We provide everything you need for a successful idc, padi instructor course and scuba diving career
Divemaster :: IDC - Instructor Development Course :: Instructor Internship
All on Koh Tao, one of Thailand's most beautiful islands
|
|
|
Dive Diary Dive News - The Koh Tao IDC Group Monday, July 21, 2008 i. ScubaJunction has generously pledged 50,000, and gave 5,000 at the meeting to start off the school commitments. ii. Jonas Samuelsson from Dirty Nelly's and Koh Tao IDC Group gave 10,000 baht to encourage other non-diving business involvement UPCOMING DATES · July 29th-Mae Haad Clean-up and after party planning meeting, 7pm Dirty Nellys (1st Biorock commitments from schools due) · July 31st-Land/Underwater clean-up 2pm, Mae Haad · July 31st-After party and fundraising event, 7pm Vibe Bar, Sairee · Aug. 5th-Save Koh Tao Marine Branch meeting, 7pm, Chalok gov't building Chad Scott Save Koh Tao Marine Branch www.MarineConservationKohTao.com Jonas :: Friday, July 18, 2008 Congratulations to Jeremy (Australia) and Gabor (Hungary) who passed with almost 100%on all the exams, close to 5.0 on all presentations. Very impressive! Jeremy is running Camel Safaris in Australia and Gabor got a restaurant in Goa India. Congratulations once again from the idc crew!!! Ban's is busy with diving customers. the beach is amazing outside my office and the water is very clear and calm. cant get any better! come over to enjoy and take some diving courses!!! want to live in paradise? A career in diving can break you out of a nine-to-five rut, or open the door to adventurous part-time or full-time possibilities. Like many careers, PADI dive professionals are envied for the lifestyles they lead. Divemasters schedule and plan dives on yachts, as do Instructors, who also get to teach. Instructor Trainers travel to the world’s most exotic locations, while PADI employees are the eyes and ears of the dive industry. What do all these people share? They are all diverse individuals who love their jobs. There are endless possibilities and paths are available to take advantage of through PADI, it only takes desire to make it happen. Why not get paid for something that you love to do anyway? check out: http://instructor-kohtao.com/career/col/english.html NEXT IDC STARTS ON THE 4 AUGUST!!! COME AND DIVE FOR FREE NOW BEFORE YOUR IDC!!! Jonas :: Saturday, July 05, 2008 Congratulations to Jeremy (Australia) and Gabor (Hungary) who both completed the Assistant Instructor today. They have passed all requirements with flying colors! Day off tomorrow and the next day we are starting Part 2 of the Instructor Development Course. The Internship / MSDT Program also is on its way and the candidates completed Enriched Air, Wreck, Digital U/W Camera, Deep, Equipment and Fish Id Specialty Instructor Programs. All the guys are now team teaching with senior instructors at bans and sunshine divers (all the instructor candidates from the last Instructor Exam got their teaching stauts already - so thanks to PADI Asia Pacific for processing our IDC Candidates paperwork so fast!!!) Have fun and see you on koh tao! Next IDC Starts on the 4th of August! Cheers jonas Daryl who completed an IDC with as a few months wrote and article about the Instructor Course which is going to be features in the Australian Diving Magazine "The Jonas :: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Today we conducted an equipment course together with Dave, owner of AQUATECH Koh Tao. the 7 hour presentations went through all aspects of equipment maintainance including hydrostatic testing and visual inspections in Dave's workshop. the presentation was attended by 12 Internship and MSDT's students, IDC Candidates and DMT's. Renee a new IDC Candidate for the august program arrived yesterday and joined on a skill circuit this afternoon in Ban's Divings amazing new pool. Welcome to Ban's Diving and Sunshine Divers! Upcoming Dates: · July 5th-Marine Branch Meeting, 7PM Chalok Ban Kao Gov't Building · July 18th-Biorock Meeting, 7pm Dirty Nellie's · July 31st-Underwater clean-up Chad Scott Save Koh Tao Marine Branch www.MarineConservationKohTao.com Jonas :: Monday, June 30, 2008 As one of only 5 PADI 5-Star Career Development Centers in Thailand we are leaders in diver training and we always looking for ways of increasing the standards for all our courses. To better train you we have made a decision, starting from 1 of June, that all courses beyond Rescue Diver - including PADI Divemaster, PADI Assistant Instructor, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer is conducted by PADI Course Directors. This is the staff conducting the Ban's Diving and Sunshine Divers professional courses: Natalie Hunt and Tim Hunt (PADI Course Directors) DIVEMASTER Courses Jonas Samuelsson and Tim Hunt (PADI Course Directors) ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR AND OPEN WATER SCUBA INSTRUCTOR AND MASTER SCUBA DIVER TRAINER. We also raise the bar by going out to guarantee that we always have a PADI Course Director conducting all evaluation (academic, confined, open water) during your idc. we use staff to assist us, but there is always a PADI Course Director there in the water directly supervising you and giving you feedback. If you want to become a dive professional - train with dive professionals Jonas :: MSDT Specialty Instructor Training started yesterday with deep instructor training at Chumphon. Me and Tim (both PADI Course Directors) conducted the program to 40 meters surrounded by 5-6 sharks - very cool. Tim took the new instructors to Unicorn (included in all our internship/msdt packages) which is a nice wreck north of Mango Bay at 35-40 meters. I started the idc today with Jeremy (australian dm from Rainbow Divers/Vietnam) and Gabbo (dm from hungaria and restaurant owner in Goa, India. Small group this time with me, chris, shannon teaching the course. we also start a idc preparation and dm week tomorrow conducted by Natalie Hunt (also PADI Course Director) which is going to cover 2 skill circuits, leading workshop, lectures in 5 topics like physics, deco theory etc exams and so on. great refresher for all idc candidates already here for the next idc starting on the 4 of August. So lots going on related to training for dmts, divemaster preparing for idc, idc candidates just started their idc and our new instructors signed up for the msdt/internship training. Jonas :: Saturday, June 28, 2008 100% passrate again on the Instructor Examination! Congratulations to our instructor candidates that passed their instructor exam with flying colors on the 26th of June! PADI Examiners George, Rob and Thomas from PADI Asia Pacific came over and conducted the examination over 2 1/2 days. Simon (England), Agnus (Hong Kong), Lance (England), Chris (Sweden), Rune "Tips" (Denmark), Pascal (USA), Sean (Argentina) and Louise "Lo" (England) Also congratulations to our new staff instructors Wardy, Shannon and Alan! Staff teaching the program was: Tim and Jonas (PADI Course Directors), Mike and Peter (Staff Instructors/Master Instructors) Simon (England), Lance (England), Chris (Sweden), Rune "Tips" (Denmark), Pascal (USA), Sean (Argentina) and Louise "Lo" (England) are all doing Internship and MSDT Training with us starting today. Jonas :: Friday, June 20, 2008 Ban's Career Development Center on Koh Tao organised a meeting together with the 'Save Koh Tao' Foundation on the 18th of June. During the meeting that was attended by some 30 divecenter owners and managers on koh tao discussions related to conserving the underwater environment was discussed. Next meeting is going to be held in Dirty Nellys Irish Pub (affiliated with Bans Diving). The instructor development course is completed today with only EFR Instructor and 'mock' instructor exam left to complete priro to the PADI Instructor Exam on the 24-26 of June. PADI Course Directors Jonas Samuelsson and Tim Hunt conducted this program with PADI Examiners Thomas, George and Rob conducting the PADI Instructor Exam. Next