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Date: 12 April 2013

Hub name: Pez Maya

GVI Mexicos marine conservation and PADI dive master internship

What is a Divemaster? A Divemaster is the first step in becoming a professional

recreational diver. The role of a Divemaster varies from dive shop to dive shop,

generally the role includes assisting instructors with dive courses, assessing the hazards

of a dive s ite and informing the divers of potential hazards, briefing divers on the layout

and points of interest of a dive site, leading a group of divers in the water and

supervising snorkelers. As well as supervising in-water activities, a Divemaster is often

responsible for kitting up the boats, filling tanks and assisting with the day to dayrunning of the dive shop

(figure 2 and 1 are the wrong way round, surely 1 then 2) Every 12 weeks we take on a

group of interns who will, at the end the three months, go on to complete theDivemaster course in a dive shop. During their time with GVI, not only do we teach

them the monitoring methods but we equip them with all the tools needed to preparethem for their Divemaster programme. We teach them the Emergency First Respondercourse and try to throw in as many scenarios as we can. Some interns will go through

Advanced Open Water and Rescue courses whilst on base, where our instructors workon perfecting their buoyancy and teaching them to dive responsibly. Others may already

be rescue divers and we will try to improve their buoyancy on training dives and mayeven get them to join in on courses to refresh their skills. During training dives, internsget the chance to lead the dives under the supervision of the staff. They practice putting

up delayed surface marker buoys, being in charge of checking air, watching the bottomtime and solving any problems that may occur. The interns also receive a team

leadership course to provide them with, or work on, leadership skills that they will needas a Divemaster. They also have RDP (recreational dive planner) workshops to ensurethey understand how to measure gas consumption and plan dives accordingly. Interns

are given extra responsibilities on base and are expected to act responsibly in and out ofthe water; we instill role model behavior from the outset. We attempt to send our interns

off to their prospective dive shops as prepared as they can be in the hope that they will

go on to be role models and dive responsibly, which not only includes following safediving practices but being environmentally aware.

Figure 2 Interns performing rescue scenario Figure 1 Emergency first response scenario

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As Divemasters and dive instructors it is our responsibility to teach the people we takediving to respect the underwater world; that corals are not rocks and that touching them

kills them, that whale sharks do not like being ridden, that these creatures are wildanimals. Riding, touching, chasing and cornering them provides no benefit to the

animal, only harm and distress, not to mention you could get hurt yourself. Some diveleaders puff up puffer fish and hand them to their divers, many not understanding theharm they can cause to the fish as theirorgans move to the side of their body and are

nearly flattened causing extreme amounts of stress which can be fatal. Divers have alsobeen taught to hold onto the tails of non-aggressive shark species such as zebra and

angel sharks until the shark shakes itself free, causing considerable stress to the animal.

Figure 4 Diver obser ving turtle. Photo:Fernando deNoronha, Brazils Paradise IslandJan 2010.

Retrieved from http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Figure 3 Diver ridding turtle. Yahoo, Monde DuSilence (1956), Sea Turtles, march 2008.

Retrieved from:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonuel/230200916

7/

Figure 5 Diver obser ving sharks. Photo: KeithHoghart. Jacquie Kubin,Bahamas: Scuba Diving

with Caribbean reef sharks.December 22,

2010Retrieved

fromhttp://communities.washingtontimes.com/neig

hborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/

Figure 6 Diver hol ding shark. Photo: istockphoto.com.Natalie Gibb,Dive Trip Report:

San Pedro on the Island of Ambergris

Caye (Belize),2013.Retrievedfromhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/f

r/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-

Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/http://www.tripadvisor.com/http://www.tripadvisor.com/http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.htmlhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/bonuel/2302009167/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonuel/2302009167/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonuel/2302009167/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/staff/jacquie-kubin/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/staff/jacquie-kubin/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://scuba.about.com/bio/Natalie-Gibb-70567.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/bio/Natalie-Gibb-70567.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/bio/Natalie-Gibb-70567.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/od/centralamerica/fr/Dive-Trip-Report-San-Pedro-On-The-Island-Of-Ambergris-Caye-Belize.htmhttp://scuba.about.com/bio/Natalie-Gibb-70567.htmhttp://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/donnes-world/2010/dec/22/bahamas-scuba-diving-caribbean-reef-sharks/http://communities.washingtontimes.com/staff/jacquie-kubin/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonuel/2302009167/http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonuel/2302009167/http://www.tripadvisor.com/http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g616328-Fernando_de_Noronha_State_of_Pernambuco-Vacations.html

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These are things that dive leaders have shown divers how to do and the divers do notunderstand the harm and stress that it causes the organism. We at GVI Mexico hope toteach interns how to observe sea creatures passively at a distance that will not cause

them stress, and this experience can be just as rewarding without bothering theorganism. We hope that the interns who go on to work in the dive industry will instillthis ideology in the divers they take diving.

If you would like to know more about the marine conservation and PADI dive master

internship check out: http://www.gvi.co.uk/programs/marine-conservation-and-padi-divemaster-internship-mexico

Figure 9 Snorkeler swimming with manateeFigure 7 Sn orkeler swimmi ng with manatee.Retrie ved fromhttp://www.sightseeingworld.com/tour/orlando/s

wimwearthemanateeslive/

Figure 8 Woman ridding manatee. Photo: Pinellas

County Sheriffs Department.Brian ClarkHoward,Manatee-Riding Woman Highlights

Importance of Ocean Education,National Geographic

NewsinOcean Views, October 3, 2012. Retrieved

fromhttp://newswatch.nati onalgeographic.com/2012/

10/03/manatee-riding-woman-highlights-importance-

of-ocean-education/

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