North American Rolex Scholar of Our World Underwater Scholarship Society

photos and video provided by:

Ana Sofía Guerra:
2014 North American Rolex Scholar of the
Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society®

Taking my professional scuba diving career to the next level was the perfect way to wrap up my year as the 2014 North American Rolex Scholar of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society. In March, I started my SDI Instructor Development Course (IDC) in Rosebud, Victoria in Australia. Under the guidance and careful instruction of Rubens Monaco from IDC Scuba, I learned all about the side of diving we often don’t think about as recreational divers – the responsibility that comes with teaching someone else how to dive. Throughout an intense and information-laden week, I learned methods for effective teaching, both above and under the water.

I hadn’t realized how many things we take for granted when we have been diving for a while, but they can actually be completely alien to someone who has never put a regulator in their mouth and taken a breath underwater. I suddenly had to think through all the steps of these actions that had become entirely second-nature to me, like clearing out some water from my mask or purging my regulator. There are so many things that instructors have to think about to ensure their students turn into proficient and safety-conscious divers.

I am excited to now have the training to be able to introduce others to an activity that I am so passionate about, and hope diving becomes to them what it has for me, a lifestyle.

Check out some video footage from my SDI Instructor Development Course below!