If you would have said back in 2004 when I was doing my Open Water and being sick into my regs due to sea sickness, That in the future I would have made it to an SSI Master Diver I would have laughed. Never mind owning a Dive Centre in Doncaster, becoming a Dive Instructor and building an awesome team around me, I would have thought you’d gone bonkers, absolutely bonkers indeed.
Well thats what I have done Dive Instructor, Centre owner and building an awesome team. We all have goals and wish lists, some we will never complete due to one thing or another money, life, and some we thought we would never be able to complete as being totally out of your depth.
Meeting Kerry Hammond at the Dive Show just before lockdown was definitely a lucky day. Her joining the team, all be it by chance as she couldn’t fly out to Greece to Instruct due to covid, and her being stranded in the UK. Working as a team teaching the SSI Science of Diving course throughout the pandemic and seeing her change from a warm water SSI Instructor to a serious cold water Instructor is inspirational indeed.
One diving goal has always being to be an SSI Instructor Trainer, so that I can help people achieve their goals, Kerry also had the same goal as me, being able to make dreams come true is an awesome job. Kerry worked some magic and spoke to SSI Instructor Certifier Ami Bignall and boom it was organised. I have to be honest I was panicking once the courses dates were sorted and the manuals uploaded, all the memories of my instructor course came flooding back, the very same memories I’d like to have forgoten.
Ami drove up from Bristol and the course began in the classroom, I could tell it was going to be challenging, emotional, exciting and stressful within minutes, but I knew with the team helping some hard work Kerry and I should be ok. ‘Well’ Kerry was nailing it from the start, I on the other hand was struggling a bit, but getting my head around it slowly.
I would have never dreamt that our classroom would be holding an SSI Assistant Instructor Training course and I would be one of the candidates, Bonkers really bonkers, and most definitely more in the future. Watch this space we have some great news and opportunities for next year.
Presentations came and went, Ami was so knowledgeable about all things SSI and how and what was expected from us, She was full of information and guided us all the way from the start to the finish.
Pool skills were done both here in the UK and over in Fuerteventura on our last dive trip. I have to be honest I have learned a lot from both Ami and Kerry while doing the course, some things that will definitely make me a better instructor for sure.
Both Kerry and I have had happy faces, stressed faces but the best face of all was Ami’s face when she said congratulations you two you’ve pass and you are both now SSI Assistant Instructor Trainers.
Now as Ami as helped and guided us to make our dreams come true, we intern can make other peoples dreams and goals come true. How awesome is that, making other peoples dreams turn into reality.
So a massive cheers to everyone who helped me along the way become whom I am, a very proud SSI Assistant Instructor Trainer.
I know one thing for sure Kerry Is going to be an awesome SSI Assistant Instructor Trainer.
How fitting was it having Craig and Jayne who had helped us all the way throughout the course give Kerry and I our SSI Diplomas, they truly have been amazing. It was hard for them at times but we couldn't have done it without their help. Watch this space for an exciting new year.
So a big massive cheers to all !!!!!!!