Liquid Life Blog - Liquid Life

PADI-licensed professional qualification course breakdown – Dive Master

2021-10-12T00:00:00+02:00

Here at LiQUiD LiFE, we give you the opportunity to rise through the PADI licensing dive qualifications. We are able to take any and all comers from absolute beginner to the point where you can be a PADI licensed professional.

With our, onsite classroom and pool, a calm clear and warm open water training site less than a 10 minute boat ride away from the classroom means, we will first get beginners up to PADI dive master qualification before offering any that are interested to take their PADI qualifications further.

We offer regular PADI Instructor Development Courses (PADI IDC) in collaboration with Buccaneer Diving, East Africa's only PADI Career Development Centre. Through LiQUiD LiFE’s courses, you are offered the best chance in East Africa toward a career in teaching and leading diving.

Month 1:

In the first month of the Dive Academy you will begin your adventure by completing the PADI Openwater Diver course and the PADI Advanced Diver course.

These courses take you through all the basic confined water skills and your first dives in the Indian Ocean. With your PADI Openwater qualification you will have completed the first of many PADI-licensed qualifications. After the Openwater course is completed, you will then progress to more advanced skills such as Deep Diving, Night Diving, Search and Recovery, Navigation and Fish Identification. You will be constantly accompanied by a certified PADI professional at all times to keep your skills progressing.

Month 1 overview:

- PADI Openwater Diver course

- PADI Advanced Diver course

- Emergency First Response course

Month 2:

In month two, you will learn to be aware of not only yourself in the water but other divers too. Complete the PADI Rescue Diver course and be ready to take charge during emergency situations. Do an excursion dive to Mnemba or Kizimkazi and gain experience diving in groups every day.

Month 2 overview:

- PADI Rescue course

- Excursion dives

- Experience dives

Month 3:

Get serious in your last month and take the last step for becoming a certified PADI professional. Lead guests, set up boats, brief dives, take hotel runs and truly work in the dive school!

- Divemaster course

If you want to take your PADI qualifications further, three times a year we offer a PADI instructor course.

In order to participate in the Instructor course you must:
- Be a qualified PADI Divemaster or equivalent
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Have 100 dives at the beginning of the course

PADI Dive Master Course - what equipment will I need to bring?

2021-10-12T00:00:00+02:00

What’s needed:

You will need to bring your own dive equipment to participate in the Dive Academy.
We recommend a set consisting of: 1x buoyancy control device (BCD), 1x regulator, 1x set of fins, 1x mask, 1x snorkel, 1x wetsuit (please contact us beforehand so we can consult you on the best gear for your course)
If you do not have your own gear we can discuss purchase options of new or used gear or consult you on where to check out gear in your home country.

We recommend to book gear insurance including 3rd party liability

There is the option to rent gear for the entire period, however we highly recommend bringing your own set of gear as it is a great investment in the future.

Travel to Zanzibar: What you’ll see, learn and do on the island that is a spring-board for adventure

2021-10-07T00:00:00+02:00

Zanzibar. The name rings of mystique, of something ancient, exciting, maybe even dangerous; it is the essence of adventure.

The name Zanzibar actually refers to an archipelago, to the grouping of islands that emerges out of the Indian Ocean off East Africa’s coast. This archipelago is comprised of four main land masses – Unguja (colloquially called Zanzibar island), Pemba, Mafia and Latham.

Three of these islands are presently inhabited and are called home by around 1.5 million people. The majority of those that live in the archipelago do so on Unguja or Pemba. Mafia island is home to less than 50,000 people. The fourth, Latham, surrounded by a coral reef and considered an important nesting place for certain bird species and marine turtles, is uninhabited.

Collectively, the land masses that comprise the Zanzibar archipelago have, for centuries, been called the Spice Islands. Exotic, the colour of violence or far-away skies, fiery and reeking of fast profits: the archipelago’s history is as throat-clutchingly exciting as its moniker suggests.

History of Zanzibar

The earliest records of human habitation on the Zanzibar archipelago are scant and often promote more questions than they do answers. The first indication we have of a human presence on the islands dates back some 22,000 years. Fragments of heavy stone tools found in limestone caves indicate a stone age society but little about their mode of existence and even less about the length of their stay there.

