After gaining my Divemaster qualification, I’d already made up my mind that I wanted to go the next step and become an Instructor. Why was that? Well, after working with various instructors throughout my DM course, I really enjoyed the interactions with students and seeing the progress they made throughout their Open Water course. Also, in Hong Kong, the financial rewards for being a DM are rather limited, therefore to stand any chance of making a little money from diving, Instructor was the only way to go.
I signed up there and then, got my IDC CrewPak and started making preparations for an IDC in April/May 2022. What is it they say about the best laid plans? Cue Omicron and the HK Government’s response, and suddenly an IE in April was to be no more.
As things developed over winter and into spring, it appeared that it was likely the dive season would suddenly open up as soon as restrictions were eased. Great news, but not helpful in terms of the teaching schedule. I needed to be ready to teach as soon as the restrictions allowed, so had to find a plan B.
After looking at various options abroad, I eventually settled on Puerto Galera in the Philippines. Race forward a few weeks, and I am sat here finalising my packing for three weeks in the Philippine sunshine. I’m a little nervous, not entirely sure what to expect, but overall, very excited to see what’s coming next. Fingers crossed.