IDC Starts on the 30th of June; Special Summer Deal: 33.900 baht for IDC only (add only 6000bath for EFR Instructor Course). This include 15 day idc (average idc length is 8-9 days), pass guarantee, guarantee that padi course directors are conducting all evaluation, dvd and tshirts, lunch. Ban's Career Development Center is the most award winning divecenter on koh tao and the only divecenter in the gulf of thailand who won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Instructor Development twice (2000 and 2007). PADI Course Director Jonas Samuelsson and Bans Diving have been conducting IDC since 1998 on Koh Tao and celebrating 10 years of IDC in July this year. Don't take our word for it - just ask the over 1000 successful diving instructors coming through Bans Diving Resorts instructor development courses since 1998. Jonas :: Monday, June 16, 2008 18th-Biorock metting, 7pm Dirty Nelly's 19th-Save Koh Tao, Marine Branch update meeting (location & time TBA) 21st-Tanote Restoration day 24th- Logistical meeting for Nang Yuan Clean-up, 7pm Dirty Nelly's 26th- Nang Yuan Underwater Clean-up 5th-Save Koh Tao Marine Branch Meeting, 7pm Chalok Gov't Building Jonas :: Friday, June 13, 2008 It's been a strong wind and fairly large waves on koh tao the last few days. diving boats are still going out for diving in the morning and the afternoon. hopefuylly it all will clear up within the next few days. going out tomorrow morning with the idc crew for their first open water presentations. descents, cesa's, lift bag use, navigation etc. might skip out on the surface skills tomorrow he he!!! take care and see you on koh tao (by that time the sky is blue and the sun is shining again!!!) (check out http://windguru.com/int/). Jonas :: Thursday, June 12, 2008 
COURSES DATE JUNE / JULY -------------------------------------------- IDC Orientation 30 JUN IDC - AI 1 - 5 JUL IDC - OWSI 7 - 11 JUL EFR Inst 12 JUL Remedial 13 - 14 JUL IE 15 - 17 JUL Nitrox Diver/Inst 18 - 19 JUL Internship 20 JUL - -------------------------------------------- Special price: 39.900 baht extended idc including EFR Instructor, lunch, pass guarantee, t-shirt, dvd from the idc, unlimited preparation and diving 4 weeks prior to the idc. -------------------------------------------- Jonas :: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 RM Hans Ulrich conducted the presentation PADI System of Diver Education for our 8 IDC Candidates that started the idc yesterday. Presentation was very informative and also very funny! Jonas :: Friday, June 06, 2008 then this is the website for you! information how to work in the diveindustry and what courses and materials needed to reach that goal: http://instructor-kohtao.com/career/col/english.html Jonas :: Blue sky and clear water outside my office here on koh tao! visibility is great out there. idc is starting with 7-8 candidates on monday at 900. we just came back from koh samui where friends and family opening up Royal Samui Golf & Country Club (check out www.rsgcc.co.th/image-gallery.html). the opening day was so much fun with Football golf. (in my team Vivian Andersson, Man United - other players was Ian Rush, Liverpool and Peter Reid, Chelsea. Great day and evening! the first 9 holes are ready to play on within the week! best view out of all golf courses in the world!!! take care and see you soon on koh tao for some diving (or samui for some golf)!!! cheers jonas Jonas :: Friday, May 30, 2008 The IDC Candidates taking the idc starting on the 9th of June Sean (england), Simon (england), chris (sweden), lance (england), agnus (hong kong), tips (denmark). few others are on their way and will arriving within the next few days. staff: course directors jonas and tim, staff peter (new way diving), darren (big blue), mike (bans diving), pauli (bans diving). so one on one ratio - candidates to staff!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL PRICE DURING SUMMER 2008: IDC INCLUDING EFR INSTRUCTOR: NORMAL PRICE 44000 BAHT, NOW ONLY 39.900 BATH 33.900 (without EFR Instructor) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jonas :: Tuesday, May 27, 2008  Project Aware meeting in Dirty Nellys irish pub at 1900 tonight and NHL Icehockey at 2000! Check out Project Aware Foundation on facebook.com and become a 'fan'. see you tonight. Jonas :: Saturday, May 24, 2008 Today is an amazing day on koh tao! the weather is great, blue sky, calm sea, visibility is back to +20 meter in most sites. whaleshark spotted yesterday again. hard to get better than this! i off to the beach - taking a day off! have fun and see you soon on koh tao! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- IDC starts on the 9th of June. Remember our special offer of 36.900 baht for idc and efr instructor Jonas :: Thursday, May 22, 2008 - May 27th: May clean-up logistical meeting, 7 pm @ Dirty Nellie's - May 30th: Underwater clean-up in Ao Leuk/Tien Og - June 1st: Treasure Hunt Fundraiser for the Secret Garden - June 5th: Marine Conservation Koh Tao meeting, 7 pm in Gov't Building - June 18th: BioRock planning and fundraising meeting, 7pm @ Dirty Nellie's - Late June: Restoration Day in Ao Tanote Jonas :: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 The secret garden conversation group is conducting a treasure hunt on koh tao to raise money for the local kids on koh tao. The Koh Tao IDC Group and Dirty Nelly Irish Pub is a proud sponsor of the project. for more information please email us on contact@instructor-kohtao.com or direct to secretgarden.kohtao@gmail.com (att:duncan). please join us and the secret garden in supporting the local school and other conservation projects on koh tao. VYBE 1 OF JUNE, 2008 Jonas :: Monday, May 19, 2008 Wow what a day!!! we started the msdt / internship training yesterday with a deep dive at chumphon pinnacle. on the boat was itay, noa, janine and course directors jonas and tim. we came out as the second boat on the divesite and .... there is was... the whaleshark came up to our boat even before we had time to moore up on the bouy. the whaleshark was a 'baby' and had a length of 3-4 meter. it stayed with us until we had to leave for the objective of the day. 40 meter dive - instructor specialty training. however it was not the end of it. on the safety stop the 'baby' whaleshark came again and stayed with us for, what became an extended, safety stop of 15 minutes!!! later that day we also was diving with turtles (both during the msdt navigation and night dive - both at white rock) and plenty of stingrays. another amazing day on koh tao and they call this ... a job!!! ------------------------------------- last night we also organised a presentation conducted by a team of scientist that is building structures underwater to increase the growth of corals. very interesting project and i will keep you updated about it - we are going to need volounteers very soon!!! Jonas :: Saturday, May 17, 2008 Ban's Career Development Centers candidates all passed the instructor exam on the 17th of May. All achieved very high scores on all presentations (min score was 4.4 during the instructor exam (low 1.0 high 5.0). Congratulations to Janine, George, Noa and Magnus. All 4 is starting their internship program and msdt today in the afternooon. Wreck diving, digital underwater photo, deep instructor etc etc. lots of great things coming up. the exam party in dirty nellys irish pub was a great success with a video for all bans diving candidates from the idc. free buffe with food for over 100 amd live music was provided by dirty nellys irish pub. congratulations again to all candidates!!! next idc starts on the 9th of June. Jonas :: NEWS: SUPER SPECIAL SUMMER 2008 PRICE DEAL ON IDC AND EFR INSTRUCTOR: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 39.900 baht (including efr instructor) * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * does not include padi fees and padi materials IDC DATES 2008: http://cdckohtao.com/career/idc_dates_2008/english.html Check out our career packages on: http://cdckohtao.com/career/packages/english.html Next idc starts on the 9th of June!!! FREE UNLIMITED DIVING 4 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE IDC. ASSIST, ATTEND DM LECTURES, FUNDIVE, ALL INCLUDED IN THE ABOVE PRICE!