IDC THAILAND TESTIMONIALS

We would like to pay our tribute to Platinum Course Director Camille Lemmens. He was from the first minute a real mentor for us and still is. His attitude was from the first second, until today, not only professional, it was outstanding. Camille encouraged us to achieve the ebst results possible, but he was always good for a joke to relieve the pressure. He is a great motivator and one of the most reliable people we have ever met.

Dijana and Thomas, IDCS, Germany, December 2009 IDC

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I attended the IDC with Camille as the Course Director in Aug-Sept of 2009 with the IE itself held on Koh Tao.  It had been a 4 year work in progress to get myself ready for instructor training.  I planned a 6 month absence from work and flew to Thailand after contacting Camille and being impressed with the information he provided, speedy responses as well as his willingness to answer in detail all the questions and trepidations I had.  Arriving on Koh Samui I was warmly greeted and given a good run down of the island itself and Camille organised a bungalow, jeep and materials all on the first day of my arrival.  I attended the IDC with 2 others, a well travelled French fellow and an experienced South African who both turned into very good friends indeed.  Koh Samui itself was incredible and very different from Australia's capital to say the least as thousands of games of pool and Singha beer over the next few months would attest.  Camille's IDC was extremely good and I was impressed more and more with his attitude, professionalism and understanding of diving, PADI and the opportunities that exist as an Instructor.  An exacting but fair critic able to quickly spot faults and remedy them Camille had us completely and totally prepared for the IE.  All of us felt that after a couple of weeks with Camille that we were looking forward to the IE and finally being qualified.  What I could not have imagined in all those years leading up to it was what an amazing time and how much fun I would have while being there for my exams.  We celebrated each small victory as if it was the last and I was extremely satisfied personally to ace the whole IE program which felt straightforward and very smooth after such good preparation and totally attributable to my good Divemaster training with the club back home and then all of Camille's efforts during the IDC to hone our skills and presentations.

I stayed on to do the internship program with Planet Scuba and I couldn't recommend enough that new Instructors do an internship to gain experience, teaching and handle real life scenarios with good experienced instructors.  I'd thank Camille, Geoff, Rob and Steve for passing on their knowledge and really teaching how to teach the nuts and bolts of the PADI courses.  I'm very glad I stayed on to complete the internship and now feel very confident teaching with the dive club back here in Australia (plus I'm trying to introduce buckets to Aussie pubs).  I'd recommend Camille's IDC to anyone.  On Koh Samui and Koh Tao I met some truly great people and really enjoyed the six months on the island.  For me it was a major life goal to become an Instructor and I'm now enjoying diving and the challenge of teaching.  Enjoy it all and have fun. 

Jonesi

Chris Jones, MSDT, Australia, 2009 IDC

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My name is Rob Doughty and I am from the UK.

Since 1995 I have been a PADI diver and since 2003 Divemaster. It was my intention to do my IDC soon after completing my Divemaster training in 03 but a nasty accident at work scaffolding in mid 2003 (I nearly chopped my leg off just below the knee) put paid to that so had to wait till Nov 2006 until I was fit enough to do the IDC.

I consider myself VERY lucky because I choose to come to Samui & receive my IDC training from Camille Lemmens. My first day on my IDC prep I thought "Oh dear Rob how unprepared can you be to start an IDC" I can tell you not much more than me anyway.

Over the next 2 weeks Camille took me from my state of near panic "what have I let myself in for here" to my IE exam weekend & we had alot fun along the way.

Well, I passed my IE on that weekend & in my view this was all down to Camille & his methods of teaching & coaching both in the classroom & in the water. Camille is a PADI Professional with a capital P.

I am proof if you choose Camille as your IDC Course Director & arrive with a dedication to become OWSI, Camille will teach you the abilities, knowledge & skill needed to be successful on your IE. And make you laugh along the way.

One month ago I was a Divemaster questioning my own ability to succeed in the IE now I am an OWSI, EFRI, DAN O2 Instructor & well on my way to MSDT, in 9 specialties.

I owe & BIG thanks to Camille he is definitely on my Christmas card list for keeps.

Rob Doughty, UK, 2006 IDC

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So you're thinking about doing the IDC? You're definitely in the right place! I did the IDC with Camille in August 2008 and successfully completed the Instructor Exam straight afterwards.

There are many reasons I chose to do the IDC with Camille, and if you're anything like me you will be asking yourself the same questions, so hopefully my story might help you make a decision.

I live in Sydney, Australia and although the diving is good here there are lots of distractions (work, friends, family etc.) that I knew wouldn't allow me to give focus completely on the IDC/IE. So I started looking abroad so a package to take me from Divemaster to Open Water Scuba Instructor where I could submerse myself in the course. I looked at many different regions of the world and spoke to many different companies and course directors, after which my decision was easy.

I had lots of questions for Camille about the standard and quality of living on Koh Samui, the type of accommodations available, transportation, vehicle hire, shopping (to keep my girlfriend happy), medical facilities, food, entertainment, safety etc, etc. and Camille answered every single question usually the same day, or at least within 24hours for me.   

