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GoPro-Recreational Diving |
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Call us |
Call us on regular phone
In the USA
(broadband)
305 420 5959
From the USA to Honduras
011 504 4253326
(cell phone)
011 504 33732521
In the UK
(broadband)
0203 3719488
From the UK to Honduras
00 504 425 3326
(mobile phone)
00 504 33732521 |
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Latest Events |
Fri, Mar 19th, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
Complete Instructor Development Course |
Sat, Mar 20th, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
Complete Instructor Development Course |
Sun, Mar 21st, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
March EFR with CFC Instructor |
Sun, Mar 21st, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
Complete Instructor Development Course |
Mon, Mar 22nd, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
Complete Instructor Development Course |
Wed, Mar 24th, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
March PADI IE |
Thu, Mar 25th, 2010, @8:00am- 5:00pm
March PADI IE |
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Course Director Andy Phillips |
 Hi my name's Andy and I’m the resident PADI Course Director and ‘Director of
Professional and Technical Training’ for the Utila Dive Centre. I just
wanted give you an insight into my personal and diving background so
you know more about myself, the Instructor Development Course (PADI IDC) and other professional or technical courses
that I offer through the Utila Dive Centre located on Utila,
Bay Islands, Honduras, Central America. Utila is located off the
North coast of Honduras, Central America, in the Western Caribbean and is famous for
the Whale shark and for dive training from PADI Open Water to Instructor Development Courses and Technical diver training.
Any dive professional will tell you, you’ll always remember the first
time you blow bubbles underwater, well for me I can think back to the
first time I went swimming as a mere 5 year old and was fascinated with
immersing myself in the local swimming pool, now add a few vacations as
a teenager to the Mediterranean, snorkeling and boating, and I soon
fell in love with the underwater world. I became certified as a
diver in 1990 on a vacation in Greece and in 1997 after finishing
University and working in Insurance for 6 months I made my decision to
‘Go Pro’ and became a PADI Divemaster on the beautiful island of Koh
Tao, Thailand. What a lifestyle, as a Divemaster I enjoyed
driving boats, running daily dive operations, finding the elusive Whale shark,
assisting Instructors on PADI certification programs and organizing
dive safaris. My employer at the time convinced me I would make a
good Instructor so in 1998 I enrolled in the PADI Instructor
Development Course (IDC) and since then have never looked back, traveling
from South East Asia to the Caribbean to take my Instructor course
opened up countless new opportunities.
I took
my IDC in the Bay Islands of Honduras in 1998 and worked on this
beautiful island of Utila
for months, if you’re fortunate enough to
know anyone who has visited this island they will tell you stories
about the great diving, amazing lifestyle and Caribbean pace.
Thousands of people arrive on this island a year for PADI
certifications and all other levels of dive training, activities and
Whale shark expeditions. It’s a great place to gain experience as
an
Instructor and within 6 months I had certified over 100 ‘Open Water’
divers, still I had a desire to travel so soon headed down to the
pacific ocean off Costa Rica for pelagic encounters and then to travel
to Dahab, Egypt Red Sea, where I worked as an Instructor for another 6
months, teaching shore diving and naturalist classes about the aquatic
beauty to be found in the pristine waters of the Red Sea, what a
contrast to the dry desert that surrounds it. It was in 1999 in
Dahab with it’s deep walls and infamous ‘Blue Hole’ that I qualified
with ‘Technical Diving International’ as an ‘Extended Range’ technical
diver with guidance from Red Sea TDI technical diving guru ‘Dr Ahmed
Kamal’, and found a new love in diving, deep exploration.
In 2000, the turn of the millennia, I once again felt the call of the
Caribbean, and returned to Utila to work as the resort manager for the
Utila Dive Centre, one of the top facilities for diver training in the
Caribbean and Central America. After 2 great years of working with Utila Dive Centre
I was accepted by PADI in 2001 onto the ‘Course Director Training
Course’ at PADI Headquarters in Newport Beach, California and at the
age of 28 was one of the youngest DSAT Tec Rec Instructor Trainers in
the world.
It’s now November 2009 and in the last 9 years have conducted over 80
Instructor Development Courses and trained over 2000 Instructors at all
levels, from ‘Open Water Scuba Instructor’ to DSAT Trimix Instructor.
As well as holding the highest qualification in recreational diving as
a PADI Course Director (Professional Association Diving Instructors) in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 I received an award of 'Platinum' status for recogntion of my time and quality in training Instructors beyond the standard and at higher levels than the IDC, for the last 5 consecutive years. There only 50 PADI Course Directors worldwide with 'Platinum' status and this award is a reflection of the quality and post IDC support and assistance that we prvide to our candidates in securing employment. In November of 2009 I was privileged to be invited by PADI to talk amongst my peers, a 1000 strong audience of dive professionals, resort owners and retailer, about what has made UDC one of the most successful Instructor centers in the world.
