The Honor of Teaching - PADI Course Director Larry Grayson
PADI's Undersea Journal published an article titled the 'The Honor of Teaching' about the concept, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."
Course Director Larry Grayson is distinguished among the thousands of PADI Professionals as someone who understands the honor of teaching and continues to hold onto the ✨magic✨ of scuba diving
Article excerpt: There is a responsibility that comes with sharing the underwater world. As three-decade PADI Course Director at PADI Five Star IDC Aaron’s Dive Shop in Kailua, Hawaii, USA, Larry Grayson says, “The ocean is our office, it is our home, but it is also our playground – share it and play in it responsibly!’ A passionate self-proclaimed three-dimensional aquatic adventurer, Grayson seeks and loves to share the newness of the ocean. “The ocean is always changing, even while you are in it,” he says. “It’s alive and change will guide you to new adventures. Share that and lead by example.”
We are so proud – not only to have Larry Grayson as a part of the Aaron’s Dive Shop ohana but also as a leader among PADI Professionals in Hawaii.
'Full' article excerpt:
How do you keep teaching the magic of diving without it turning into a job? By remembering that it's an honor to teach, and that every dive is a new adventure and every student unique.
There’s no greater truth to the aspiration saying, ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,’ than teaching scuba. We get to dive for a living after all. We get to teach others about the underwater world and shar its mysteries. We get to wake up at 5AM so we can get to the boat on time to set it up for our class. We get to stay late, long after everyone else has gone home because one of our divemaster candidates douesn’t understand the RDP. We get to climb into cold, wet gear from the day before and try to to show how much we are shivering. Wait, why are we doing this again? We do it because we love to dive, and it is an honor to share that.
Turning Possibility into Passion
Scuba instruction is a vocation of passion, which is why challenges become possibilities. No matter how challenging you thought your IDC or IE were, your students will top that, but the rewards are even greater. Sharing underwater time with student divers creates a bond, not only between the instructor and diver but between the diver and the water.
There is a responsibility that comes with sharing the underwater world. As three-decade PADI Course Director at PADI Five Star IDC Aaron’s Dive Shop in Kailua, Hawaii, USA, Larry Grayson (CD – 37744) says, “The ocean is our office, it is our home, but it is also our playground – share it and play in it responsibly!’ A passionate self-proclaimed three-dimensional aquatic adventurer, Grayson seeks and loves to share the newness of the ocean. “The ocean is always changing, even while you are in it,” he says. “It’s alive and change will guide you to new adventures. Share that and lead by example.”
Sharing the first underwater experience with a student diver is an honor not to be overlooked or under-appreciated. This resonates with PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Godknows Hwata (OWSI – 399448), aka “GK”, the first instructor from landlocked Zimbabwe to work for PADI Five Star IDC Into the Blue in Cape Town, South Africa. “Sometimes we don’t realize that we are changing people’s lives, he says. “We are all different and our reasons for being instructors are not the same. Some just see it as a job to travel and make money. For me, I am very passionate, diving is my everything.” When he sees someone not honoring that passion, he uses himself as an example. “I come from a country where there is no ocean,” he says. “In the black community, we don’t see the ocean as a place to go. But in the ocean, there is not skin color. We should treat the ocean with respect and not as a job.”
…The article continues on from here…
