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2 NEW PADI Course Directors - Pattaya - Thailand

Congratulations are in order for two of Mermaids Divers that have trained through the ranks, worked certifying dive students and now made it to the pinnacle of PADI status - PADI Course Directors. Mermaids Career Development Diver Center allows the opportunity to build a professional divers career on past instructor, MSDT, PADI Staff, Master Instructor and on to prepare for the CDTC with the final result ending in Course Director Status.

Congratulations Desi Doggart (Red T-Shirt) and Mark Slingo.

Both of these guys have put in a massive effort to achieve the grand status of PADI Course Director. Once becoming an instructor a diver must work through MSDT and on to PADI Staff to further their dive career. At the point of PADI Staff instructor the pro gets to work on the Instructor Development Courses with the IE Candidates. Both Desi and Mark have worked on many of the IDC programs here at Mermaids over the past few years gaining more and more experience and certainly getting to know a good few guys. The majority of the scuba diving interns that have come through the programs in the last coupe of years have come under the scrutiny of these guys scoring at some stage of their IDC. Apart from both being very affable guys the feedback from the students back always superb!

Desi took professional level courses through Mermaids and has been with us since training though Master Instructor. With his quiet Irish tone but firm  yet fair scoring - Desi has been a hit with all dive instructor candidates that have trained under him. With many IDC Staff courses and certifications under his belt he's a very experienced diver indeed - now PADI Course Director! Congrats Desi!

Mark joined Mermaids in 2004 as an Advanced open water diver. Mark's path to CD has been more of a challenge than for most. Mark trained through the Mermaids internship program to instructor and enjoyed working with dive students until Mark had an accident. Mark's (non-diving related) accident caused Mark to be paralyzed from the waist down and hence require the use of a wheel chair.

Mark battled through physiotherapy in the UK and a period in life that most of us cannot even begin to imagine. It was not certain that Mark would dive again let alone teach in diving.

Within one year Mark was back in Thailand at Mermaids and given teaching status by PADI and also doing a lot of work with IAHD (International Association of Handicapped Divers). Mark achieved the very respectable status of IAHD instructor trainer.

PADI is based on performance requirement system - where in order to progress through the system a certain performance level is required to be met. Mark utilizing adaptive techniques such as hand paddles for fins overcame all obstacles and met the requirements to become a very good diver, instructor, certainly Master Instructor staffing the IDC's and again .... Now Course Director! Congrats Slinky! Mark is the 1st EVER PADI Course Director to be a wheel chair user. Let's hope that we see more of a lean toward disabled diver friendly dive centers in the future...

Both the late Course Director and I spoke often of the determination and battle in Mark. SB1 (Steve Blumenthal) would have been so incredibly proud of the day that Mark and Desi both achieved this level - as we all are!

 

This picture was taken and posted in 2005 after Slinky's IDC. He continually intended to head back to the UK but never left! This seems an age away now.