Instructor Development Course & PADI Instructor Exam - Dec. 2009

Aquanauts' December 2009 IDC students and staff. From left, Course Director Roger M. Smith, Ben Wertsch, IDC Staff Instructor Meg Smith, Dan Cook and Master Instructor Gary Tytler.

Aquanauts closed out its second continuous calendar year of perfect results on the PADI Instructor Exam when interns Dan Cook and Ben Wertsch became new Open Water Scuba Instructors in December.

Englishman Cook, 18, and 24-year-old Wertsch of the United States posted strong scores on written exams and pool sessions at the Pattaya Discovery Beach Hotel next to the Aquanauts main office and then sailed to success during the final open-water training day.

Both are staying on at Aquanauts to become Master Scuba Diver Trainers. Cook has already begun his MSDT and Wertsch will be returning in February.

The two latest passes now give Aquanauts a 100% pass rate for the past 2.5 years and is now the only center of its kind in Thailand with perfect records for all of 2008 and 2009.

December's instructor development course was staffed by Course Director Roger M. Smith, Master Instructor Gary Tytler and IDC Staff Instructor Megan Smith.

Instructor Gallery

Click a year and month below to see photos and stories of previous Aquanauts interns on their PADI Instructor Exam and IDCs.