BSAC National Instructor Dave Lucas reports from a three-part combined instructor event hosted by Oman-based Ras Al Hamra Sub Aqua Club.
Ras Al Hamra Sub Aqua Club, Heinke Trophy winners in 2022, haven’t rested on their laurels. They built on their success by organising a Combined Instructor Event in March of this year. The club is situated on a PDO (Petroleum Development Oman) site near Muscat, in a bay with launch facilities for their three boats.
Most of all the hard work of organising the logistics was carried out by Diving Officer Neil Hadfield. Neil called on former club member John Colquhoun to teach on the event as an Instructor Trainer. Doha Sub Aqua Club sent along members, together with their Diving Officer Gary Howard, to make up the instructing team, along with myself as presiding National Instructor (NI).
L: Ras Al Hamra Sub Aqua Club clubhouse; R: Dave Lucas
The aim was to complete an Instructor Foundation Course (IFC), followed by an Open Water Instructor Course and then a Practical Instructor Exam (PIE), all within two weeks.
Our plan was to run the classroom lessons in the PDO’s meeting rooms, then use the local pool for the sheltered water lessons and the bay for the open water lessons. The local diving is first class, with corals and diverse marine life, but we were destined not to see much of it, as the sites chosen for the course were better suited to teaching drills – shallow, flat, sandy seabeds with not so much life! So much for the luck of a National Instructor!
The volume of candidates meant that double events were required. It was going to be challenging for the team. We had a diverse set of students with several nationalities, including Belgian, Canadian, Lebanese, UAE and USA.
Behrooz Bashokooh gives a theory lesson to Fady Hmade
The Instructor Foundation Courses allowed the students to learn about the skills and techniques required to become a good instructor, as well as the essential criteria required to deliver good theory and practical lessons. Pool sessions were carried out in half of the local pool; dealing with the inevitable distractions gave our students a challenge in temperatures above 30°C, with little shade (NI luck strikes again).
The pool with a view used for the IFC
Our events were due to run over Ramadan (more NI luck), a time when it’s forbidden to eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. This gave us the additional challenge of how to keep our participants hydrated and fed without alienating those observing the fast.
Pool lessons begin with (l-r) Wayne Bryant, Behrooz Bashokooh, Gareth Simmonds, Gary Howard, Fady Hmade
After the two IFCs were complete, it was onto the Open Water Instructor Courses for most of the candidates (two had to depart for work commitments). This involved venturing out into the open water of the local bay for the first Open Water Instructor course.
Although the climate is usually hot and sunny, we received an emergency alert issued by the government warning of possible heavy rain [yes you’ve guessed it, more NI Luck]. We were facing the possibility of drastically reduced visibility threatening the viability of the remaining courses. The rain never arrived, but the wind kicked up waves in the bay and prevented diving.
L: kitting up; R: buddy checks
A 30-minute journey to the nearby town of Darsayt provided a solution, with suitably sheltered water. It wasn’t the usual clarity the locals were used to, but it allowed the last Open Water Instructor Course to complete on schedule. The next day saw the first of the Practical Instructor Exams. The weather gods were with us and we had two days of flat seas, allowing the exams to be taken locally.
Each candidate taught their group a randomly assigned lesson, closely observed by the staff instructors. The candidates worked extremely hard and were very focused and failed to notice what Gary Howard termed a ‘beautiful juvenile porcupine pufferfish’ (after I insightfully labelled it ‘a fish’) during one of the exams, as it swam about the group.
The candidates presented their lessons from brief to debrief, then it was time for the hard work to begin for the staff, with reports to write. These were submitted to the Chief Examiner before being passed to the candidates with some excellent hints and tips on how to improve as an Instructor.
Staff and students of the first IFC
It wasn’t all hard work for the instructing/examining team. During the eight days they got to enjoy a barbecue at the club and a traditional Omani meal at a local restaurant. There was also a fantastic Indian meal on the last night before catching flights home at shortly after midnight [clearly NI luck again].We were all tired, but satisfied that we managed to help create two Assistant Open Water Instructors, 10 passes in the Practical Instructor Exam and one Full Open Water Instructor who was a crossover from another agency. Their first steps towards becoming an NI!
Candidate’s story: Doug Baker
As an experienced diver having trained previously with several organizations, I found the level of commitment by the instructors on these courses to be absolutely first class! The safety aspects of training are continuously emphasized to ensure that high standards are maintained under controlled conditions.
