| I'm Rachael from England/Wales. My career in "the real world" was in pharmaceutical sales - I was a medical sales executive for 5 years with GSKand AstraZeneca with a year off in-between for travels.
Where did you start diving and what is your diving experience since then?Koh Tao was my first destination on my travels in 2006, I did my open water within the first week here... obviously it's a diving Mecca.... coming to Koh Tao and not diving is like going to Old Trafford and having a nap... You just wouldn't do it!! So I thought I'd give it a go! I loved it although was pretty nervy to begin with, in the pool... I talk a lot and struggled with the serious cut backs in the chatting department whilst under water!! I was given my own DM to look after me which reassured me no end and got me into the open water... as soon as I was out in the sea... well, it was just amazing!! It's like a whole different world underneath the sea... one without litter and dodgy 50s style skyscrapers!! I was completely addicted to diving from that point forward! I owe that DM a big thank you as he really changed my life (Thanks Chip!)- if it wasn'tfor his patience and understanding I would still be stuck on the M1 in England being a medical rep... instead of being here having just qualified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor! Had I not pre-booked most of my flights for the forthcoming year I would have stayed in Koh Tao and done my dive master course then... Instead I continued on my travels, had some amazing fun dives with huge manta rays on Ningaloo Reef on the West Coast of Australia, went on a live aboard in Cairnes on the GBR which was one of the most fun 4 days of my life to date! It's just fabulous to wake up at 6am, hop straight in the water for an early morning dive, hang out with few turtles, then come back to a full cooked breakfast and pretty much just spend the whole day diving or sun bathing!! We had a few dives on the Whitsundays where I finally grasped the concept of buoyancy as I was with my friend who was a dive master who taught me again... so amazing when you suddenly develop excellent buoyancy control - that feeling of weightlessness really is superb!! The last diving of my travels was in Fiji when I went island hopping.... Again it was awesome! Diving here was slightly marred by the fact I knew it would be my last dive for ages as I was on my way home... something I was not even remotely happy about to say the least!!Upon arriving home I unpacked my box of goodies that I'd posted home for myself from Thailand and amongst it was my open water DVD! It was amazing! But it made me so sad to remember how amazing it was but to be back in the UK penniless! From this point I knew I wanted to be a dive instructor so I could make lots of people as happy as I was when I was in Koh Tao... especially people who may struggle a bit to begin with because in my case having somebody persist with me has changed my life 100% for the better.I went to Egypt to do my advanced course... My instructor there was 50ish, had been a high flying exec in London, married twice, divorced twice, was ill all the time..... So him and his girlfriend decided to have a sabbatical and went travelling... They tried diving and loved it so much they fully quit their careers, left the UK and since have been living the life of simple bliss in Egypt doing what they love - they say the only regret they had was not doing it when they were my age! Well that was it, I was convinced! That was just over a year ago and now my life has changed completely too and I love it. Why did you choose to do the IDC with Buddha View Dive Resort?I did a lot of research and ended up deciding on Buddha View. I was in contact with a few different schools and it was a toss-up between 3 when I went to the UK Dive Show in Birmingham. At this point I met a course director, Rene, from Khao Lak who was really helpful. I asked him if he knew about the 3 schools I was trying to decide between... He said he didn't know much about them but highly recommended Buddha View... My original thought was no as I knew that this was a big school and I wanted to be somewhere where I got to know everybody and felt like part of the family kind of thing - you know if you're leaving all things familiar and comfortable, you need a family substitute so this was a big thing for me asI knew I'd be spending a good 6 months with these people! Anyway so initially I brushed if off and Rene said he'd ask about the other schools for me when he got back. A few days later I got an email from Mark Soworka, our course director here at Buddha View, explaining all about the courses I wanted to do, the costs, what it included, how it was scheduled, what I could expect etc. From this point onwards I was in touch with Mark every few days probably, he always answered all my questions really quickly and was really very helpful, not just with diving info but general Koh Tao and Thailand things too... I basically got a really good feeling from being in contact with Mark and felt like I knew him before I even arrived! Also I wanted to do my DMT and IDC with the same course director... I was on trip advisor constantly and could only find good reviews about Buddha View with reference to the diving, teaching, accommodation, restaurants etc.. the pics looked great and also it's in the quieter part of Koh Tao! I've been here for 5 months now and couldn't be happier! I think most dive schools are going to be good in but I'm really happy I came to Buddha View to do my training. Right from the second I arrived I was looked after - Mark met me straight off the taxi and unfortunately I arrived from the snow in England without my voice so he plied me with hot chocolate and got on with sorting out my room ASAP so I could go sleep! Even though I wasn't out and about for the first 2 weeks due to being ill Mark stayed in touch on Facebook and made sure I knew what was going on so even though I wasn't diving for a while I was still made to feel very welcome by everybody! Since then myself and Jonny my boyfriend have worked through our DMT, assisting as much as we could, making the most of the team of experienced instructors here as they all have different styles of teaching (and lots of different jokes too!), so we've learnt a lot through their guidance which hopefully we can get to put into practice soon now that we've successfully completed our IDCs and passed the IE with flying colours! What do you think about the IDC?I found the IDC at Buddha View excellent! Mark and Darius did a fantastic job at preparing us for all the theory and diving aspects of the IE. Along with the staff instructors Sam and Stuart, we all worked together to make sure all of us understood and were comfortable with answering theory questions, presenting in the class room and obviously in confined and open water as well. Buddha View has its own dedicated IDC centre too which provides a peaceful and quiet environment away from the hustle and bustle of the dive shop. It's a long 2.5 weeks as there's a lot to learn but as with all PADI things, repetition is the key to learning so by the end you really have absorbed everything you need to know by the time the IE arrives. Rob and George, the PADI examiners really are great at putting you at ease to help get rid of any nerves too! They're nice guys!
What is your plan after you passed the exam?
The important thing for me now is to put all I've learnt into practice as soon as possible! Koh Tao definitely seems to be getting busier so next on my list is to update my dive CV and get it out to all the dive shops in Koh Tao primarily - I love it here and really want to stay! I have no ties back in the UK and absolutely no intention of returning other than for a holiday in June 2011!
If you knew the manager of the dive center, you really would like to work for, would read this interview, what would you like to tell about yourself?I'm not in a financial position to complete my MSDT yet so am hoping the dive shop managers in Koh Tao reading this recognise my sales experience, business sense and the marvellous opportunity they have to develop a newbie instructor into exactly what their shop needs! I'm a cheerful hard worker that gets on well with everybody, who realises that for dive shops to thrive they need to maximise their potential through sales of continuing education and equipment, keeping the divers in the resort by providing a welcoming atmosphere in reception, on the boat and in the bar alike! The job of a dive instructor is so much more than just teaching diving, it's about having buckets of enthusiasm for what you do every day and inspiring your students to have the same and continue to dive! Last but not least, I really really love diving! I still have to pinch myself sometimes to check I am actually here doing this amazing thing! How lucky are we all?! Where can this manager, or other divers with questions find you?I will be handing my CV out shortly but in the mean time I can be contacted via email - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , mobile - (+66) 877982881 or Facebook - Rachael Rogerson. I look forward to meeting you soon. |
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