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jonas :: Thursday, May 08, 2008 http://www.cdckohtao.com new domain name!!! Ban's Diving Resort and Crystal Diving are the only divecenters on koh tao who got recognized by PADI as PADI 5-Star Career Development Centers. This is the highest rating a divecenter can achieve within the padi system. To better try to meet the expections of the divers who would like to achieve a career in diving we have register a new domain name and web site called: http://www.cdckohtao.com this site is going to provide you with information that you are going to need if you are interested in becoming a dive professional. ban's diving is the most awarded divecenter on koh tao and offer instructor development courses on a monthly basis on koh tao. we have been teaching diving career programs since 1998 and have one of the most progressive and innovative programs and courses in PADI Asia Pacific area. next idc starts on the 9th of June Jonas :: Friday, May 02, 2008 The April/May PADI Assistant Instructor Course is completed tomorrow with last open water presentation in the morning and project aware and coral reef presentations in the afternooon. everyone have done very well so far and passed all requirements to become assistant instructors already before tomorrows presentations. Next IDC Starts with an orientation on the 9th of June with the last day of the instructor exam on the 26th of June. we have a special summer offer where you can take the idc only for 30900baht (plus padi materials and padi fees). included in this price is pass guarantee, unlimited diving 4 weeks prior to the idc, lunch, dvd and t-shirt of your idc plus our extended 15 day idc with many more presentations than required by standard - with the intent of teaching you not only to pass the instructor exam but become a confident instructor after the padi exam. for more information about this very special summer price contact us on jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com contact@instructor-kohtao.com take care and see you soon on koh tao for your new career as a PADI Instructor! ps did you know that the PADI Instructor certification enables you to work in over 180 countries in the world and that there is a lack of instructors in many of those countries. if you love travelling, people, beaches and of course diving... what could be a better career! for more information please see www.instructor-kohtao.com or email us on jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com Jonas :: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Next IDC, Instructor Development Course here at Bans 5-Star Instructor Development Center starts on the 9 of June and is completed on the 26 of June. Ban's CDC IS teaching a 14 days idc, rather than the usual 8-9 days, to give you more practice time both with exams, open water, confined and classroom presentations. IDC Start Date: 9 of June, 2008 Instructor Exam: 26 of June, 2008 We are having some really great summer offers. Please email us and we tell you more. Ban's 5-Star Career Development Center - your diving college. Jonas :: IDC started yesterday with me and tim teaching the program over here on koh tao. Anna, Janine, Magnus, Noa and Gilles (idc staff course) is taking the program this time! instructor exam is on the 13-15 of May - please join us in dirty nellys on the evening of the 15th for a celebration party for the guys! just got a radio message from our boat, right now at white rock - just outside bans, and there is a whaleshark over there swimming around our open water and advanced students! not to bad to see a whaleshark on dive 3 and 4 on the open water course eh?? enjoy and see you on koh tao! jonas Jonas :: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Sorry for not writing for a while on the blogger. its been very busy on koh tao with ltos of activities, and great diving! we completed an instructor exam on koh tao on the 17 of april with many happy faces and many new happy instructors!!! msdt and internship training is about to start up and a trip to unicorn (wreck north of koh tao) is planned for the msdt guys on the 26 of of april! Last night koh phangan held its monthly fullmoon party and the first reports says it was busy but very peaceful!!! many painted fullmooners have arrived already this morning to koh tao and, after some sleep, ready to start their open water courses. next idc starts on the 28 of april with 4-5 idc candidates!!! looking forward to start up a new program with these guys!!! take care out there and see you soon on koh tao!!! jonas samuelsson bans career development center and the koh tao idc group ps congratulations to crystal diving and matt bolton who received the padi award during this years diving expo in singapore. Jonas :: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 100% passrate again! congratulations to irina, andy, mike and roel who all passed the idc and ie in february. great group where all is starting the internship program already. next idc starts on the 24 of february with tim and jonas. happy st patricks day! last night was amazing with celebration of st patrick in dirty nellys irish pub. over 400 people was dancing to the livemusic. so 100% passrate for the first 3 idc in 2008! take care and see you on koh tao! cheers jonas Jonas :: Saturday, February 16, 2008 Bans and Sunshine dives is the only group of divecenters on koh tao that was given 2 platinum course director ratings for 2008. another example of how dedicated bans diving and sunshine divers are in training diving professionals. Platinum Course Directors 2008: Koh Tao IDC Group: Tim Hunt, Sunshine Divers Jonas Samuelsson, Bans Diving Jonas :: Bans Diving and Sunshine Divers organised a clean up outside Mae Haad on Koh Tao yesterday. Great turnup and lots of fun. Buffe, raffle for all who participated in dirty nellys irish pub after the cleanup. an introduction of project aware was also conducted in nellys for anyone interested. educational materials was given by padi as a way to encourage environmental projects for kids on koh tao. tim hunt led the dive site clean up and jonas samuelsson led the project aware for kids in the evening. great day (and night!!!). Jonas :: Congratulations to all Bans and Sunshine Candidates that passed the instructor exam on the 14 of February! 100% passrate again for our candidates!!! everyone is continuing with the instructor internship and mdst course. orientation tomorrow with nitrox, wreck, digital underwater photo etc. trips to sailrock, chumphon and the wreck unicorn is scheduled for the guys the next few days! best diving in the gulf of thailand!!! next idc starts on the 24 of Feb. Take care and see you soon on koh tao! regards from the koh tao idc group Jonas :: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Today is an amazing day on koh tao with clear blue sky and great visibility! Perfect day for a day on the sea! lots of divers went out to chumphon to see the sharks today/. rumours had it also that there was a whaleshark there this morning. lets see when the boats are coming back later today!!! our new kayaks from hobycat proved very popular as well as 15 people went out today on a kayak tour to koh nangyuan for snorkeling and relaxing on some of the nicest beaches in the world. so all good over here. the idc candidates are having fun and preparing their first presentations as 'role playing' instructors. so looking forward to an exciting day tomorrow as well! so pack your bags and come over!!! cheers jonas Jonas :: Monday, January 28, 2008 New IDC Started today with 4 IDC Candidates. Sam (England), George (Russia), Mailaika (Switzerland) and Rob (Wales) is attending this idc taught by PADI Course Directors Jonas