My other diving interests are in technical trimix diving as an IANTD
Trimix Instructor (International Association of Nitrox and Technical
Divers) and also cave diving as an NSS-CDS full cave certified diver
(National Speleological Society – Cave Diving Section), with many hours
logged exploring the cenotes/cave systems of the Yucatan peninsular in
Mexico.
I still teach at all levels of training, from PADI Open Water course up to our IDC's, and still love seeing the
expression on divers faces after introducing them to the underwater
world for the first time, like I know you will. On a professional
note I love to share my experience, technical knowledge and travel
background in the dive industry with the Instructors I train through
Utila Dive Centre.
Utila, in the Bay Islands, is a great place to live and a lot warmer
than the cold climate of Scotland where I was born! Outside of
teaching diving and the technical projects I’m involved with (currently
mini-submarines), I enjoy to cook, travel and every year I make an
effort to explore a new place on land and underwater. Utila’s a
great place not just for diving but also to enjoy sailing, conservation projects and marine exploration, Watersports
and off road biking currently I’m involved in a project to operate a
mini submarine on Utila and train pilots in this new underwater
industry.
DIVING QUALIFICATIONS
PADI Course Director
DSAT Tec-Rec & Gas Blender Instructor Trainer
DAN Instructor Trainer
Beautiful Oceans Science Instructor Trainer
IANTD Closed Circuit Rebreather Instructor
IANTD Technical Instructor Trainer
NSS-CDS Full Cave Diver
Mares, Scubapro, DiveRite and Cressi-sub Equipment Technician
SPECIALTY INSTRUCTOR TRAINER
Search & Recovery, Oxygen Provider, Underwater Photographer and Digital Photographer, Wreck, Night Diver, Deep, Enriched
Air Diver, Tec Rec Trimix Blender, Underwater Naturalist, Tec Rec Trimix Diver, Science Diver
Underwater Navigator, Alantis/Dolphin Rebreather, Equipment Specialist, Diver Propulsion Vehicle, Emergency O2 provider.
WORK EXPERIENCES
2000-2009 Utila Dive Centre, Honduras, Instructor to Course Director and DSAT Technical Instructor Trainer
1999 Dahab, Egypt, Red Sea PADI Instructor and Resort Operations Manager, TDI Technical Diver
1998 Utila, Honduras, PADI Instructor
1998 Osa Peninsular, Costa Rica Pacific PADI Instructor and dive guide
1997 Koh Tao, Thailand, PADI Divemaster and Boat Captain
ADDITIONAL DIVING EXPERIENCES
2006 December, Closed Circuit Rebreather diving with Hammerheads at Cocos Island, Costa Rica
2006 May, Safety & Support Diver for Bay Islands Mega Yacht cruise tour
2004 January, Lake Atitlan 5400ft, Guatemala, Search and Recovery Trimix dives to 300ft/96mt for downed $2 million ‘Eurocopter’
2004 May, Tulum, Mexico, Cave Exploration
2003 May, Tulum, Mexico, NSS-CDS Cave training program
2003 January, Cape Town, South Africa, Cage diving experience with Great White
2001 January, Galapagos, Ecuador, 1 month of pure adrenalin diving one off the best sites in the world, sharkfest!!!!!
EDUCATION
2009 Msc E-commerce, Dalhousie University, Canada
1996 BA HONS Business & Marketing, Brunel University, UK
AWARDS
2008; 'Platinum' status for recognition in training Instructors beyond the IDC
2007; 'Platinum' status for recognition in training Instructors beyond the IDC
2007; 'Outstanding Contribution to Instructor Development' from PADI for commitment to training dive professionals
2006; 'Platinum' status for recognition in training Instructors beyond the IDC
2005; 'Platinum' status for recognition in training Instructors beyond the IDC
2005; 1 'Certificate of Excellence' from PADI for conducting 'Instructor Development Courses' and 1 certificate for 'Contribution to Dive Safety & Education' from Divers Alert Network
2004; 2 Certificates of ‘Recognition of Excellence’ from PADI for IDC customer service and conducting 'Instructor Development Courses'
1 Certificate for ‘Outstanding contribution to Instructor Development’
from PADI
2003; 4 Certificates ‘Recognition of Excellence’ from PADI for IDC customer service
2002; Certificate for ‘Outstanding contribution to Instructor Development’ from PADI
2001; Certificate for ‘Outstanding contribution to Instructor Development’ from PADI
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