Archaeologists have theorised that humanity’s habitation of the Zanzibari islands has not been permanent since then. We have not yet found evidence of permanent settlement on the islands until as recently as 1000 AD. Despite that, there is evidence to suggest that the archipelago featured in ancient trade routes.

Ancient Sumerian and Assyrian pottery pieces depict trade maps that incorporate the archipelago’s islands. Furthermore, a pendant comprised in part of Zanzibari copal (a tree resin) was discovered near Eshnunna (modern-day Tell Asmar, Iraq) and it has been dated to between 2500-2400 BC.

The islands were, therefore, known to ancient civilisations even if they saw no reason to settle there. When Zanzibar was settled, it is thought that it was done so by the descendants of peoples originating from Africa’s Great Lakes region, in and around the Great Rift Valley.

These peoples, the first inhabitants of an island grouping that would become the important launching pad for traders of three different empires, are thought to have settled as small isolated villages, and largely along the coastline.

When the first traders arrived from the Arabian peninsula, blown in on trade winds, these disunited settlements were easily subjugated. Traders from Yemen, the Persian Gulf and the Somali coast came to Zanzibar and began to settle on the islands during the 11th and 12th centuries.

The traders came spreading Islam (which is still the major religion on the islands) and sought to use the islands as a launching pad for trade with the African mainland. This, apparently, was successfully done and the use of Zanzibar – an otherwise unwilling land for the growth of tradeable resources – as a trader’s hub became a model for the archipelago’s first colonisers.

After a visit by one Vasco da Gama, Portugal’s infamous discoverer and the first European to find a sea route connecting Europe with Asia, in 1499, a second Portuguese trading ship would claim the islands for the Portuguese empire in 1503-4.

Just as Arabian and Persian settlers had, the Portuguese used Zanzibar as an entryway into East Africa. Portugal held the archipelago until its agents were ousted from the region by the sultanate of Oman, in 1698.

It was under the Omani Sultans that Zanzibar really grew into a dominant trading hub. In the 19th century, Unguja and its capital city, Stone Town, were of such commercial significance to the sultanate that Zanzibar’s biggest city was made the capitol of the sultanate entire. In 1840, the seat of the Omani Sultan moved from Muscat to Stone Town.

The trade winds, dictated by the monsoons, blow south-east for part of the year before switching to the north-west. The same winds that make Zanzibar’s islands such a great place for sports such as sailing and kite surfing built oceanic trade along the Indian ocean’s coastline.

Each year, Swahili trading vessels sailed south from the Arabian peninsula, from Persia and India, with iron, cloth, sugar and dates in their holds. They traded all along East Africa’s coast before, as the winds shifted in March or April, returning home with tortoiseshell, ivory, coconuts, rice and the two most lucrative tradeable commodities: spices and slaves.

The slave trade was not a novel enterprise for Zanzibar under the Sultan of Oman. The Portuguese practiced it too, as had the early traders that preceded them. But it was big business. Historian Don Petterson suggests that between 40 and 50,000 slaves were ferried to Zanzibar each year of the 1800s. Many more are likely to have died before reaching the islands’ shores.

At the end of the 19th century, Zanzibar changed hands again. The British made it a formal protectorate in 1890 and governed the islands until they won independence in 1963. Under British governance, slavery was abolished and all Zanzibari slaves were freed.

With independence, the Zanzibar archipelago joined in formal union with mainland Tanganyika. The newly independent East African territories merged their names to form what is modern-day Tanzania.

Trade winds and travel: still carrying a colourful cargo

The legacy left on the islands of Zanzibar is, as is the case the world over, littered with evidence of the broad range of human capability. In the historic sites of slave markets, in the administrative, social and cultural memory of the place, no part of this history – good or ill – is completely forgotten.

But today’s is a novel Zanzibar.

It is a rebuilt and redesigned place, and finally now in a design it has chosen for itself. Still, the trade winds blow in the directions of their ancient consistency. But now the warm yellows of turmeric, the hot red of paprika, pepper’s black and the lime’s green of a cardamom pod are more often found in, and dancing on, the wind than in the darkened hulls riding beneath the waves.