Samuelsson and Tim Hunt. The weather is great and its very busy down here after the fullmoon on koh phangan! take care and see you on koh tao! cheers jonas Jonas :: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Internship training starts today with 4 msdt/internship instructors! Today we are doing deep dive theory in the morning and 2 dives at chumphon with the grey reef sharks. tomorrow we are heading off in the morning to unicorn with trident! next 3-4 days we are conducting digital photo, navigation/search recovery and enriched air diving programs! jonas and tim Jonas :: Monday, January 21, 2008 Ban's Career Development Center received two PADI Course Director Platinum Ratings (the only divecenter on koh tao and one of the few in the world). Both Tim Hunt and Jonas Samuelsson received this rating that is given out to less than 100 PADI Course Directors in the world. Another reason to take the IDC with the Koh Tao IDC Group and Bans CDC Center/Sunshine IDC. Bans Diving and Sunshine Divers is participating in a clean up dive outside Mae Haad on the 12 of February. Please join us to clean up the pier area!!! 5-6 Diveschools are participating in this effort to keep koh tao clean! Jonas :: Congratulations to all 8 that passed the Instructor Exam with very high scores and no makeups on the 17 of January 2008! Great start of the year! The candidates for the program was Andrew (England), Martin (Ireland), Ewan (England), Emmet (Ireland), Karin (Sweden), Vegar (Norway), Janek (England) and Anton (Holland). The next idc starts on the 28 of January and a few candidates already arrived and start to prepare for the start date! The weather is great down here and the sea is calm with visibility of around 20 meters. Internship and MSDT training starts tomorrow with deep dives at chumphon with me and tim! Unicorn wreck dive that we include (only one koh tao to include unicorn in our internship programs) is conducted on the 23/1. Take care and see you soon on koh tao! Jonas Jonas :: Saturday, December 29, 2007 The Koh Tao IDC Group with Sunshine Divers and Bans Diving would like to wish all friends a happy new year! Hopefully we see eachother underwater sometimes next year!!! Jonas, Tim, Assar, Sofie, Mike, Derek and all other staff at Bans and Sunshine!!! Jonas :: Sunday, December 23, 2007 Ban's CDC Center, Sunshine Divers with Tim, Jonas, Assar, Sofie and the rest of the team would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 2007 was a great year for us at Bans Diving and Sunshine Divers. Its been a busy year where we upgraded a lot of our facilities and teaching 1000's of divers. We have 12 idc dates scheduled for next year and we already now getting in candidates for the programs. The next idc starts on the 2 of January with cds Jonas, Tim and Assar! Have the best of holidays and thanks once again for all the support you been given our business over 2007! Best regards, Jonas Jonas :: Monday, December 10, 2007 So arrived in Melbourne for a few days. then off to a wedding in nz and then 4 days visiting PADI Asia Pacific in Sydney. Having a great time over here! IE with PADI Course Director Tim Hunt and 5 candidates is starting tomorrow. Best of success to all of those guys!!! Take care and enjoy! I am back in Thailand on the 31 of December and flying to Samui on the 1 of January! Cheers Jonas Jonas :: Monday, December 03, 2007 Super team finished off their instructor exam on the 21 of November!!! Congratulations to our new instructors on koh tao who completed the instructor exam on the 21 of November. New instructors are Anne, Gaspard, Peppe, Gaz, Adam, Brad, Sussi and Jeffe. Great scores on the instructor exam! The Instructor Exam was held by PADI Examiners Thomas and Rob from PADI Asia Pacific. From the staff at Bans Diving, Big Blue Diving , Phoenix Divers, Sunshine Divers and New Way Diving a big congratulations to all of you!!! The next instructor exam is held on the 11-13 of December with IDC Candidates Magnus, Henrik, Rowen, Greg, Jimmy and Alex. Great team who all already passed the Assistant Instructor Course with high scores. After this IDC and IE we are taking a christmas break and starting the next idc on the 2 of January 2008. Ps i am going to spend christmas time in melbourne and sydney - anyone down there who feel like having a pint send me an email!!! Have fun and see you around!!! Jonas Jonas :: Monday, November 26, 2007  The PADI Award Gala winners with Koh Tao IDC Groups Jonas Samuelsson and Natalie Hunt (first row, left of the picture) with Vice President Henrik Nimb and other PADI Staff. Jonas :: Instructor Development Course November/December started today. Five candidates and two IDC Staff Instructor Candidates joining the program this time. Two course directors teaching the course (Jonas and Tim) and 4 Master Instructors/Staff Instructors participating in the logistics and as backup during the evaluation. Bans Diving and the Koh Tao IDC Group got as the first divecenter on koh tao the unique Course Director guarantee. The 3 A's. Always a Course Director (All Confined, All Open Water, All Academic / Always a PADI Course Director. We guarantee you that we always have a PADI Course Director evaluating your presentations! Take care and see you soon for you IDC! Jonas :: Saturday, November 24, 2007 Happy Loi Kratong! Today is the Loi Kratong in Thailand which is one of the most wide spread and popular 'events' during the year. “Loi Krathong” is traditionally performed on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, which usually falls on some day in November. The floating of a ‘Krathong' – a banana–leaf cup – is intended to float away ill fortune as well as to express apologies to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess. Some believe that the ritual is meant to worship the Buddha's footprint on the bank of the Narmada River, while others say that it is to pay respect to Phra Uppakhut, one of the Lord Buddha's great disciples. Lots of fun for all both locals and thai. Here on koh tao we are celebrating first in mae haad wiht local 'celebraties' singing and then flowers at sairee beach outside bans in the evening. IDC Starts on the 26 of November with 5 candidates! Staff CDs Jonas and Tim! Take care and happy loi kratong! Jonas :: Monday, November 05, 2007 IDC with 9 candidates and 5 idc staff instructor candidates started their course yesterday. Jonas, Tim and Assar(all course directors) and jamie (master tec/course director) is teaching this program. We also have staff instructor jessie, jeff (choppers) and Peter (New Way Diving) participating in this course. All together 11 different countries from 5 different divecenters on koh tao! Lots of fun and a great group. All pre-assessment exams went well yesterday and tomorrow we are conducting the first confined water presentations/evaluation! Next idc starts 26th of November! Have fun out there and see you soon on koh tao! cheers jonas Jonas :: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Exhibition Title: Marine Diving Fair/Beach Resort Fair 2008 Date : 4-6 April, 2008 (Three days) Place: Sunshine City Convention Center Hall C,D Ikebukuro, TOKYO JAPAN Visitors in 2008: about 50,000 people Produced by : Marine Divin Fair Organization & MARINE ART CENTER CO., LTD. Supported by : MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Jonas :: Diving in England! Interested in diving in 'cold' water and explore wrecks and other interesting divesites when your coming back home? Our new partner in Swanage offer all of this and much more. They also offer continuing education for anyone interesting in learning more about different specialty activities like wreck diving and dry suit diving! For more information please see www.swanagediving.co.uk. Take care and enjoy the wrecks out there! Cheers Jonas Samuelsson, PADI Course Director Koh Tao, Thailand Jonas :: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 The Koh Tao IDC Group has been established since 1998 and is a thai company limited