Hi Andy,
Spot on!
Spot on!
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Unles 'local laws' dictate otherwise......I'm currently teaching in Thailand and I run the same course as I taught in the UK. Agency standards remain constant regardless of location, so an entry-level course -taught by a competent instructor who follows standards- would be the same in Thailand and Australia and Norway and Argentina etc etc etc..
I've seen dive centres pressure instructors into certyfiying divers who cannot swim (on a large scale), the instructors being under threat of losing their sponsorship/visa. Yes the course standards are the same as in other countries, but the way dive centres operate is not always so uniform.Silly finger pointing and the 'blame game' by instructors only serves to illustrate that these two critical instructional skills are not fully developed by those concerned.
I've seen dive centres pressure instructors into certyfiying divers who cannot swim (on a large scale), the instructors being under threat of losing their sponsorship/visa. Yes the course standards are the same as in other countries, but the way dive centres operate is not always so uniform.
True, this can happen....but that is why I stated "competent" instructors. In my mind, being a good instructor involves having the moral courage to stick to your guns about issues you believe to be right and wrong. The decision to deviate from standards can't be any more black and white. Personally, my standing and reputation as a professional scuba instructor is far more valuable to me than any employment with a dive operation that wanted to pressure me into taking risks or breaking standards. Of course, my decision to take up employment with any particular dive centre would also involve serious consideration of the ethics and approach of the management at that centre....if in doubt, steer clear.
After two years teaching divers, in 5 different dive centres, on Koh Tao, I can honestly say that I've never had anything but complete support from my managers for the maintenance of agency standards, safety procedures and the conduct of high quality scuba courses.