IDC

 

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11/03/2003.

This is a collection of pictures I took during my recent PADI Instructor Development Course with Ocean Divers in Key Largo, FL.  There were 5 IDC candidates in our class:

  • Tim Hall, a aircraft salesman and soon-to-be dive center owner from Birmingham, Alabama
  • Ryan Castor, and IT consulatant from Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Mike Lederer, a financial comptroller from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Ken Robbeloth, a UPS pilot from Fort Myers, Florida
  • David Hoy (me), a software engineer from Marietta, Georgia

There was also an IDC Staff Instructor candidate, Alex Hasbun from El Salvador. Alex owns a dive center in San Salvador - check out his website for some interesting stuff about diving in volcanic craters...

Tom Witmer of Ocean Divers was our Course Director - thanks for all your efforts, Tom!  If you're considering becoming a PADI instructor, talk to Tom first...

All five of us passed the Instructor Evaluation, and then Tim, Ryan and I went on to do the EFR and DAN O2 Instructor courses and then MSDT Prep, which gave us instructor ratings in seven specialties - Nitrox, Deep, Wreck, Night, U/W Navigation, Search & Recovery and Drysuit.

Click on any of the pictures below to see a larger image.  Right click and select "Save Target As" to save the image to your computer.

Ocean Divers store front.

The "Green" boat.

Santana

Dick Rutkowski's Hyperbarics International.

Loading up for a trip.

Mike and Tim.

Ryan and Ken.

Our course director, Tom Witmer.

Mike doing the deep dive timed task.

Alex and Tim geared up and ready to hit the water.

The divemaster gives his briefing.

Everyone getting ready to enter the water.

Alex on the tag line.

Tim on the tag line.

Ryan on the tag line.

Mike just after his entry.

Tom and others going forward on the granny line.

Ken in line to enter the water. Divemaster Rob in the background.

Ken and an anonymous diver.

The group ready to descend the anchor line.

Someone beginning his descent.

More divers starting their descents.

This turtle just floated around watching divers come up.

Here's the turtle again.

The turtle just watched without swiming away.

Last shot of the turtle.

Ken leaving the water.

Mike boarding the boat.

Tim after his dive.

Tim again.

Here's Ryan getting ready to doff his gear.

Mike, Ryan and Ken getting ready for their debriefings.

Mike waiting on the tag line.

Tim defogging his mask.

...while Mike still waits.

Ryan getting ready for a giant stride entry.

Ryan waving to the camera...

Ryan joins Mike on the tag line.

Tom doing his unique sideways giant stride.

Ken doing his entry.

The guys doing rescue practive on the surface.

More rescue practice.

And more.

Friday evening just before the IE orientation.

L-to-R: Alex, Art, Ryan, Mike, David, Tom, Ken, Tim

Sunday morning at Jules Undersea Lodge, getting ready for rescue/open water exams.

Putting our gear together at Jules.

More waiting.

Briefing from the examiner, Arch Archibald.

More of the briefing.

Here we are doing our briefings with the examiner.

Finally entering the water at Jules.

Me, David, waiting for the rest of the group.

Getting a briefing on the rescue exam.

David doing his rescue exam.

More of the rescue exam.

Just successfully finished the rescue exam.

Ryan doing his rescue.

More of Ryan's rescue.

And then we waited...

...and waited...

...and waited...

...and waited...

...and finally got to descend to do our open water exam.

Tim doing his snorkel-regulator exchange with David as his victim.

David getting his certificate from Tom.

David shaking hands with the examiner.

The guys with their certificates.

Both groups from the IE with their certificates.

...and again.

Here's the place I staying during the IDC . Thanks Bob!

Ryan took these great shots of a dolphin playing in the boat's wake.

...and of this jellyfish in the canal.