teaching idcs for the most prominent divecenter on koh tao - Ban's 5-Star Career Development Center (the largest and most popular* divecenter in Asia. Ban's and PADI Course Director Jonas Samuelsson is also the most awarded padi divecenter in Thailand. Read our blogger, started during 2004, to see some of the steps that resulted in the most progressive and popular idc center in PADI Asia Pacific's region. *Popularity based on numbers of PADI certification during 2006. Jonas :: Its raining a lot on koh tao at the moment. Hopefully it 'goes away' within the next day or so. The diving is still good with alright visibility and calm water. we are not going to lack water in our water tanks for the next few years at least. But dont worry its clearing up soon and we once again got blue sky and spectacular sunsets outside bans diving resort. next idc starts on the 4 of november and we have around 8 signed up plus 3 idc staff instructor candidates. jonas, tim, assar, choppers, jessie is teaching this program. Video Gaz (switch is finally taking his idc after three years of video at bans!!! very cool!!!) Jonas :: Sunday, October 21, 2007 Congratulations to Trevor, Reedo, Wardy, Nori and Shayne who passed with the Instructor Exam on the 18th of October. Great fun on the instructor exam party! MSDT/Internship Training starts on the 27 of October and the Next idc starts on the 4 of November!!! Around 8 signed up so far for that program and 4-5 candidates are taking the staff instructor course. So all good over here. Tim is coming back from Canada on the 26th to run the MSDT Program this time. Wreck diving to Unicorn on the 31th if anyone is interested!!! Sail Rock on the 29th!!! Take care and talk soon!!! Cheers Jonas Jonas :: Saturday, October 13, 2007 BUSY WEEK FOR THE KOH TAO IDC GROUP AND BANS 5-STAR CDC CENTER... IDC Completed yesterday with Shayne, Matt 'Wardy', Reedo and Trevor. Everyone passed the IDC Requirements with flying colours. 4,8 (5.0 highest) on the last academic presentation! Congratulations to 6 new EFR Instructors from Asia Divers and Bans Diving Resort (taught by Koh Tao IDC Groups PADI Course Director Jonas Samuelsson cooperation with SSS Recompression Chamger). Today me and Gary 'Gaz' (Manager SSS Recompression Chamber) taught a EFR Instructor course for the above plus two candidates from Asia Divers. Congratulations to Liz (Asia Divers), Kim (Asia Divers), plus above four boys from Bans CDC Center. The program was conducted in Bans Diving Resorts beautiful and modern IDC classroom with a spectacular view over Sairee Beach. Tomorrow Mock Instructor Exam starts to polish the skills and knowledge prior to the 'real' exam starts with PADI Examiners Rob and Thomas on the 16-18 of October. NEW OFFER FROM PADI ASIA PACIFIC AND BANS 5-STAR CDC CENTER... COMPLETE YOUR MASTER SCUBA DIVER PROGRAM AND RECEIVE FREE APPLICATION/CERTIFICATION. VALUE WORTH $55. Jonas :: Monday, October 08, 2007 Congratulations to Wardy (England), Trevor (Ireland), Reedo (England) and Shane (Australia) who completed their Assistand Instructor Course two days ago. All 4 boys continued directly with IDC Part 2 today with an Instructor Exam conducted by PADI Asia Pacific on the 16-18 of October! Great group - great fun! Confined in the morning and how to teach the PADI Open Water Course tomorrow afternoon. Tim Hunt (PADI Course Director The Koh Tao IDC Group/Sunshine Divers) is in Canada at the moment and coming back in time for the MSDT / Internship Program after the exams. Assar Manuswin (PADI Course Director The Koh Tao IDC Group) is coming back tomorrow after a trip to Ranong where he applied to become Thai Citizen) Come down to Koh Tao and take advantage of the fact that you can dive and prepare for free prior to the idc. Can you do as many dives you want? equivalent of the cost of the IDC? Yes you can! 2 dives per day max. Find a better offer somewhere else? Free dm theory review, skill practice is also free for all our idc candidates!!! For more information about this unique offer for all Bans Diving Resort/ The Koh Tao IDC Groups idc candidates email jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com Jonas :: Sunday, October 07, 2007 P r o j e c t A W A R E A s i a P a c i f i c Conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. Unit 3, 4 Skyline Place Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 Australia Direct: +61 2 9454 2891 Fax: +61 2 9454 2999 Visit Project AWARE: www.projectaware.org (for contact about local environmental projects on koh tao and bangkok please contact jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com) Jonas :: Hi Jonas Thanks for your email to Henrik which has been forwarded to me as Manager for Project AWARE Asia Pacific. Your efforts are to be commended and we can certainly help you by providing a package of resources including 100 AWARE Kids activity books, decals, posters and brochures. We'll also include 5 teacher's guides and DVDs. These have some great activities and games for kids which you'll be able to use. We'll also add in some Bubblemaker goodies too. Please let me know if there is anything else we can do to assist - Eva may be interested in applying for a grant from Project AWARE for marine conservation work. If Eva is interested please ask her to contact me directly. Best wishes ___________________________________ Joanne Marston Manager, Project Aware (www.projectaware.com) ------------------------------ For more information about suanlum kid project please contact jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com or www.suanlumkids.com Thank you for your support! jonas samuelsson padi course director koh tao idc group/bans 5-star cdc center Labels: padi Jonas ::Wednesday, October 03, 2007 News News News... some of the bottom posts might not be idc or koh tao news anymore, but lots of fun to read back and reflect on. on this blogger there been 335 posts published so far. if you having thoughts about taking the idc or just curious about how the koh tao idc group developed since 2004 (the year this blogger published its first post) go to the bottom part and scroll through. since then we taught over 350 instructors (since 1998 we taught over 1000 instructors on koh tao and trained over 10 PADI Course Directors). Its been an amazing saga so far and now when we plan our schedules and programs for 2008 i think we just started. so excited about some new and amazing packages and programs for next year. Thinking about taking the idc during 2008, check out below and see our offer worth over 40.000baht if you book your idc already this year! Koh Tao News with The Koh Tao IDC Group!!! Jonas :: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 Interested in getting information in swedish about how to become a PADI Instructor and get a 'license' work and travel in more than 183 countries in the world (amount of countries PADI is represented). Check out our own PADI Course Director Assar Manuswin website http://www.dyka-i-thailand.se ... great information (that is if you read swedish). The staff from the Koh Tao IDC Groups PADI Course Directors and Staff Instructors teach in english but support the lectures in Swedish, Danish, Thai, French, German. If you want a translator for any other languages - its all included in the price of the IDC. We can find translator in the majority of the languages including Japanese, Korean and now also Kantonese (Chinese). We always working on improving our services and products here at Bans 5-Star Career Development Center and The Koh Tao IDC Group (including Sunshine Divers see www.sunshine-diveresort.com). our unique translation service is a part of that ambition. In 2007 we received the award outstanding contribution to instructor development on koh tao due to this fact. for more informationa about how to become a diveinstructor and work in this area: http://www,idc-in-thailand.com jonas samuelsson padi course director Labels: idc koh tao in all languages Jonas ::Monday, October 01, 2007 Thinking about taking the INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT COURSE (IDC) 2008? Special offer if you book now!!! Book your idc and pay a deposit during 2007 and pay this years IDC Prices. Also SPECIAL if you book and pay deposit this year - get 8 WEEKS OF FREE SCUBA DIVING (max 2 dives per day) prior to the IDC!!! Assist on courses, attend dm theory lectures, skill practice in the pool and lots of fundives - all for FREE!!! Around 50 dives- value approx. 