Mark originally learned to dive on the Great Barrier Reef whilst backpacking around Australia. That was it. He was hooked on diving. So following completion of his university studies worked his way up to PADI Instructor, diving in many countries including Australia, Kenya, Spain, Malaysia, Croatia and Thailand.

After this Mark worked in Thailand, teaching dving courses and working his way up the PADI ladder towards the rating of PADI Course Director which he earned in 2008 at the age of 25 becoming one of the youngest Course Directors in the world. He followed this with a stint as a Course Director in the Red Sea working in the resort of Hurghada, Egypt before returning to Thailand in 2009 to work in Phuket. In the past few years Mark has worked with hundreds of students on IDC’s to help them in their goal of becoming PADI Instructors.

“The bonus of what we do is the fact that we get to train people to become professionals in something they love. I remember the great feeling when I became a PADI Instructor and it is great to be able to enable more people to have that experience and give them that ability to pass on diving to more people”

Mark also has set another landmark. On land at least Mark is confined to a wheelchair following an accident (Non-diving related) in 2005 when Mark was working in Thailand. He is the first and only wheelchair user to achieve the rating of PADI Course Director putting him into the top 1% of PADI Instructors.

“The great thing about scuba diving,’ says Mark, ‘is that it offers someone like myself a chance to throw off those constraints that I have on land in to an environment where I am the same as everyone else in the water. The only difference is that I swim with my arms rather than my legs.”

As goes Mark’s own personal interests in diving any time he is in the water then he is happy, but he loves wreck diving, underwater photography and especially diving with the bigger marine life. He is always on the look out for more courses to do and has started his Semi-Closed Rebreather training to add another part of diving to his dive cv. Outside of diving Mark’s loves to travel and experience new places and cultures as well as chilling out reading and following sports.

Mark’s philosophy on IDC’s is not to prepare you just to pass the exam but to come out as a good Instructor. A relaxed atmosphere is also crucial to getting you through the process of an IDC and he can also tell you that you should have great fun on your program. IDCs are about learning so don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We can sort them out!

Mark also can include on the IDC package a chance to do International Association for Handicapped Divers (IAHD) Instructor training thus giving you the knowledge about teaching the handicapped to dive and adding another item to your instructor repertoire. It is an extremely rewarding course which being taught by someone who is actually a wheelchair user will give you a really hands on experience.

For Pro-level courses Mark offers PADI IDC’s, Assistant Instructor Courses, PADI Specialty Instructor, EFR Instructor, IDC Staff Instructor and IAHD Instructor. Or you can combine these in an internship option.

Certification Levels

* PADI Course Director
* EFR Instructor Trainer
* EFR Care for Children Instructor Trainer
* IAHD (Handicapped Divers) Instructor Trainer
* PADI Specialty Instructor Trainer
* DAN Oxygen Provision Instructor
* TDI Advanced Nitrox Diver

For more info, Please visit www.phuketschoolofscuba.com

PADI IDC Instructor development in Phuket, Thailand: Indepth Instruction with Chris Owen.

Chris is a British national who started diving in the cold waters of England, but who has had the pleasure of living and diving in Asia for the last 12 years.

In 1992 Chris arrived in Thailand and spent a year on the islands of Ko Samui and Ko Tao before migrating south to the east coast of Malaysia and Tioman Island. After half a year there he returned to Thailand and moved up into the Gulf of Siam where he worked out of Pattaya, a coastal resort two hours south of Bangkok, for the next 6 years, before relocating to Phuket to focus on Instructor Development.

Chris has worked as a Divemaster and trip leader, filling tanks, loading boats, acting as a dive guide all the way through to being a manager of several PADI dive centres and partner and manager of a successful PADI 5* IDC centre in Pattaya and is familiar with most aspects of the business of diving.

Chris has worked extensively in both in the resort “tourist” environment and the “city orientated” environments of Bangkok and Pattaya and is familiar with the benefits and drawbacks of both.

Knowledge drawn from 12 years of working in these fields adds a lot of valuable information to the various business and marketing presentations during the IDC and various career education programs offered by Chris.

Chris has now taught over 55 IDCs, more than 45 as The Course Director, and certified over 600 PADI Instructors to varying levels.

Chris has received a number of Certificates of Recognition of Excellence from PADI – most recently four for his IDC programs (two in 2003 !!) and customer service and also four “Certificates in Recognition of Outstanding performance and support conducting Instructor Development programs”

Apart from being a:

* PADI Course Director
* EFR Instructor Trainer
* EFR for Children Instructor Trainer
* EFR in the Work Place Instructor Trainer
* PADI Specialty Instructor Trainer ( 15 Specialties )
* PADI Rebreather Instructor Trainer
* DAN Instructor Trainer – Oxygen, Hazardous Marine Life Injuries & AED
* DSAT Trimix / EANx Blender Instructor Trainer

Chris is also a qualified Dive Medic Technician on call with the local Hyperbaric Chamber in Phuket.

Chris is also an American Nitrox Divers International (ANDI) level 2 Instructor, Gas Blender and Service Technician.

Currently Chris is working on his Cavern Diver Instructor Trainer rating and is looking forward to teaching this soon – the only problem Chris is having is finding the time to GO DIVE !!!!

To know more info, Feel free to visit www.indepth-instruction.com