The course content is comprehensive and given the timeframe that the instructors have to administer the material, it was well organized, structured for effective learning and exchange. In our case, three instructors, capably demonstrated exactly the methodology that the course offers each student.
What I particularly liked about the course delivery is the emphasis on demonstration and mimic to establish clear communication, ensuring the student has clearly grasped the training skill. Working on the basic fundamental and small instructional steps is a key point for success in continuing to learn. Additionally using this method, an instructor is able to take different skillsets and subject matter, and still effectively train students.
I found the level of commitment by the instructors on these courses to be absolutely first class!
I took the IFC (Instructor Foundation Course), Open Water Instructor Course (OWIC) and completed the PIE (Practical Instructor Exam). This was a beneficial combination of theory instruction on composition, delivery and review to be effective as a presenter, whether you’re a highly experienced public speaker or this is your first time.
The practical review was carried out as a pool session, with several tips and guidance points to ensure that instructors are focused on minimizing the distractions for their students. When we shifted this into open water, we encountered further elements that come into consideration for the instructor, such as student proximity for safety, visibility conditions, and water conditions such sea conditions and temperatures.
The instructors continually gauged the students’ progress and fine-tuned the sessions to ensure we were getting the best use of our time. I’m very thankful for the opportunity and the time taken by the instructors to enhance my skills, and I look forward to returning that back to the organization.
Candidate’s story: Fiona Lemaire
I had successfully completed a PADI Instructor Development Course in July here in Oman and had sworn afterwards that I would never take another course or do another exam ever in my life! The ten-day PADI course had pushed me to an extent I didn’t want to be pushed again. It was also run half in Arabic and half in English, so my brain ached at the end of each day, followed by a couple of hours homework each night. I was lucky enough to pass, but others failed on just the theory exam.
And so, when the idea of the instructor course came up for our BSAC club I was a little hesitant, to say the least. However, as the club needed numbers and Neil our Diving Officer promised me that I wouldn’t have to sit an exam as I would be doing the crossover course, I decided to join. I also thought it would be interesting to see how BSAC taught their instructors and that learning more about diving is always good. I might also be a glutton for punishment!
However, from day one I noticed that one of the main differences was that the BSAC approach was very much “we are setting you up for success”, so the fear of failure was removed. Our instructors reassured us that they wanted us to do well and would help us towards the goal of becoming BSAC Instructors. Our instructors remained encouraging throughout and showed confidence in our abilities which boosted our own confidence.
the BSAC approach was very much “we are setting you up for success”, so the fear of failure was removed
What I really liked about the BSAC course is the focus of breaking things down into manageable chunks, which is actually a very good philosophy for tackling anything challenging. Together we managed to break down teaching key skills into up to 20 parts. Sometimes this seemed extreme, but at the end of the day means that any student struggling with a skill can achieve even just a part of it and then go on to achieve the whole skill. The BSAC approach seemed gentler somehow, and although there was a framework to follow with the presentations, we were also encouraged to find our own style and illustrations. It is definitely one of the best ways to teach and I will take that forward with me to other areas of life.
The setting up of the course and the logistics involved in having divers come over from Doha meant that there had been a lot of preparation leading up to the event. Getting the course started in the first place and then completed feels like a great achievement, given the logistical challenges.
We became a very close-knit group, helped by the fact that the Doha divers were staying in our homes, as well as the instructors. We supported each other during the training and had some real laughs and fun as well as learning and work.
Our friendships within our own club became stronger and we were lucky to make a whole new set of friends with the Doha club as well as the instructors. Despite my earlier doubts, I was really very glad to have taken the course. I never thought I’d say it but I might even do more courses!
Instructors
- Dave Lucas: NI course boss
- Gary Howard: AI Instructor trainer
- John Colquhoun: AI Instructor trainer
Candidates
- IFC 1: Behrooz Bashokooh, Fady Hmade, Ann Allin, Gareth Simmonds, Renaud Lemaire, Michael Dunmore, Kate Bowman, Wayne Bryant
- IFC 2: Robert MacDonald, Fiona Lemaire, Naaman Al-Busaidy, Rene Lapalme, Justin Meyers, Doug Baker, Rene Lapalme
- OWIC 1: Fiona Lemaire, Fady Hmade, Naaman Al-Busaidy, Rene Lapalme, Robert MacDonald, Douglas Baker
- OWIC 2: Ann Allin, Gareth Simmonds, Renaud Lemaire, Michael Dunmore, Justin Meyers
Article ‘Learning Curve – BSAC Instruction in Oman’ by Dave Lucas first published in SCUBA magazine, Issue 146 June 2024.
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