40.000baht!!! Save money and dive for free!!! Book your idc today!!! Download the following page for all Instructor Development Course Dates 2008 with Ban's 5-Star Career Development Center/The Koh Tao IDC Group/Sunshine 5-Star IDC Gold Palm Resort. idc%20dates%202008-1.doc Prices 2007: IDC 44.000 Baht PADI Material (all required instructor materials): 17.900 Baht Expected prices 2008: IDC 48.000 Baht PADI Materials (all required Instructor Materials): 19.900 Baht ================================================== Save 6.000baht plus get free diving for approw 40.000 baht if you book now!!! ================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ban's 5-Star Career Development Center with PADI Course Directors Jonas Samuelsson and Tim Hunt is the most PADI Awardwinning IDC Center in the Gulf of Thailand. Don't play dice with your education! We been teaching over 1200 instructors, 500 medic instructors, 600 EFR Instructors and over 1000 Specialty Instructors. Want to become a pro - do your idc with pros!!! Winner of Outstanding Contribution to Instructor Development (both 2000 and 2007). No other IDC Center in the gulf of Thailand did ever receive this award. We received it twice from PADI for our part in developing IDC Candidates in Asia) Jonas :: Demonstrations outside the embassy of Myanmar today in Bangkok. I just passed the embassy, sathorn road, on my way to the airport (flying to samui today and then koh tao to teach the next idc). Join forces - support the burmese people today! ------------------------------------------------------------- We need to raise an urgent outcry to send a strong message of solidarity to the Burmese people, and to persuade UN Security Council members to pressure the generals and stop the crackdown Burma is ruled by one of the worst military dictatorships in the world. This week Buddhist monks and nuns began marching and chanting prayers to call for democracy. The protests spread and hundreds of thousands of Burmese people joined in -- they've been brutally attacked by the military regime, but still the protests are spreading. I just signed a petition calling on Burma's powerful ally China and the UN security council to step in and pressure Burma's rulers to stop the killing. The petition has exploded to over 200,000 signatures in a few days and is being advertised in newspapers around the world, delivered to the UN secretary general, and broadcast to the Burmese people by radio. We're trying to get to 1 million signatures this week, please sign below and tell everyone! http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/tf.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK Thank you for your help! Jonas :: Sunday, September 30, 2007 Here are the IDC Instructor Development Course Dates for 2008 on Koh Tao including PADI Instructor Exam. idc%20dates%202008.doc Jonas :: Thursday, September 27, 2007 my friend Eva Henriks is about to start up a non profitable organisation for raising money with the ambition of creating educational projects for less fortunate children in Bangkok. the website name is www.suanlumkids.com. its a great cause. if you have any ideas how you could help this kids please contact eva on: Address: 196 Witthayu Road Lumpinee Sub-district Phathumwan district Bangkok 10330 Thailand Contact us by: Email: send us an email Phone: +66 (0) 870950100 check out facebook on: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6301112059 Jonas :: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 sleeping under the fullmoon? Tonight the monthly fullmoon party is taking place on our neigbouring island koh phangan. boats goes from koh tao to phangan at 5 pm and after a long party the boat departure from phangan back to koh tao around 5 am. the trip takes around 2 hours one way. couple of cool beers on the way over and voila your there. its very hard to find rooms on koh phangan so this might a good option for the one that would like to go to the party but avoid having to sleep on the beach or search for a room for hours before the party starts. the party boats is easy to find on koh tao. just walk into any booking agency on koh tao and they sort you out! have a great party!!! Jonas :: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 OCTOBER IDC Orientation 01/10/2007 IDC - AI 02/10/2007 06/10/2007 IDC - OWSI 08/10/2007 12/10/2007 EFR Inst 13/10/2007 Remedial 14/10/2007 15/10/2007 IE 16/10/2007 18/10/2007 Nitrox Diver/Inst 20/10/2007 21/10/2007 Internship 22/10/2007 - - - - - - - - NOVEMBER IDC Prep 04/11/2007 - - - - - - - - IDC - AI 05/11/2007 09/11/2007 IDC - OWSI 11/11/2007 15/11/2007 EFR Inst 16/11/2007 - - - - - - - - Remedial 17/11/2007 18/11/2007 IE 19/11/2007 21/11/2007 Nitrox Diver/Inst 23/11/2007 24/11/2007 Internship 25/11/2007 - - - - - - - - DECEMBER IDC Prep 26/11/2007 - - - - - - - - IDC - AI 27/11/2007 01/12/2007 IDC - OWSI 03/12/2007 07/12/2007 EFR Inst 08/12/2007 - - - - - - - - Remedial 09/12/2007 10/12/2007 IE 11/12/2007 13/12/2007 Nitrox Diver/Inst 15/12/2007 16/12/2007 Internship 17/12/2007 - - - - - - - - Jonas :: Tim Hunt (manager sunshine diveresort and course director koh tao idc group) is conducted an internship training program as a post idc course for previous idc candidates. yesterday wreck specialty course with trident to unicorn with great visibility and an amazing day. today dpv and deep specialty instructor programs and tomorrow dup (digital uw photo and multilevel spec instructor courses). all together 9 instructors participated in the program and lots of smiles after the dives yesterday according to reports i got from tim and the rest of the staff. good job to all the staff and thanks to all candidates that signed up for the course. i am in bangkok at the moment having a great lunch in paragon. love this city! jonas Jonas :: Sunday, September 23, 2007 Scubacats liveaboard in Similan Islands! Book your liveaboards to Similans Islands with Koh Tao IDC Group and recieve special prices! Do a diving course at bans and recieve 10% discount on all ScubaCats liveaboard trips. Book now! jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com (for more information about prices and departure dates please see www.scubacat.com) Jonas :: The Koh Tao IDC Group and Scuba Cat phuket have started to cooperate on liveaboard trips to Simillan Islands and Hin Deang and Hin Muang (south of Phi Phi island). We can now offer quality liveaboard trips to these destinations to very competetive prices for all our students. Working together with ScubaCats Christophe Pace for many years i can guarantee you a high quality trip with professional staff and outstanding service. You can either book through www.kohtao-idc-group.com or www.scubacat.com (you receive 10% discount on all ScubaCats liveaboards if you can show proof of taking a diving course with Bans Diving, Koh Tao IDC Group or Sunshine Divers). If booking directly refer to me (Jonas Samuelsson) and the fact that you are one of our students and get 10% discount on any trip organised by ScubaCat. For more information about the trips please email jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com (you can also book directly with ScubaCat on www.scubacat.com att:christophe pace). Jonas :: idc completed with an instructor exam on the 20 september with a great idc party in nellys. thanks to gaz who made a dvd (included in the idc price) for all idc candidates. so so funny!!! i am in samui today to see me cousin and then bangkok for a week or so. tim hunt (manager sunshine and course