Course for Mabini dive guides

[solanabezo]

Happy Easter to all!

The Municipality of Mabini and the Resort Owners Association of Mabini is conduction the first Seminar for Mabini Dive guides entitled, "Diving with the Underwater Photographer". This will be conducted by Mr. Nonoy Tan. If you know of anyone who are qualified, please inform them and if some of them will need assistance, be generous.

PROFILE OF NONOY TAN Nonoy Tan was born in Manila, Philippines. He started diving in 1997, and immediately took a keen interest in underwater photography. His photographic work has appeared in many publications such as Asian Diver, Underwater Photography Magazine, X-Ray (Scandinavia) magazine, etc. During the last two years, his images have won more than a dozen international awards from the USA, UK, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia, Italy, etc. By profession, Nonoy is a microfinance specialist, and spends most of his time (when not underwater) in the poor, rural communities of Asia and Africa.


WHAT: Dive Guide Seminar
WHEN: May 11-12, 2006
WHERE: Solana Bezo Resort

ELIGIBILITY:
*Participants must be bonafide Mabinians for at least 1 year.

REQUIREMENTS:
1. Endorsement from affiliated Resort who is duly registered with the Municipality of Mabini
2. Barangay Clearance/Permit
3. Resumé with recent photo (indicate years employed as a dive guide/master/instructor and must have at least 100 dives).
4. Community Tax Certificate/ Cedula
5. Police Clearance/NBI clearance
6. Certification Card from an internationally recognized agency
7. Registration Fee PHP 250.00
8. All participants must undergo an INTERVIEW to be scheduled and if required an evaluation of dive skills will be done as pre-requisite to join/attend the spotter course.
9. During the skills evaluation and the actual training dives, the participant must provide the following:

a. own set of gear (mask, fins, booties, bc, reg with octopus, spg, wetsuit)
b. dive computer
c. underwater slate with pencil
d. flashlight
e. pointer
f. notebook with pencil or ballpen
g. must provide his own tank with air for the qualification dive (if necessary) and the
training dives

10. participants must share in the cost of the dive boats if needed


After the spotter course, you will be given a certificate of training from the Municipality of Mabini as participant and your name will go into the
Mabini, Batangasnow and mad-aboutus website as having minimum skills necessary for guiding photographers.

For more informations please call Mabini Tourism Information Center
410-0607 or Mr. Joel Uichico (ROAM President) 0917-300-1086. DEADLINE FOR
SUBMISSION OF REQUIREMENTS APRIL 28, 2006.

 

[Babydamulag]

Is this required by law?

 

[shugar]

hey this sounds good! keep it relatively inexpensive (or w/ participants sponsored by their home resorts) and they better come

what other courses you guys planning? kudos, keep up the good work joel!

Jag

 

[solanabezo]

No, this is not required by law. We are just offering this so that we hopefully will be able to give all the guides a chance to better their skills when guiding underwater photographers. Ultimately, we will want them to become divemasters.

I have also already acquired the services of a speaker for character and personality development and etiquette. This will be in September or October when there is less divers because the seminar might take a bit longer the guiding seminar.

A few instructors have consented to giving their services for free to upgrade the certification of the guides and there is a foundation headed by Susana May of SSI that certifies for free to well deserving candidates. If I am not mistaken it is named Anilao Community Divers Inc (ACDI).

Again, since the guides are the frontliners diving with foreigners (and locals as well), hopefully they can be more forthright in dealing with the visitors especially those who are not aware of the conservation efforts being established in Mabini. We have to instill in them this responsibility especially that we see more divers during the weekdays. I think we will all benefit from this.

 

[jonix]

very good project you have for the locals. kudos to you sir

 

[Mike Veitch]

Are you in Anilao Solanbezo? Perhaps we can chat when i am there next month

 

[solanabezo]

Sure Mike. What specific dates will you be here in Anilao, Mabini?

Joel

 

[Mike Veitch]

That would be DOR IV. i arrive on thurs May 18.

 

[Babydamulag]

The program sounds great. Can we influence the PCSSD to sponsor this nationwide?
The liability associated with diving without a professional is too great for any resort to assume.

 

[solanabezo]

Mike,

I will be in Bohol to attend a cultural even from the 14th till the 22nd of May. Will you still be here after the 22nd?

I am in touch with two resorts who are willing to go with a program like this. The objective of looking at underwater photographers as the niche market which the Philippines is way behind in term of promotions. If you type in underwater shootout in your search engine, you will find a lot of competitions being held all over the world.

Second, to upgrade skills and certifications of dive guides to serve this market.

Eventually, all of us will be protecting the resource we are earning a living from.

As for the PCSSD, on a sad note, there are two bills in congress one opposing the other. The Mitra bill pushing for PCSSD strengthening and the Chatto bill wanting to abolish. The Gordon bill in Senate is the same as the Chatto bill.

I will be inviting TESDA to this seminar and maybe we can make it qualify for nationwide educational standard for dive guides.