Zanzibar, Unguja and Pemba islands especially, is now a tourist hub. With that ancient and exciting mystique still attached to it and combining with the truly unparalleled beach views, the archipelago attracts thousands of visitors year round.

The beaches and the always temperate ocean attract many people certainly. They come for the kite surfing or the out-of-this-world underwater exploring of PADI-licensed diving. It is the kites of the former, often numbering in the hundreds, that have brought such brilliant, spice-inspired colours to the islands’ skies.

On these islands, you can try your hand at every water sport activity you can imagine. The shallow break between the beach of Paje and its reef, combined with those consistent winds, makes it one of the best places in the world to learn to kite surf. The coral reefs are, here on the Equator, as excitingly coloured as the spices and kite sails and, as such, incredibly alluring to divers and snorkel enthusiasts.

The hotels of Zanzibar, constantly looking to gain an edge in this lucrative tourist market, are excitingly built and deliver crisply on their unique selling points. The night life, similarly motivated, is, certainly in Paje, exceptional.

Zanzibar is much more than a resort destination. It boasts a history of hardship and conquest, of migration and exploration, of cohabitation, assimilation and adaptation. It is the epicentre of the Swahili language – spoken on the mainland, in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and parts of the Congo – and the home to its most fluid, organic form. It is a melting pot of different nationalities come to make this pocket of paradise their home.

Zanzibar is less a holiday destination and more a point on the traveller’s transit.

LiQUiD LiFE in Paje, Zanzibar: a springboard to more travel opportunities

The LiQUiD LiFE kite surf and PADI dive instructor courses are designed to offer more than a qualification-driven experience. Through LiQUiD LiFE’s connections, we want to give all our kite surf academy and diving instructors-in-training a chance to expand into every aspect of what we call the liquid life.

The courses themselves, in kite surf instructing and all the qualifications relating to PADI dive instructing, are an opportunity to give those interested a chance to travel the world and do so with qualifications that will bring constant employment.

Kite surf and PADI-licensed dive instructors are sought after in holiday hot-spots the world over. The pay for professionals in both industries is consistent and more than adequate to give a hard-worker enough that they might enjoy their travels to the fullest.

We want our students to try their hands at all the different sporting activities available on the island (and if you want to find out more about this, click here). And we want our enrolees to become a part of this island existence. We are selling the training that comes along with an incredibly-employable qualification, but we’re also selling the liquid life.

Safari to Mikumi National Park and Udzungwa Mountain National Park.

2021-10-05T00:00:00+02:00

So, you're interested in spending some of your time in Tanzania exploring the wild spaces that have made it such a popular tourist destination. Don't worry, we'll organise this trip around your kite surf or dive instructor course timetable and you'll be sure to have an incredible experience.

Below we've included some information about the safari. If you are interested in going on it during your instructor course, be sure to say so in your enquiry message.

About the parks:

Mikumi National Park
The landscape of Mikumi is often compared with the landscape of Serengeti National Park. The main road from Dar Es Salaam to Zambia - the Tanzam Highway - stretches across the park from east to west and divides it into two very different landscapes. The area north of the road has sediments from the river Mkata and is the main area of attraction in Mikumi. The vegetation there consists of acacia trees, baobab, tamarind and rare palm trees. Also in this area, off in the distance and away from the road, you will find spectacular rock formations formed by the mountains Rubeho and Uluguru.

The wildlife in the park includes many species that are characteristic of the African savannah, and according to local park guards, this is one of the best places to view the areas iconic tree-climbing lions.

Mikumi is home to elephant, zebra, wildebeest, impala, eland antelope and black antelope, monkeys, buffalo, pods of hippopotamus and some 400 or so different bird species. Mikumi national park is managed and run by the Tanzania National Parks organisation and is considered less environmentally challenged than certain other parks.