director koh tao idc group) is meeting candidates and get them prepared for the 1 of october idc. i believe we have around 8 candidates for this program with me and tim teaching; cd assar might also join during the second week (assar is applying for residency in thailand and meeting having interviews with the review board until the 9 of october). tim is starting msdt and internship programs tomorrow and starts off with a wreck instructor program to unicorn in conjunction with cd jamie and his boat the trident! we are including the wreck trip in all the internship programs now. it was so a success last time we tried it so now we include it on all courses!!! great trip. dont forget to add me on facebook.com.. then we can talk directly over there if you have any questions etc about the idc or diving on koh tao in general. take care and talk soon! cheers jonas Jonas :: Saturday, September 15, 2007 Busy but fun day today at bans diving. coducting efr instructor course for 6 participants plus organising beach clean up in the morning and dive site clean up in the afternoon. free bbq and t shirts to everyone participating in the event. This event is a part of a larger event conducted today all around the world "The international Clean up day"... participate and get involved. .. want to make a difference today? at bans we are changing all light bulbs to energy saving light bulbs today.... do the same... according to a magazine i read "if all people in france changed their light bulbs to energy saving ones.. that would result in a energy saving on a scale that they could close one nuclear reactor in france"... amazing eh? have fun and stay green! jonas Jonas :: Friday, September 14, 2007 Bans 5-Star CDC Center and The Koh Tao IDC Group Announces Reorganisation Important personnel changes announced - No change in customer service It is with great regret that Ban's 5-Star CDC Center has received and accepted the resignation of Claes Gosvig, PADI Course Director/Manager Internship Instructor Training, who is stepping down for personal reasons. Claes Joined Ban's Diving 4 years ago. Through outstanding dedication he has been a forfront in the development of our Instructor Courses at Ban's Diving and The Koh Tao IDC Group. Claes has showed great passion, skill and determination to create a successfull instructor and internship program on Koh Tao. He will be sorely mssed and we wish him all the very best. As a result of accepting Claes resignation, effective immediately, Tim Hunt, PADI Course Director Sunshine 5-star Gold Palm Resort, will be promoted to the capacity of fulltime PADI Course Director and Manager for Post IDC Program at Bans Diving, Sunshine Divers and The Koh Tao IDC Group. Jonas Samuelsson, Head PADI Course Director Bans 5-Star CDC Center and The Koh Tao IDC Group. Jonas :: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 New link partner with the Koh Tao IDC Group. Thanks guys! cheers jonas http://www.scubazine.com Jonas :: Green day at Ban's Diving and Sunshine Divers!!! Please join us when bans diving and sunshine divers are cleaning up the beach on sairee beach at 1600 on the 15 September. BBQ on the beach around 1730 the same day. you can even keep the gloves after the clean up!!! take care and see you on the 15 September. (Just show up in bans office 10 minutes before, no registration is neccessary! cheers Jonas "The Hulk" Samuelsson Jonas :: Thanks to Jp and Bear (Sunshine Divers) and Greg, Alex, Rose and Paul (Bans Diving) who participated in the the Specialty Equipment Course conducted by Dave (Aqua Tech). Equipment Repair, Hydros, Visual all was covered. Thanks esp. to Dave for a great presentation this morning! Cheers Jonas Jonas :: Friday, September 07, 2007 "Koh Tao - The new paradise for divers" Attaching a link to the swedish version of Metro News. The news paper are writing an article with the title "Koh Tao - The new paradise for divers". The reporter loved koh tao and wrote that Koh Tao is the most beautiful of all islands he visit in Thailand. He wrote that Sairee Beach is the "hottest" area on Koh Tao to live at and to meet people. (Ban's Diving Resort is located on the central part of Sairee Beach). Great write up about Koh Tao. Thanks to Johan Oberg who wrote the article. Please send me an email next time you come down and i sort you out with some diving and accommodation! http://www.metro.se/se/article/2007/09/02/18/2117-45/index.xml Jonas :: Monday, September 03, 2007 IDC Started today with Dave, Davo, Saga, Nori-san and Marcel. Staff Instructor Candidates are Beth, Derek and Mike. Teaching this course is PADI Course Directors (4 CDs in one program - pretty good ratio for 5 candidates eh?) Jonas, Tim, Claes and Assar plus Staff Instructor Hans. 11 Countries in the classroom - pretty international! Today we started with the orientation and pre-assessment exams. tomorrow padi system, confined water presentations and discover scuba diving! great group and lots of fun!!! cheers jonas and the cd crew~~~ Jonas :: Saturday, September 01, 2007 E Dates 2008 The IE Dates are now published for Asia Pacific. The IDC starts with an orientation 14 days prior to the Instructor Exam Dates. Book now and recieve 2007 prices! IE Dates 2008 on Koh Tao: 15-17 January (this idc is going to start on the 27 of December and have a few days break around New Years Eve) 12-14 February 11-13 March 15-17 April 13-15 May 24-26 June 15-17 July 19-21 August 09-11 September 14-16 October 11-13 November 09-11 December Looking forward to hear from you guys regarding your instructor training. The Koh Tao CDC Group / padi course directors jonas, tim, claes, assar... Jonas :: E Dates 2008 The IE Dates are now published for Asia Pacific. The IDC starts with an orientation 14 days prior to the Instructor Exam Dates. Book now and recieve 2007 prices! IE Dates 2008 on Koh Tao: 15-17 January (this idc is going to start on the 27 of December and have a few days break around New Years Eve) 12-14 February 11-13 March 15-17 April 13-15 May 24-26 June 15-17 July 19-21 August 09-11 September 14-16 October 11-13 November 09-11 December Looking forward to hear from you guys regarding your instructor training. The Koh Tao CDC Group / padi course directors jonas, tim, claes, assar... Jonas :: Its very busy over here and the weather is amazing! clear sky and good visibilty. Starting the idc on monday with 5-6 students. Take care and have fun! jonas Jonas :: now you can find us on http://www.facebook.com.. try http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=717705659 (my personal one) and one of the ban's diving facebook groups.. this is the largest i think http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=717705659 (got 480 something "friends" right now and more added everyday). cheers jonas Jonas :: Thursday, August 30, 2007 Fullmoon party happen two days ago and today is the big day on koh tao when 100's, if not 1000's of divers are arriving on koh tao to start their diving courses. "dammsugar farfar" IDC Starts on the 3th of September! Looking forward to meet you over here! Take care and have fun! jonas Jonas :: Monday, August 27, 2007 On Koh Tao we have medical doctors onsite and recompression chambers is available both on koh tao and in samui. however there is no diving physician on the island so if you have medical conditions like astma, diabetes etc i highly recommend you to see a diving physician in your home country prior to arriving on koh tao. diving is very safe but its always better to be on the safe side. safe diving to all of you, jonas samuelsson padi course director bans diving resort/the koh tao idc group. 