TwoBitTxn:
Of the whole group, only one didn't successfully complete it.
TwoBit
As I recall there were around 20 candidates at my IE. One girl failed because she couldn't hover (she said it was because she had new wet suit boots and they flipped her upside down), a couple bombed in the written and I think one bombed in the oral. There were a couple of others that I though should have got axed because they just made stuff up and some of it I though was even potentially dangerous but it wasn't up to me. I don't think any of us could really dive very well and there were all sorts of problems in the water in addition to the assigned problems which made it fun. We lived and I hope all our student have too.
So, out of 20, I think about 16 made it. I've only run into one instructor from the IE since. He was an out of town guy that somehow ended up with a class at a dive park that's only about 20 minutes from me. I can't help but wonder how the rest did.
Regardless of how some of us (like me) feel about some of the agencies, entering into this process, subjecting yourself to the testing and actually stepping into the classroom and taking students for their first dive is an experience.
On the board I usually tell the lousy stories because they support the point I'm trying to make but I have other stories of divers who did well and the look on their faces when they saw things that amazed them.
It's funny. Teching in modwest fresh water there were those who had the "there's nothing to see here and I'll have fun when I get to the tropics" attitude. You won't ever impress them but there are others. Like the divorced dad who paid for a whole bunch of classes ahead of time so he and the boy would have something neat to do on their days together. Once we did a night dive in a local quarry. We lucked out and the vis was good and just as we were descending in about 15 feet of water (all together in a star formation) there was a monster bluegil on a nest right below us. As we descended a REAL monster flathead cat swam up, turned sideways and swallowed that monster gil! Later when we ascended I thought that boy was going to drown himself because he wanted to talk whether his face was in the water or out and he didn't care about breathing..."Did you guys see that...did you see...that catfish ate the othe one in one gulp!" Yep we saw..."But did you see the way he..." and on and on and on. I didn't think he'd ever shut up about it. LOL
Then of course there were the ones who I could put in front of a world class trophy bass, northern pike or un-naturally huge crappie and they'd say..."well they don't have much color do they?" Or...after one of what, I thought, was one of my best teaching efforts, they'd say "Do I really have to know that? Isn't that what the divemaster is for?"
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