Course

I got acquainted with diving in 1963, a sport which was practically unprecedented at that time and the training were built according to the standards and rules written out by the navy, thus macho brouhaha, for learning to dive. When I decided to join to a dive club in 1972, I got already experience with the diving sport. But there was an existing system, so I followed a training to gain my first certificate, in that time entitled " the Elementary CMAS Certificate". To obtain that brevet the requirements were: a extended theoretic exam, 14 skills in confined water (the pool) en thereafter 4 open water dives, of which two skills where it was necessary to bring up a drowning person from - 15 m (-45 ft), on own power, with the head of the victim below (why, is this moment ever an enigma). After having passed these tests and skills, I received my first certificate, after which the adventure could start up, in fact discovering the underwater life….

Because there were only a few dive locations in Belgium, we were designated to go to dive abroad. Spain was the nearest country and so the best choice. The place was "La Escala" : splendid and clear water, beautiful weather and rich in fauna and flora. Since over there the dive sport was still in its infancy, we were obligated to drag along all the equipment we needed , even the compressors and the dinghies. We were not very beloved by the fishermen, but after some negotiations and agreements, all things gone smoothly, without a hitch. To dive there, was very interesting and marvellous, at that time it was still possible to admire red corals with thickness of 1 inch, at a depth of -15 to -20 m (-45 to -60 ft). Nowadays people are forced to dive at depths of -60 m (-180 ft), even deeper to find these corals…While the years passed, diving knew also an evolution and year by year the diving people increased in number to discover the world of Neptune. The equipment improved as well. First we knew the "fenzy" (the precursor of the BCD - buoyancy control device), safer regulators, etcetera….

In point of fact from 1972 till now diving is a top-class sport and approachable to any budget. In former days diving was expensive and only accessible to a minority, now no longer…

As a result of my passion to dive, I visited nearly all the interesting seas, compiling a lot of very rich experiences. I was active during two years in Aqaba (Jordan - the Red
Sea) in capacity of teacher and companion of other divers and there I felt the need to start up my own dive centre. I dreamed from a place in Madagascar. There it should
succeed. Unfortunately, after a lot of difficult negotiations and just the moment I would leave to Madagascar, my visa was refused, because a stupid Belgian was in need to aid to a coup d' teat. In that manner my dream fell through ! After that, I went to dive in my proper country.

Till 1989 I was joined to CMAS. In that year I decided to start up my own dive school,
named International Diving School, a non-profit making organisation, a society addressed to any budget within a recreational framework (not that macho brouhaha). Finally I found my equal in the PADI structures, a worldwide organisation, which was already progressed a lot giving trainings to dive. I got first of all my Divemaster certificate and together with a PADI Instructor, we organised dive trainings in my own dive school. But the market in our own region was not yet ready, and PADI was designated as ignorant at this place. I was obligated to join another organisation, at first with IADS and after that with VVW. I became Instructor, but my ideas remained faithful to PADI and I decided to get my Instructor certificate also from PADI.
After having retired from Belgacom in 1997, nothing could put obstacles in my way to change my hobby in an occupation, what I evidently did. I started giving PADI courses and that went smoothly. So I concluded to start up a second dive centre, a PADI centre, in 1999. I stopped VVW dive trainings and began to give PADI trainings for 100 %. PADI is the worldwide federation of divers and takes 79.8 % of the divers under his wings, because the PADI system is safe and diving can be practiced in a relaxed manner, in an entourage were to dive is FUN.
 

In the year 2000 we reached the top because we certificated 150 students in one year. Through this high-standing and qualitative happening, the PADI head-office described our dive centre as an OUT-STANDING centre and we received the label of a 5*PADI dive centre. On this moment I.D.S. Aalst is the only dive centre with that label in the East-Flanders. On the 19 of mars 2005 in Malaysia Kota Kinabalu ; he succeed as Padi Course Director and in 2006 he succeed as Tec Instructor Trainer in Thailand .
Why should you still have doubts?

1997 Guinness record - 32.ur onderwater play (Monopoly - dams)
1997 sport Laureaat city Aalst
1998 sport trophy BLOSO
2001 2nd place sport Laureaat club city Aalst
2002 2nd place sport Laureaat club city Aalst
2002 2nd place sport Laureaat individual city Aalst
2002 dive club to nature friend of the year of East Flanders exclaimed
2003 Huldiging deserving member by the city Aalst
2004 celebration of 15 years exist of the dive club school - Huldiging city Aalst
2005 Huldiging city Aalst for promotion dive sport
2005 2nd place sport Laureaat individual city Aalst
2006 Padi Aware for commitment bears industry to the dive
2006 sport Laureaat trophy BLOSO
2006 reception in Orlando by Padi USAS (Padi 40 years celebration)
2007 we make 72 candidate Instructor to Master Scuba diver Trainer
 

Beside all these activities are Georges also still:
u/Predident of the Council of governing board of the sport Council Aalst.
Member of culture Council Aalst
Member of the festival committee Aalst

Professional Padi trainer for the countries as : Belgium - Egypt - Cyprus - Lanzarote - Turkey
In Egypt we give the course in :Dutch - French - English - Arabesque



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