Ontario Instructor Retiring

[mddolson]

Greeting to all my fellow Fresh Water Freaks.
This is posted in the Instructor-to-Instructor forum, but I also wanted to share this with my fellow Ontario FW Freaks.

As many of you may have already heard, the dive shop I am currently associated with and have enjoyed teaching for the last 7 years, TAM Dive Peterborough has decided to permanently close it doors at the end of November 2004.

It is with some mixed emotions, that I have decided not to renew my active teaching status this Jan 2005.
I do not at this time want to go looking for another client. I can't see laying out almost $300 for NAUI and PADI instructor dues, plus the additional several hundreds $ for liability insurance.
I had been thinking on planning to retire sometime in the not too distant future, so this just pushes cart down the hill a little faster.
I certified and started teaching NAUI in 1978, and dual certified PADI in 1991. I taught primarily NAUI courses, because I prefer my own structured and delivered program, as opposed to the canned PADI course. I believe in establishing good basic skills(mask,fins,snorkel) before starting on scuba. I also accepted and conducted PADI O/W referals.(my prime reason for dual certification). I also taught NAUI and PADI Advanced O/W Diver courses Nitrox, Deep, Wreck and Night specialty courses.
I have never taught/sold nor would consider anything less than the O/W Diver or equivelant certification.
I am pleased to be able to report that in my 26 years of instruction, I have never had an accident or injury that required more than a band-aid happen to any of my students or staff. (Touch wood).
I have had the pleasure of training 12 Assistant Instructors all through apprentice/internship program and equally pleased that two are active teaching instructors today.
Fortunately diving instruction is not my livelyhood, but is a hobby and a part time job. I will remain actively diving, and hope to devote more time to fun diving, and more family time as well.

Mike Dolson
NAUI 4780
PADI 202288

 

[snuggle]

i wish you all the best in averything that you do..hey maybe youll actually have time to dive now when you want to and where..

 

[opiniongirl]

Retiring ain't that bad.

Forced to do the same thing myself this year, I never thought I'd give it up. But now, I have time to watch "The Apprentice"!!!

Good luck

 

[Norberto]

Retiring ain't that bad.

I tried this once, after I sold my first dive shop.I promissed myself ,no more teaching and no more cold water diving.I lasted 6 months,longest time in my life away from the water.Then,I went to Cuba,did some diving,went back to Toronto,gave up my job (first real 6 months long job in my life) started work at local dive shop and opened up a new dive shop.What can I say? Five years later more students then ever,well at least water of St.Lawrence is warmer than freezing water of Newfoundland coast.There is something I love about this diving lifestyle.Does anybody know what it is

 

[Butch103]

Mike,

Good luck on your retirement, I am sure it won't last long. Give my best toJohn and Linda. I am sure it was a difficult decision for the both of them.

 

[TAM Dive]

Mike.........we probably never said it enough...........but thanks.......... it's been a blast.....
Retirement?? (LOL) I doubt you'll be able to take the instructor out of you.............now it's time to go play, do you think the knee will be up all the free time you'll have on your hands..........oh! oh! hang on.....I think I can here Sharon's "honey do" list growing (LOL).........


Tim..........thank you for the thought...........

 

[mddolson]

John, you son of a ah Gun!
You didn't need to do this publicly.
You and your wife made my job easy.
We all share the same basic phylosophy when it comes to the student, and that is safety and quality.

Everyone needs to be made aware of the commitment you made to our students. Since I am also (at least for another month or so) a PADI Instructor, we could have offered shorter courses. We chose not to, because we believed the short course did not give the students adequate training and practice time.
As with most things we agreed on building basic skills of mask clearing, snorkling and finning techniques, before letting the student start on scuba.

The difference in our students at open water training, compared to referals I got (especially the 1 weekender courses) and the replies we got back from Instructors to whom I refered students, are clear indicators "We did it Right!"

NOTE To EVERYONE:
While I am retiring , John is NOT!
If you're looking for an instructor, I can recommend no one better.

Mike D

Mike.........we probably never said it enough...........but thanks.......... it's been a blast.....


Tim..........thank you for the thought...........

 

[bottom_sucker]

Best Wishes Mike!

 

[Ontario Diver]

John, Milke, Linda -

I'm going to miss you all. TAM Peterborough was a treasure.

Regards

 

[SubMariner]

Ontario is losing a good Instructor, and one of the best dive shops, all in one fell swoop.

Almost too much to bear. :frown:

Mike, I hope you'll find a way back into the fold in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, all the best, fellow Instructor.