Instructor Development Course & PADI Instructor Exam - Feb. 2010

Aquanauts' February 2010 IDC students and staff. From left, Connor McBrye, Master Instructor Sally Rathbone, Lorna Green, Greg King and Master Instructor Gary Tytler

Aquanauts started 2010 the same way it ended 2009 and 2008: Perfectly.

A 63-year-old sailboat captain and English massage therapist were among the latest students to change their lives and become scuba diving instructors when Aquanauts Diving Instructor Internship program.

Australian Greg King became the oldest participant in Aquanauts dive internship program to pass the Feb. 15-17 exam at the Discovery Beach Hotel near Aquanauts’ headquarters on Soi 6 and Beach Road. Also passing the exam were former spa trainer Lorna Green and 19-year-old student Connor McBryde, both of the United Kingdom, and Jonathan Eagle, who did his instructor’s course at Aquanauts after doing earlier training at new partner company Real Divers of Jomtien Beach.

“With age comes a little wisdom that says don’t rush, take it slower. It was the same for me here,” King said. “I could not hope to keep up with some of the guys who had recently come out college and were in the swim team. It was the same in the classroom where some of the interns have only recently been studying full time while it has been 45 years since I was in school.”

Nonetheless, King scored perfect marks in classroom presentations and turned in a strong open water test performance. Likewise, Green dropped only 3 questions out of four written exams and scored perfect marks across two days of swimming pool and open water testing.

Aquanauts, a PADI 5-Star Career Development Center, in the only professional dive training facility in Pattaya or Jomtien Beach with a 100 percent pass rate for the past 32 months, thanks to its small class sizes and personal attention.

Instructor Gallery

Click a year and month below to see photos and stories of previous Aquanauts interns on their PADI Instructor Exam and IDCs.