As an instructor, it’s always a treat to hear from students after their course telling you how much they appreciate the help you’ve given them, and how valuable that help has been.
It’s particularly neat when the most important event post training, is that nothing happened… when it really could have!
Jimmy Henderson, one of the RAID instructors at Dino’s Diving, recently got one of those messages thanking him for “drilling us in the basics.” A while back he worked with a father and son team before their Bahamas dive trip.
The trip sounds like a fun time, but the highlight was when a shark did a crazy U-turn bumping into Caleb (the son) knocking the reg from his mouth and the business end of his mask around to his ear.
Kevin (dad) writes: “If you panic here and flail your arm about you could lose a finger: anything moving is viewed as food.” But Caleb, calmly reaches for his secondary puts his mask in place and clears it “like a pro,” and carries on enjoying the show.
Of course dad is understandably happy and proud. Caleb, doesn’t understand the fuss. He simply thinks any diver with RAID training, would do exactly the same. No problem.
- While RAID understands there is a faction of the dive community that frowns on activities that promote shark-feeding dives, RAID supports any controlled situation where divers can learn about and appreciate marine life in the wild. It tends to breed deeper understanding and respect.
