Bowmouth
Contributor
... Sounds OK?
Sounds great!
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... Sounds OK?
I do know that on Kho Tao the PADI standards do go out of thew window pretty quickly depending on who you know. I think I know the CD in question that took 2.5yrs to train. I also know of several DMs that only did 1/3 of the course and got signed off, I also know of 1 instructor that did 1/3 of the DM course and then was accpeted onto the IDC even though they feel short on a lot of the requirements. Hmmm very strange
Didn't know Jonas (BANS) runs the DMTs, always thought it was Tom that did this. Funny how things change.
Sharky has, as far as I know, left Kho Tao but it was Gaz that did most of the work there anyways, I also think or it was close when I was there that Switch went out of business. Could be wrong though.
Koh Tao is an OK place though I always thought the diving was pretty much 3rd rate compated to places like the Red Sea, Borneo, Komodo and even Bleize. Most of the sites you can't move for the amount of courses going on and chumpon pinnacle, though good for sharks and the occasional whale shark is pretty much boring.
Head to Indonesia or better yet get yourself to Dahab or Sharm. The diving is sooo much better and therefore your films will be of a better quality.
Cheers
Hi ti325v,
I'm also a PADI CD, although i live on Koh Samui but I do know the CD community pretty well on Koh Tao and I know for a fact that the CD application are taken pretty serious by PADI and if what you say is true, regarding him being accepted into CDTC training within 2 and a half years of becoming an instructor, PADI would have some explaining to do.
Don't be too hard on Bob, just like me, looking at PADI standards, we both know that the person in question would have to be at least 2 years an Instructor and at least 6 months a Master Instructor before he even can apply, let alone being accepted into CDTC training. Now, I don't think you have the intention to lie, but it does raise an eyebrow or two and I would most certainly appreciate it if you can mention who you're talking about. Maybe PM some members here. I would consider this allegation that you make serious enough to mention to PADI's AQ dept and see what they have to say about this.
For those of you still who still know where I came from in the beginning of this thread...
So far my plan is to check out a few places during December: Phuket, Koh Lanta, Ranong, Koh Chang & Khao Lak. Then head to Koh Tao for NYE & afterwards decide which place I liked best & do my DM there over 4-8 weeks. After that, back to Koh Tao for the videography course & hopefully work in that for a while... Sounds OK?
By December the mud slides and floods etc on Koh Chang will have long gone and the rain stopped.
Its a great Island to visit, certainly not the best diving in Thailand but well worth a go.
I generally dive with Scuba evolution in White Sands when I go there and they have always provided me with decent service.
Scuba koh chang - scuba diving Center - Diving courses - Scuba Zone Koh Chang
He is a CD, I saw him do MSDT courses and sign off the students. nuff said.Guys, I think you may be missing the obvious. How many times have you been told that someone , even by the person in question is a 'CD', and you know full well they're not ?
For some wierd reason bull****ters love this one and there are as many pretend CD's about as there are real ones. Sometimes they're IT's from another agency, but they like 'CD' better, sometimes they're just plain old Walter Mitty's.
Sometimes they're EFR instructor Trainers, so they use CD.
Anyway, they make things interesting, don't they?
He is a CD, I saw him do MSDT courses and sign off the students. nuff said.
Please I really do not want to be rude....
but think about what you are asking the poster Vidiotic, Why not tell all ? And then what ? Nothing happens !
I explained in my previous P.M. to you.
Do you actually believe everybody in the world does the right thing all the time ?
Do you think money or friendship pulls no weight ? I have seen with my own eyes....A CD sign off MSDT papers, that he personally taught the instructor in question the specialties , when they knew each other for two days. I also saw $500 change hands.
You have your feelings, I have what I have seen with my own eyes.
I worked for a week at a dive operation in Hawaii....we were paid $12 an hour, the owner was a CD.
How are we supposed to live I asked ?
I was told to take photos of my groups of DSD divers, and sell them to them....We did not have enough staff to send a photographer...
There was a freshly minted instructor there, I ranted and raved to him about how wrong this was, showed him in the manual about instructor responsibilities during dsd....
I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !
Then I hear the owner (the CD) now wants 50% of the money the staff makes taking these pictures...You think I am making this stuff up ? He is still a CD, they are still a PADI shop.
Would you like more examples ?
Too much PADI kool Aid ?
I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !
...I left after a week , as I refused to do this...3 months later I got an email from Hawaii....nice photo of a group doing dsd, till you look in the background, and see the woman looking into the coral...zoom into the photo and see she has no reg in her mouth...DEAD !
Would you like more examples ?