Since 2017 we three instructor aspirants Thomas, Vinz and Sarah had the pleasure to make our contribution to the diving courses, which were carried out by PIONIER Tauchservice. The courses are divided into a theory weekend with practice units in the swimming pool (Basic Diver) at the end of which the theory test is written and in a trip to Croatia, where the practical part (open water dives) is completed.

In the spring of 2018 we also started with two VIT Open Water Diver^★ diving courses. The practical part took place at the Scuba Center Sv. Marina in Labin in mid of May. Here we three had the opportunity to practice the practical part of our diving instructor exam. With a total of 20 VIT Open Water Diver^★ candidates there were plenty opportunities.

With Fritz, Mane, Rudi, Happo and Andi we had more VIT Instructors who rated our guided dives than we liked. While we then listened to their prospect of how a exam dive should look like, each of us instructor candidates wondered whether diving instructor would be the right thing for us.

Well, it was too late to give up. Despite the initial doubts, the dives went better and our "examiners" were very happy with the results.

It continued with our training at the children's diving course at end of July and then in August with the two instructor training seminar weekends in Zwiesel - under the direction of Sepp (VIT Director of Training) and with the support of Joachim (VIT Head of Department Rebreather) and Reimund (VIT Head of Department Visual Media). During these seminars, which prepared us for the diving instructor evaluation, we went thematically across the entire diving world: From environmental awareness and risks on methodological and didactic subtleties in training to medical aspects in diving and the technical structure of the entire equipment. At the end, each of us gave his exam presentation and we were pestered by Sepp and Joachim with questions.

On Friday, August 31, 2018, two weeks after the last seminar in Zwiesel, we had to take the dreaded theory test. For a long time we had been scared, learned a lot and even Vinz - our odds-learning muffle - had apparently worked hard for it. After two hours of writing and subsequent finger-crunch, it was finally done and we had not wait too long for the results: all passed successfully! his interim success was celebrated with a meal together at the PIONIER Taucherstammtisch.

But we did not have much time to relax, because the following week we went to Rovinj for the practical exam, where we have went for many years with PIONIER Tauchservice. There at the dive center Scuba Rovinj Sarah and Vinz have already completed their first dives at the tender age of 8 years. And Thomas, well, he was already a bit older at that time.

Arrived in Rovinj, we started pretty quick with the examination dives and despite some difficult conditions such as poor visibility and currents, everything went on as planned. We also managed the well-known game "Who finds the seahorse?" and did not let us be confused by the nice words of the other instructors "And can you prove that ?!".

Highlights of the dives were not only the seahorses, but also other sea creatures like conger eels, lung jellyfish, scorpionfish, bear crabs, lobsters and huge shoals of fish we could observe with our diving students. Even the wreck of the Hans Schmidt, offered an impressive impression with surprisingly good visibility.

At the end of the evaluation week there were of course also other exercises besides the exam dives, which we had to complete. The "bathing day" with the apnea exercises, that Vinz had to catch up late due to a cold, we mastered without problems as well as the 3 kilometers of swimming. Only this one apnea exercise, in which it was about to dive to 10 meters without a mask, put it on in the meantime and blow it out, presented a certain challenge.

Despite all the criticisms we had to take, the week was a great success for us and we stood on the last day with a big smile in our faces and our certificates in the hand between our examiners. We would like to thank them very much! Especially Philipp and Fritz, not only for one or the other criticism or one or the other tip, but also for the patience and understanding that you have raised against us, we would like to thank you. Also Mane, Rudi, Andi and Happo, the other instructors of the PIONIERs, a big thank you. You always had an open ear and good advices for us.

It was an honor and we look forward to many more dives and courses - now as VIT Instructors.