Udzungwa Mountain National park

Harbouring one of East Africa’s great forests, Udzungwa Mountain National Park has an area of 1990 sq km, bordered by the Great Ruaha River to the north, with Mikumi National Park and Selous Game Reserve located further to the north and east. Protected as a national forest reserve until 1992 when it was commissioned as National Park, Udzungwa Mountains is undoubtedly one of the few true virgin and unique forested lands remaining in the world. The major attractions include its biologically diverse forest. Udzungwa harbours some plant species found nowhere else in the world, from a tiny African violet to 30-metre high trees.

Apart from the forest, which acts as a water catchment area and is home to a large number of endemic species, the park has spectacular mountainous scenery, grasslands, rocks, rivers and waterfalls.

Walking safaris to the Sanje River waterfalls (170 metres) is one of the popular activities in this park. Udzungwa Mountains can conveniently be combined with game drives in nearby Mikumi National Park, an hour·s drive to the north. The park can be visited throughout the year although it is a bit slippery during the wet rainy season. The dry season extends from June to October.

Program:

Day 1. ( Dar es Salaam to Mikumi)

- Early Breakfast and check out from the hotel Transport to Mikumi.

- Lunch in a restaurant along the way to Mikumi or at the park.
- Quick check-in, toilet visit and back in the car☺☺☺☺
- Game drive safari

- Back hotel for dinner

Day 2: (Full Day Mikumi)

- Full Day Game drive at Mikumi National Park followed by Cultural visit (A small maasai village visit).

- Lunch box to be provided

- Back to the hotel for relaxation and hot Dinner.

Day 3: (Mikumi to Udzungwa for the hike)

- After breakfast 2 hours drive to Udzungwa mountain national park ,.
- 3 – 4 hour hike to the top of the biggest waterfall in tanzania , and nice cold swim.
- Lunch box to be provided

- Afternoon drive back to the hotel for chilling

- Hot dinner to be provided.

Day 4 : (Mikumi to Dar es Salaam then Zanzibar)

Drive back to DAR soon after breakfast.
Lunch on the way
Afternoon ferry back to Zanzibar.

Ideas for packing:

- Clothes for warm and cold weather (avoid dark clothes for the safari) - Binoculars
- Camera
- Scarf (to cover face when it is dusty)

- Swimming costume

- Torch (good idea to have the one you can wear on your head - Sunscreen
- Mosquito repellent
- Pocket money for sodas and snacks

- Sport shoes and sandals
- Safari hat (if you must look cool☺☺☺☺) - Local currency (no large bills)
- First aid kit for own use

Bring spending money for

- Tips for the guide recommended 20$ per day per car
- Things of personal nature
- Beers☺☺☺☺

Kite surfing instructor course Zanzibar: the complete instructor course breakdown

2021-09-24T00:00:00+02:00

If you are reading this, then you are looking for some more information regarding Zanzibar’s only kite surfing instructor course. Here at LiQUiD LiFE, we’ve designed a three month course that is designed to take even absolute beginners to a level of capability at kite surfing whereby they are able to pass the International Kiteboarding Organisation (IKO)’s Level One instructor course.

You do not have to be a beginner to take part in our kite surfing instructor course. We will accept any and all comers and, with our wealth of experience as kite surf instructors, we’ll teach you everything necessary for you to be able to take your IKO qualification.

We understand that a few of our readers may not be entirely convinced (yet) that they want to take the qualification. Our instructor course is still available to those of you who simply want to spend three months building then honing your kite surfing skills.

If you find yourself in that category (those that are interested without being sure they want to take the IKO qualification), there are some important differences to the cost of the course and what elements of it are mandatory requirements.

This course is designed to create kite surfing instructors or, at the least, instructor-level kite surf riders. Any kite surfer of that level should be riding on their own equipment and, resultantly, this course does not include equipment rental

We have compiled a document on what equipment is necessary for this course, and you can access that document here. Equipment rental on the island is a possibility but it is not recommended and, over three months, buying may be your cheaper option especially considering that the resale market for kite surfing equipment is incredibly fast-moving. If you do want to sell your gear at the end of the course, we will of course help you do so here on Zanzibar.

(Note all the hours under the heading ‘Kite Academy’ are distributed for the running of a programme catering to several clients (3+).

If the kite surfing instructor course has 1 or 2 clients, the program and the distribution of hours is adjusted. We’ve added that adjusted schedule below for further clarification.

