First Ni-Vanuatu Dive Instructor Certified

Tour leaders make it look easy to run a dive trip but they put a great deal of time and effort into making sure their divers have an experience they will never forget. Dave Ballard of Aquatic Adventures in Melbourne took the challenge one step further and ran both a successful trip to the Coolidge for 15 divers as well as the first ever PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) to come to Santo (see photos in our gallery).

In addition to providing logistical support, Aquamarine recruited 2 of the 7 candidates, Henree Brown Worek, the first Ni-Vanuatu Dive Instructor to be certified in Vanuatu, and Jen Spry, Aquamarine’s Office Manager. Henree began diving in 1999 and completed all of his training up to Dive Master while working with Aquamarine. He has always dreamed of becoming an instructor and when he learned that there was and IDC and IE (Instructor Exam) coming to Santo, he seized the opportunity.

Henree and Jen were accompanied by five other candidates from different parts of the world: Deena Lipkies, an Australian ex-pat now residing in Costa Rica, and Stephanie Lawlor, Jacqui Price, Kat Vcelka and Joel White, all from Melbourne.

When the participants weren’t in class or preparing for exams, they were able to enjoy a few dives on the SS President Coolidge with the Aquatic Adventures group trip that Dave was running at the same time.

After the 2 week course, PADI Asia-Pacific sent Instructor Examiner Richard Evans to officiate the Instructor Exams. After two days of exams, presentations, rescue evaluations and skill circuits, all the candidates celebrated their graduation as PADI Instructors.

Aquamarine would like to extend a huge thank you to Dave Ballard, Dale Byrne, Mick Whitmore and Aquatic Adventures for making the Santo IDC a reality. We would also like to thank Cathie de Koeyer and Deco Stop Lodge for helping to make the IDC such a success by providing conference facilities, a swimming pool, great food and lots of entertainment for the IDC and the Aquatic Adventures group.

This was just the first IDC and IE that PADI have conducted in Santo and it was a true success. We hope there will be many more to come.

Aquamarine Welcomes Andy Larsen

Diving the SS President Coolidge is some of the most adventurous diving that you may ever do. To ensure diver safety and fun on the Coolidge, Aquamarine has the most highly trained dive guides and Instructors in all of Vanuatu. We continue this tradition by welcoming Andy Larsen to our team as Operations Manager. Originally from Adelaide, Andy is a PADI MSDT, SDI Open Water Instructor, TDI Advanced Nitrox Instructor and TDI Deco Procedures Instructor. Visit our website for more information on our staff and qualifications.

Thanks and Congrats

THANK YOU to the following dive shops for diving with us since our last newsletter: Frog Dive, Dive Dive Dive, Blue Zone Scuba and Aquatic Adventures. Check out our photo gallery to see their photos.

CONGRATULATIONS to the following divers for completing new levels of diver training with Aquamarine:

• Jen Spry, TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures
• Joyce Dalgliesh, PADI Rescue Diver and Emergency First Response
• Louise Budd, PADI Advanced Open Water
• Amy Burchell, PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water
• Brianna Kemp, PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water
• Peter Morgan-Warren, PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water