The biggest change for 2010 is the radical overhaul of the PADI Instructor Manual. Over the years this manual has amassed a whopping 2000+ pages and so the new version is intended to be streamlined, concise and easy to navigate. The new manual actually comes in two sections; section 1 is the Instructor manual Standards which includes all of the key points, standards, ratio’s, maximum depths etc for each program. Section 2 is the Guide to Teaching so includes over views of the best way for an Instructor to teach a course, this is more of a teaching aid but includes in the back the Instructor Candidate Workbook.
So, how does this affect the Divemaster Course? The Divemaster Crewpack now comes with the Instructor manual Standards section as a mandatory material for all Divemaster candidates. This manual includes a decal which has to be attached to the Divemaster application once all of the Divemaster course requirements have been met. If this is not present, the Divemaster application will not be processed. Obviously there is a period of grace, where Divemaster candidates who have bought the old crewpacks can still apply for their certification without the decal.
In terms of the Instructor Development Course, as of July 1st 2010 all IDC candidates will need to have the 2010 IDC crewpack, including the new Instructor manual. However, due to the fact that the Divemaster Crewpack now comes with the Instructor manual Standards section, this is NOT included in the IDC crewpack and must be purchased separately. The good news is that by the end of February there should be a downloadable version of the Standards section available on the PADI Website Pro’s section and is available to all certified Divemasters and above.
Confused? I was!!
Please don't hesitate to call if you need any more info!
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