Two SVG underwater divers qualify

Dale Mascoll and Vaughn Martin have reached the rating of Professional Association of Dive Instructors Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI), following attendance at a two-week Instructor Development Course and Instructor Exam held in St. Lucia at the end of August 2008.{{more}}

Mascoll, of Edinboro, and Martin, of Arnos Vale, are the first Vincentians, sponsored by a local dive shop, to reach this prestigious rating in a number of years.

According to a release from Indigo Dive Academy, both men have studied and worked extremely hard over the past 18 months, starting at Open Water diver, then reaching Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, Dive Master, Assistant Instructor and finally Open Water Scuba Instructor.

“The Instructor Development Course prior to the Instructor Exam is very intense. The Course Directors ensure that each candidate is capable of passing the final exam by thoroughly testing their knowledge of dive theory, including physics, physiology, chemistry, dive planning and PADI standards. Each candidate then has to prove themselves as a teacher both in the class room and underwater,” the release said.

Kay Wilson, of Indigo Dive, said: “I made a promise when I started my business to invest in St. Vincent. When visitors come to St. Vincent they want to interact with Vincentians, they want to encounter the culture and they want to dive with locals, they want to learn about our islands from local people! Both Dale and Vaughn are passionate about the underwater environment, and this shows in the faces of the people that dive with them!

“Having two more dive instructors in St. Vincent means that it will be possible to make SCUBA training more accessible.

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Management and Staff of the Centre for Enterprise Development. Without their support it would not have been possible to have sent both Dale and Vaughn to St. Lucia to attend the PADI Instructor Development Course and Instructor Exam. We are very lucky to have such a resource in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, that supports indigenous businesses and helps them to compete in a very tough economic climate.”