10063ver201_MedRecStmtGen.pdf Jonas :: Check out padi course director claes gosvig new divemaster and instructor site updates on his website for idc in danish http://www.dykningthailand.dk Jonas :: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 check out assars new website in swedish... http://www.dyka-i-thailand.se . Jonas :: Friday, August 17, 2007 i am arrived on samui today and is going to stay for 4-5 days or so. anyone over just give me a call and i meet you up for a beer. tim and natalie went to bangkok today and then to australia. tim is coming back for the next idc. claes is in the shop for any enquires about the idc (or email me on jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com) Jonas :: check out http://www.windguru.com/int/index.php?sc=30397. lods of interesting data like wave heights, wave speed, temperature etc for the gulf of thailand. Jonas :: congratulations to paul, rose, "coffe", greg, matt, melissa, jimmy and noelle. great scores on all segments of the ie. padi examiners this time was rob and thomas from padi asia pacific. the instructor exam was conducted on bans boat, crystal pool and buddha classroom. rescue evaluation during the instructor exam was conducted by tim (sunshine divers), jonas (bans diving) and guy (asia divers). the instructor exam party was held in dirty nellys with live music, free buffe for 100 or so people. very busy and great fun! next idc start on the 3th of september with course directors tim, jonas and claes. Jonas :: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 Conratulations to PADI Course Director Tim Hunt (Manager Sunshine Divers and CD for The Koh Tao IDC Group) and his wife Natalie Hunt (Co-manager Sunshine Divers) for being featured in the latest Surface Interval (PADI Membership Newsletter). Tim and Natalie got a full page spread with information about how they managed to grow their business three times over a 6 months period. First time a manager team from koh tao got feautured in the PADI Surface Interval. Very cool. Congratulations to Tim and Natalie Hunt! If you are a PADI Member check the article out on... http://www.padimembers.com/ap/surfaceinterval/index_011.htm To get in contact with Tim or Natalie please check out... http://www.sunshine-diveresort.com PADI Course Director Tim Hunt is a fulltime PADI Course Director for the Koh Tao IDC (CDC) Group. Next IDC with Tim is starting on the 3th of September. Jonas :: if you travel through bangkok please visit our bangkok office for information about how to get to koh tao with train, bus or flight... check it out please. Mr Boyd is the Man... he can assist you with any travel arrangements while in bangkok. this is Boyds "private" website and Bans diving is not taking any responsibility if any information is not accurate. please check www.instructor-kohtao.com or amazingkohtao.com for bans divings official websites. however this website gives you information about the reservation office Boyd is running in Bangkok. check it out...... http://www.kohtaobansdiving.com Jonas :: Saturday, August 04, 2007 Check out PADI Course Director Claes new site in danish http://www.dykningthailand.dk/ and PADI Course Director Assar site in swedish http://www.dyka-i-thailand.se/. here you can find information, in swedish and danish, about koh tao as a travel destination and diving courses from PADI Open Water Diver to high levels of professional diving courses. you can also book accommodation and diving through these sites. Jonas :: congratulations to all 8 who passed the assistant instructor course yesterday. tomorrow we start part 2 of the idc. the instructor exam starts on the 13 of august. august is one of the busiest months on koh tao so i recommend you to prebook accommodation and diving prior to arriving on the island. the diving is great at the moment with over 20 meter visibility on the majority of the divesites around koh tao. you can prebook you accommodation on contact@instructor-kohtao.com the next idc starts on the 3 of september. some idc candidates are already here preparing for the course by attending dm lectures and skill curcuits. just send as an email on jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com for more information about the instructor course here at bans 5-star career development center. Jonas :: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 8 candidates, 3 course directors and 3 very experience staff instructors joined up and are now in the middle of the assistant instructor program. This morning we completed a confined water session with skill practice and rescue assessment. Asia Divers 5-Star IDC Center Koh Tao with Course Director Guy is also joining up on this idc to practice with our candidates and our staff. Asia Divers IDC is doing there training for confined and open water in bans facilities and bans staff. Next week Jamie (PADI Course Director/Master Tec) is conducting a presentation about technical diving for our idc candidates. So all together during this idc 5 PADI Course Director are a part of developing the IDC Candidates to ensure that everyone is getting the best quality training course for diving professionals. For more information about how to join Koh Tao IDC Groups professional diving programs email jonas@kohtao-idc-group.com (or add jonassamuel@hotmail.com on messenger to speak directly). Jonas :: Saturday, July 28, 2007 IDC Starts tomorrow with 8 candidates... PADI Course Directors teaching is Tim Hunt, Claes Gosvig, Jonas Samuelsson and Staff Instructor Jeff and Jessie. Orientation at 900 tomorrow with an instructor exam starting on the 13-15 of August. Dates on the next one: IDC Orientation 03/09/2007 - - - - - - - - IDC - AI 04/09/2007 08/09/2007 IDC - OWSI 10/09/2007 14/09/2007 EFR Inst 15/09/2007 - - - - - - - - Remedial 16/09/2007 17/09/2007 IE 18/09/2007 20/09/2007 Jonas :: Thursday, July 26, 2007 Wednesday, July 25, 2007 Tomorrow its 2 years since we opened up Dirty Nellys Irish Pub. Nellys has become the one of the most popular meeting places on koh tao with not only the largest selection of beers on the island (lods of draft beer... kilkenny, guiness, strongbow, asahi and many more), live music and great food, but also as a meeting point for the island. The loft which is the upstairs part of Nellys function as a meeting room for PADI and other organisations. lately we have been organising legal and sales seminar there and in the future we having an interesting list of presenters in areas like environment, photography and business/legal issues. Tomorrow night we are celebrating Nelly on her birthday with free food for all. Great deals on drinks and livemusic! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NELLY'S!!! Jonas ::  Platinum* PADI Course Director Jonas Samuelsson (Ban's CDC Center / Koh Tao IDC Group) receives as one out of only three PADI Course Directors in Asia/Australia the prestigous award "Outstanding Contribution to Instructor Development". Here on the picture with other Asian award winners (the awards was presented by PADI Vice President Henrik Nimb). Jonas Samuelsson received this award both 2000 and 2007 and is the only PADI Course Director on Koh Tao who recieved this award. Koh Tao is packed with people right now. its very busy and a great buzz on the island. the weather is great with blue sky and the diving is amazing with visibility iover 20 meters. IDC Starts on the 29th of July and we have around 8 signed up for the program. 3 course directors are attending the full program (from day one to the last day of the ie) and 3 master/staff instructors are also joining the program. The course director team (not counting the staff instructors) have over 10.000 PADI Students certified including 1200 OWSI PADI Instructors, 500 Medic First Aid Instructors, 400 EFR Instructors and approx. 800 Specialty Instructors certified between them. World Record? Most likely the total most experienced PADI Course Director Team in the world! On this IDC we start to implement the unique "ALWAYS A COURSE DIRECTOR" philosophy. To be able to provide you with better service and simply a better overall program we have PADI Course Directors conducted all segments of the idc (not only a few presentations like in many other centers in the world. If you "surf" around and looking for a divecenter to take you idc with - ask them first if they offer this guarantee - i |