The amount of people on the course will not have an effect on the cost of participation per individual.)

Kite Academy

Month 1:

· 2 Week beginner course
2 - 4 hrs per day
*10 days (weekends off)

· Independent riding

· Two supervision sessions per week after the completion of 2 week beginner course

During your first month as a part of LiQUiD LiFE’s kite surf instructor academy, you will learn the basics of kite surfing and, by month’s end, you’ll become a capable independent rider.

The two week beginner course covers your first flights on the beach and basic kite control. You’ll learn about safety systems and how to conduct a safe self-rescue. Next you’ll learn how to body drag before moving on to the mechanics of a water start. After that you’ll be taught how to ride and effectively transition between onshore and offshore tacks.

After the initial course – which will have made you an independent rider –, you will spend the rest of the month practicing your control, transitions and getting comfortable and confident on the board. An instructor will be joining you on two days each week to supervise your session and help you to work on your technique.

Month 2:

· Progression training course
2 - 4 Hours per day
2 Days a week over 1 month

· Supervision sessions on two days each week

· Independent riding

During the second month, we will take your kite surfing skills to the next level. We will discuss your achievements from the last month and set goals for this next training period. Depending on how you’ve progressed so far, we will work on smooth transitions, toe side riding, pops and possibly even your first basic tricks and jumps.

Month 3:

· Supervision session on two days per week

· Independent riding

The last month of the kite surf instructor academy will push your level a step further. At this stage, you’ll have found certain strengths and discovered areas that need improvement. Our instructors will be supervising and ensuring you know where it is you’re going wrong.

Depending on your development, you should by this stage be honing certain tricks and looking always to the next one. Our instructors will be there to explain the mechanics and most common mistakes for your next tricks.

Optional if you don’t intend to take the IKO exam or mandatory with IKO:

· Jumps & tricks - Instructor prep course
7-day intense course

If you plan to participate in the instructor training course in the end of the term, participation in the 7-day instructor prep course is mandatory. This part of the course will happen in month three and we will cover a wide range of skills over this 7-day period.

In order to become an IKO certified instructor, you need to be able to ride confidently and already have your first jumps down to perfection. To reach this goal we will arrange an intense 7-day training with independent riding periods in-between to really get your techniques down and be prepared for your career as a kite surf instructor in the future. You can participate in this part of the programme regardless of whether you’ve signed up to take your IKO Instructor level one accreditation or not.

IKO Instructor Training Course

Once you have completed our kite surf instructor academy, you’ll have the option to complete your IKO instructor qualification here on the island. Dates for this will be dependent on how many participants we have in the kite academy and the availability of IKO accreditation officers.

In order to qualify as a kite surf instructor with this internationally-recognised body, you will have to partake first in the IKO Assistant Training Course, then in the IKO Level One Training Course.

Program for 1-2 Participants Only:

Month 1:
1.5 Week beginner course

1.5 - 2 hrs per day (12 hrs private lessons total)
Independent riding
Supervision session on one day per week after beginners course

Month 2:

Progression training course
1 hour per day
2 days a week over 1 month (alternatively 2 hr sessions over 2 weeks twice per week)
Supervision session on one day per week

Month 3:

Supervision session on one day per week

Optional without IKO or Mandatory with IKO:

Jumps & Tricks - Instructor prep course
7-day intense course (1hr per day coaching)

Kite surfing instructor course Zanzibar: what equipment will you need?

2021-09-24T00:00:00+02:00

You will need to bring your own kite equipment to participate in LiQUiD LiFE’s kite surf instructor academy.

We recommend a set consisting of: 1x harness, 1x board, 1x bar and minimum 2 kites (please contact us beforehand so we can consult with you on the best kite sizes for Zanzibar)

If you do not have your own gear we can discuss purchase options of new or used gear in Zanzibar or advise you on where to check out gear in your home country.

Expected costs of used gear: harness ($80), board ($300), bar ($200) kite ($500 per kite) — Total around: $1500
Expected cost of new gear: harness ($150), board ($700), bar ($500), kite ($1200 per Kite) — Total around $3700

We recommend to book gear insurance from the VDWS (from 40$ / year), includes 3rd party liability

There is the option to rent gear for the entire period, however we highly recommend bringing your own set of gear as it is a great investment in the future and rental can be expensive.

