There are many reasons to take the PADI Scuba Diving Instructor Development Course (IDC) in the Gili Islands, Indonesia with Industry Leading Platinum PADI Course Director Holly Macleod, but if we were to sum it up into the top five reasons, these would be The Training Facility, The Course Director, The Diving Conditions, The Island and Future Opportunities.
The Course Director
The entire program is entirely conducted by Industry Leading Multiple Platinum PADI Course Director Holly Macleod who has purposely designed the program so as to provide professional divers with a standard of training which is now considered to be of a level way over and above that generally seen within the recreational diving industry providing candidates with the necessary skills knowledge and confidence to be highly successful in a brand new career teaching others to dive. Holly has been working as a professional diver for over 17 years and has now issued over 3000 PADI Instructor certifications in the Gili Islands alone, whilst also receiving both the Platinum and Elite 300 Awards for the past 7 years. Having such a wealth of experience teaching in a variety of different diving related jobs and in a range of different worldwide diving destinations including Honduras, Thailand, Australia, UK, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore; Holly has the pure experience to assist professional divers in developing skills, knowledge and confidence to be highly successful and is the perfect person to consult when making the transition into a new career knowing exactly what is expected from new instructors and of course what new scuba diving instructors should expect from the diving industry.
The Facility – Trawangan Dive – PADI 5 Star IDC Career Development Center (CDC)
All Instructor level training takes place at the only ever 5 Star IDC Career Development Centre (CDC) to have been established on the island of Gili Trawangan offering world class training facilities as well as an air conditioned PADI IDC Classroom, 2 purpose built training pool and busy dive training environment providing support before, during and after you professional Instructor course has finished. There are also many environmental activities taking place within the dive centre and a thriving social environment. As well as the diving the centre offers a hotel, restaurant and bar complex and is directly situated on best section of beach in Gili Trawangan.
The Diving Conditions – Gili Islands
Although there are some calm dive sites with minimal water movement the diving conditions around the Gili Islands generally provide current based drift dives with good visibility and some great marine life. For training purposes this is great as it allows new instructors to get a real life feel of how it is to teach in a variety of different diving conditions they may expect to find in different locations around the globe. There are shallow reef structures with little water movement, ideal for practicing entry level diving activities such as the PADI Discover Scuba Diving Workshop during the PADI IDC, which is done in both confined and open water environments. There are also deeper sights, again great for marine life and exhibiting varying amounts of current which prove to be a perfect option for conducting deep diver scenarios as part of the instructor training. Other sites include calm surface conditions and sandy ocean floors ideal for Rescue training sessions. Of course one other benefit of taking instructor training in the Gili Islands is the variable current during open water diver course training. The purpose built open water training site is situated in what is usually considered as a calm site with mild current and has horizontal lines and anchorage for surface buoys and a perfect place to learn techniques in teaching open water divers. Although a mild current is typical, the training site is situated within an area of splitting current meaning that the strength of the current and the directions are subject to change at times and this can provide instructor candidates with some additional elements to consider in terms of organization and student control when it comes to entry level training. For example a session could start out in calm water with no current allowing Instructors to have minimal contact, but be within reach of the student. But if the current were to become stronger it would necessitate more control and require the instructor to establish passive or physical contact with the student and potentially anchor themselves to the horizontal lines on the training site. Another example would be when conducting moving or mobile skills when an instructor may need to change a starting and finishing positions or even change directional characteristics. In some circumstances a stronger current may cause the entire dive organisation may need to be adjusted in terms of student positioning and instructor’s position relative to students.
The Island – Gili Trawangan
The island of Gili Trawangan offer a wide variety of diving related activities and are home to a great community that support the diving infrastructure; including regular dive site and beach clean ups as well as an array of social events open to tourists and those staying more long-term. Although the island has a reputation as a party island you will also find calm tropical palm swept beaches to the north of the island providing a great relaxing getaway from the main town. The island boast a great array of international and local cuisine for all diets, budgets and preferences.
Future Opportunities
The great thing is that having trained in the Gili Islands and having done so with PADI Course Director Holly Macleod will provide a perfect foundation for a great dive resume having trained with one of the best scuba diving instructor trainers available and having gained experience within variable conditions. Holly has worked as a professional diver for nearly 2 decades and has built up a vast network within the recreational diving industry; and is always available to assist new instructors in finding that first step on the ladder of success within this exciting and dynamic industry.