During the MSDT Prep course, we stayed on Samui for one month, the little house we rented was great value for money, with a kitchen, bathroom, A/C, Fan, Satellite TV and a Wi-Fi connection just a short drive from some nice little restaurants, the pier, good shops and the IDC classroom all organised by Camille.  

The actual IDC was challenging, no doubt about it, but the hard work really paid off and actually made the IE quite easy, I honestly believe that was purely thanks to Camille's teaching methods and enormous wealth of diving knowledge and experience. Camille was there to offer his guidance and support from the moment I stepped off the plane and we are still in touch by email now.  

At first, the thought of living in Thailand for a month was quite daunting, but looking back it was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life!

Thanks for everything Camille and I'll look forward to diving with you again soon!  

Rob Thorne, Australia, OWSI #495841, 2008 IDC

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I was a Candidate on Camille’s first ever IDC back in April 2003.

His method of teaching is to gradually build you up over 2 weeks, so that by the time it comes to your Instructor Examination, you feel as confident as possible about demonstrating skills, passing your exams, classroom presentations, and everything else that you need to pass your I.E. !

Camille has a great passion for teaching you, to become an excellent Instructor.  But more importantly for me, he has a fantastic knowledge of the business of diving.

Camille has passed a wealth of his experience and knowledge onto me, and as a result I have worked for Samui International Diving School full time since passing my IDC almost 4 years ago!

I am currently working as The Office Manager of our Malibu Head Office here on Koh Samui.

If you would like to see how successfull Camille’s IDC’s can be for you, please feel free to pop in to see me at our Malibu Shop, or send me an email at Michael@planet-scuba.net

Michael Kerr, previously Scotland, now Koh Samui – April 2003 IDC

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When you go through your IDC in preparation for the Instructor Exams, it is most important your Course Director will guide you on upgrading your skills, knowledge and attitude. Surely Camille Lemmens is the man who can help you identifying your weak spots. Profitting from his clear, personnal and constructive guidance I was able to pass the IE with high scores. 
 
Ton Mandemaker, Nederland, May 2007 IDC

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Knowing that the Instructor Exam would require vast amounts of knowledge, we had begun preparing for the IDC already but we also knew much of what needed to be learned would not come from books or manuals. We needed to participate in an IDC. After many hours of research on different IDC courses, Camille became our first choice, and came highly recommended by our local dive shop.

Camille made our communications easy by way of email, and even though we were living half way around the world there was never more than a day between sending and receiving emails, and many times a reply was received in less than eight hours. We never needed to talk by phone, but that was something we felt would happen if we had asked for a call from him.

After making all the arrangements we could in advance, we finally arrived at the Koh Samui airport and were greeted by Camille. He provided us a warm welcome and transportation to a hotel for the night that he arranged in advance for us. The following morning, we met again with Camille where he provided us with an island orientation drive and then helped us secure long-term accommodations, transportation, and he even helped us with locating the items we needed to purchase for our stay.

After only a couple of days to settle in (we would encourage several days to overcome jet lag) we attended the pre-IDC refresher course that Camille offers. This was a wonderful way to get wet in our new "home" and get back in the swing of what we needed to remember to pass the IE. It was at this time that we discovered a simple equipment malfunction, and again Camille came to the rescue with a loaner SPG.

During the rest of the course, we found that anything that we didn't understand or had questions on always received extra attention from Camille, provided we asked for the help. Never once did we feel rushed or pushed to get through the material. If we needed help, Camille did what was required for us to learn what we needed to know.

At the end of the IDC, Camille sat down with each of us one last time to discuss with us our personal weaknesses and strengths, and a final summary on if we should take the IE, or wait for the next one and repeat the IDC. In both of our cases, we were prepared in his opinion. As he had a vested interest in seeing us pass the IE, we both know that he would have told us we were not ready if that had been the case.

After traveling to Koh Tao for the IE, the exam was just as it was described to us. The first day was straight forward and a relief to get behind us. The second day was smooth enough. The third, and final, day was the longest but we knew that we were so close to the end. Finally, we got the results that we passed, and the burden was lifted from our shoulders.

Camille was there to celebrate with us immediately following the IE and again a few nights later when we met for a formal meal to celebrate our accomplishments.

Even now, after several months, Camille has continued to be there for us to provide insight and advice when requested. These are all special touches that make Camille's program one worth considering, and we would certainly say we are satisfied customers.

David and Angela Frye, USA, OWSI, 2007 IDC

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I did my IDC with Camille in July of ’09. I was really pleased in the way it was taught, especially after hearing of how other IDC’s went with other instructors.
Not only did I learn a lot, but Camille also kept it fun and interesting, which made it a lot easier for me to focus and learn and retain the information that I needed.

It seemed to me that Camille was not just going through the motions, but was keenly interested in me not only passing the IE, but also excelling in it and becoming a top-notch instructor. I also was pleased that Camille went with us to Koh Tao for support during our IE. That meant a lot to calm our nerves and be able to perform well during the tests.

After the IE, I decided also to take a bunch of specialty instructor courses with Camille to further my experience and value as an instructor, which not only was informative, but really fun during the dives we did where we saw a lot of interesting stuff.

All in all I had a great time and learned a lot, but if I never see another power point slide I probably won’t be too disappointed.

Erik Vinik, USA, OWSI, July 2009 IDC

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