How much are kite surf instructors and PADI-licensed dive leaders paid?

2020-09-30T00:00:00+02:00

There are many obvious reasons why people become kite surf instructors or PADI dive professionals.

There's sea, the sun, the sand. The year-round tan, the lifestyle and the access to all the alluring sports (let's be honest, the passion that these sports arouse in people is often enough to follow it into a career). There are the opportunities these qualifications give you in the ability to work with different people. There are, as we highlighted in one of our other articles, which you can access here, all the travel opportunities that being a professional in these sought-after industries allows.

Travel is a huge reason for why people become kite surf instructors or PADI-licensed dive leaders. The places where these jobs are offered are some of the most exciting in the world.

If there is wind, there's kite surfing. And if there is kite surfing, there is a need for kite surf instructors.

Just Google 'Best places to kite surf' and its a veritable where's where of places you've always wanted to go: Hawaii, Southern Spain, Mexico, Cape Verde, Morocco, Brazil, the Canary Islands. The list goes on. (Have a look on Redbull's list of best places to kite surf if you want to see the full scope of where an IKO kite surfing instructor qualification can take you.

While you're there, seeing these incredible places and exploring the globe's eclectic mix of cultures, you'll be there as a professional and enjoying the many perks attached with that.

Being a PADI-licensed dive leader is similarly sought after and its a job that doesn't depend so much on the weather. What's more, your PADI licensing can take you into a whole number of professions. You can use it to take commercial dives, you can become a diver for companies (oil rigs, for example, frequently employ divers to conduct maintenance) or, if you've got a feel for treasure hunting, you can use your PADI-license to explore wrecks.

In short, if it can be applied to the underwater world, your PADI dive qualifications will come in useful.

How much are kite surfing instructors paid?

Kite surfing instructors' pay is varied. It depends on the kite surf instructing school that you get employed with. The great news is that kite surf instructors are always sought after in the popular kiting destinations. As a result, payment has to be competitive.

Most schools will offer their kite surf instructors around 15-35% of what they charge per lesson. Schools with good reputations can charge higher and so their instructors often get paid better.

So, depending on a school's rate per lesson, the instructor can look to pocket between $40 and $100 for two hours of teaching. In a busy period (holiday seasons and when the wind is good), instructors will look to do more than two hours a day. Some schools will also offer a commission incentive for bringing along new students, other schools won't.

Obviously, instructor rates will be dependent on the contract worked out with a school. So, if you do decide to become an IKO qualified instructor, make sure you consider all the contractual add-ons to your school's employment contract. (Sometimes this can be quite an appealing package: a lot of schools will sort out your visa for you, your accommodation, food occasionally, etc.)

How much are PADI-licensed dive professionals paid?

This question is a little harder to answer. That's because of the varied ways your PADI dive instructor qualification can be used. It is also because there are a number of different PADI qualifications and different rates are paid to the different qualifying levels. If you want to learn about PADI's qualifications, the best place to do so is on their own website.

You have to work your way up through the PADI levels to get to the professional qualifications offered through PADI. The highest qualifications offer the greatest rate of pay. The first professional level of qualification starts as PADI dive master and we offer that qualification here.

PADI dive masters are able to lead dives of up to six people and assist instructors. PADI dive instructors also have different levels but broadly speaking they teach courses, lead dives and occasionally manage bases. The more responsibility taken on, the greater the chance of a larger wage.

The wage structure is also dependent on the manner of employment. Commercial dive instructors on cruise ships, for example, are often paid a monthly wage and this is often between $1000 and $1500 a month. But other PADI dive instructors are paid on an earn as you work basis. If you take out a PADI Open Water student for example, your pay is around $50 to $60 per student.

But, of course, you can lead several Open Water qualified divers per dive so the scale does rise.

Dive instructors also get paid for teaching courses and selling the qualifications. So, the different avenues for building a working wage as a qualified PADI dive instructor are many and varied.