Island Times Blog

Capt. Kat (CDT) and Kasey Fox (IT) all geared up and ready to teach!

At SeaTrek BVI we are always pushing to learn more. We try to stay up to date with what is new in the sailing, diving, and marine science industries. Our Captains are constantly learning new skills to better teach our students how to sail. Our Boat Biologists are always finding new techniques and research methods in the world of science so we can teach our students real life marine biology skills. Our NAUI Instructors are always getting more and more training, certifications and designations in order to become some of the best and most experienced Instructors in the diving industry. In the spirit of the tradition of continuing education, Capt. Kat Daniel (NAUI 31958) has recently earned her NAUI Course Director Trainer (CDT), the highest and most prestigious professional level designation that NAUI offers.

NAUI’s Course Director Trainer designation is fairly new. When you transition into the realm of professional diving, there is a bit of a hierarchy. Professional level diving begins with the Assistant Instructor (AI) and Divemaster (DM) certifications, where you are able to assist in classes, and lead dives. Next is the Instructor, w
o is in charge of teaching classes. After becoming an Instructor, you can no longer obtain any higher certifications, but are able to achieve “designations.” The next step after becoming an Instructor, is the Instructor Trainer (IT) designation. This designation puts you in charge of teaching new instructors, under the supervision of the Course Director (CD). Next is the Course Director, who is in charge of overseeing all of the Instructors within a diving operation. The Course Director Trainer is one step above, and can certify worthy Instructor Trainers to be Course Directors. This is the designation that Captain Kat recently obtained.

Not only does Captain Kat always strive to better herself as an educator, she inspires her students to do so as well. She is always seeking out and mentoring her instructors to find new ways to further their careers in the diving industry. Last summer, she certified four new Instructor Trainers and one new Instructor.

SeaTrek BVI CDT Kat Daniel with 3 NAUI ITCs and 2 IT candidates working on Rescue skills in 2017!

Here are a few words from her Leadership Candidates:

“I have completed all of my training, up through the Instructor Trainer, under the instruction of Captain Kat.  She teaches an extremely tough class, but produces some of the best Instructors and Divemasters in the industry. Her mentorship and passion to always be better inspired me to go as far as I have. Though I always say the Instructor Training Course was one of the hardest things I have ever done, it also provided me with an inexplicable level of confidence and leadership. She has pushed me to the point of tears, but I thank her ever day for it! There is no better deserving person than Kat to become a NAUI Course Director Trainer. Her drive, attention to detail, and compassion really add to what makes NAUI ‘The Definition of Diving.’” – Kasey

“The NAUI Instructor Training Course (ITC) is a grueling and difficult process, given the safety concerns of instructing scuba diving, and Kat’s course is no exception. She pushed and stretched me and my fellow ITCs in ways we’d never experienced anywhere else. However, her gift of teaching doesn’t lie solely in her ability to challenge you, but rather in the way she pushes you to the brink, while simultaneously assuring you that she cares about you and wants you to succeed. Almost anyone can break a person down but it takes somebody special, like Kat, to build a person back up.” – Dakota

SeaTrek BVI CDT Kat Daniel with four new NAUI ITs in 2017!