When I arrived I was a PADI Rescue Diver and in my two and a half months there they guided me through the Divemaster Internship, Instructor and MSDT courses.
For my Divemaster I had JT as my instructor, who I felt thrived to develop me as a diver and prepare me for my IDC. Georgia took our IDC and MSDT classes and I think I can happily say that I would go into teaching my first student with confidence. She really made sure that everyone received the help that they needed and everyone passed the Instructor Exam with flying colours.
When I first arrived it took me a while to get my head around the characters running and working for the centre. Sometimes I felt as if I wasn’t given enough attention and I was unsure about my role during the Internship. But I soon realised that that was just their philosophy. Learning from mistakes and being Inquisitive instead on sitting back is the key. You have to demonstrate that being a dive professional is really your passion and you only learn how much you want to learn. This approach may be difficult for some students at first but I believe that having these attributes or developing them will make you a better diver and teacher. I feel now that this approach was very, very successful looking back. The staff at the shop are unquestionably passionate about diving and developing divers. In all honesty I don’t think I would have preferred to do my courses anywhere else.
For any for you wanting to spend more than a week or two studying at the shop, I highly recommend staying at Siday’s home stay programme. In connection with Oceans Unlimited she takes dive students in and gives everything to make sure you have a great stay. This was the best time staying with a family in a foreign country that I have ever had. Siday and Bati (her son) made me and anyone else staying for a time feel like a part of the family. Bati is a surf instructor and will be happy to take you surfing whenever he has some time off and introduce you to some of the things Quepos and Manuel Antonio have to offer, like sea kayaking and the waterfalls close by.
Thank you Oceans Unlimited!