (almost a walking diving encyclopedia), decades of experience, and the calmest demeanor you will ever encounter.  And then Shannon, whose creativity and passion inspires you to constantly reach for more knowledge.  The three amigos balanced each other well offering different strengths that each helped me grow.  I turned to each of them at certain times during my IDC and believe they will each continue to impact my teaching style differently as I advanced as a PADI scuba instructor.  I felt fully supported not only by the other IDC candidates, but by all three of my diving mentors that made sure every aspect was not just right but truly understood.  When we walked into our PADI IE, we had the support of a team behind us, confident in our abilities and able to provide honest constructive feedback to encourage our success.

We all passed (of course) and went on to complete our PADI MSDT (Master Scuba Diver Trainer).  Another benefit of the IDC with Marcel was the option of learning 10 specialties over the course of 6 days.  Again, the specialties weren’t treated as just something to teach, we learned why and how to help people accomplish these specialty courses.  We did a Project AWARE ECO day joined with another dive school which included a reef cleanup, beach cleanup, and coral watch.  I have always been an advocate for animals as I did rescue work previously; yet learning about Project AWARE and how to help the environment and marine life throughout the PADI IDC/MSDT was constantly eye opening.  My experience at Sairee Cottage Diving on Koh Tao with ECO conservation will continue to push me to inspire others to support change as well.  In addition, Sairee Cottage Diving offers an MSDT diving internship that occurs over 6 weeks in which you gain the needed 25 certifications but more importantly learn from experienced instructors how to teach different courses.  This is a great opportunity to learn from a variety of dive instructors from all over the world that have their own tips, tricks and quirks to teaching diving.

I was hoping to have a good experience especially since I booked online and had no previous experience with Course Director Marcel van den Berg or the dive center. However, I had an unforgettable one instead in which I feel confident in my future as a PADI dive instructor.  I never had a doubt about making a change in my life and am looking forward to the future paths I can take as a dive instructor after my education and experience with Marcel and Sairee Cottage Diving.  Thanks again to everyone who impacted my transformation into a dive instructor.  Especially, all my IDC/MSDT candidates, the Divemasters who shared the dorm and were kind of enough to be quiet on the rough nights, and lastly the nightly conversations with my palm tree who kept me sane!  Finally, Marcel, Flav, and Shannon; none of it would be possibly without you!  If you have any hesitations or doubts about traveling the world and/or possibly becoming a dive instructor, feel free to email me afailor22@gmail.com about any of my experiences which could be helpful to you.

Like & Share