Culture News
ISA International Surf Instructor Symposium 2015 Starts Off in Bali
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 May, 2015 - Kuta-Bali, Indonesia - Today in Kuta, Bali, The International Surfing Association’s International Surf Instructor Symposium 2015 officially got started, with a truly international group of 23 participants of 11 different nationalities coming together to begin their ISA Level 1 Surf Coaching Course with Australia’s Jamo Borthwick, ISA Level 2 Instructor/Presenter and owner of the Walking on Water Surf School.
Yesterday, after a preliminary ISA Level 1 Instructor/Presenter Training course was held at the Rip Curl School of Surf office at Legian Beach for the four instructor candidates that will be assisting Borthwick throughout the symposium, all the participants were taken to a classroom at the Rip Curl SEA Headquarters for an introductory course overview session with ISA’s Alex Reynolds and Jamo Borthwick. In addition to learning more about the ISA and its mission and programs, the session also included obtaining the participants various levels of experience in order to provide the best and most focused materials and instruction for the course.
The majority of the day today was spent in the classroom, going through the first modules of the program before taking a lunch break for some amazing Swich sandwiches washed down with refreshing cold drinks provided by Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia.
Beach session © ISA/Hain
During the break, several of the participants were asked for their reasons and goals for participating in the course:
Elizabeth from New Zealand, who has been surfing now for about 3.5 years, found out about the course from a local surf instructor near Christchurch where she lives. “I was planning on coming to Bali anyways,” she said, “So I just fit it into my schedule. I’ve only been here four days now, and there are some great people and great fun! My reason for taking the course is that I want to become a certified instructor so I have something I can take with me when I’m traveling, as I want to teach other people and share my passion for surfing.”
Emmy from Norway has been in Bali for 3 weeks, working at a surf camp. “I want to get my certification so I will be more knowledgeable when talking to the guests, and also be able to fill in as an instructor when needed,” she explained.
Hannah is from Sweden and has been in Bali for several months, teaching yoga and surfing. “I’ve been trying to improve my surfing and now I want to be a surf instructor, she said. “I’ve always loved surfing, and I like teaching people, so when I heard about the course I thought it would be a perfect fit, so here I am!”
Fred, a surf shop and surf school owner, came from Guam with three others to take the course, and when asked what motivated him to come all this way he replied, “I really want the credibility that comes from getting ISA certification, as the surf scene is growing in Guam. We’re getting more youth interest in surfing now, so it’s important to get this certification now so we can do the best job we can in teaching these young kids. I’m having a great time, learning a lot already, from the presenter and the other participants on this first day, and really looking forward to the next few days of learning even more!”
In the next days in addition to classroom learning, the participants will be doing practical sessions at the beach as well as a required Surf Rescue course taught by Bali’s Lifeguard Department.
At the close of the first day, the ISA’s Alex Reynolds was asked for his impressions so far, to which he replied, “It’s really awesome to be here in Bali, and to see so many people from all over the world here for this symposium. We’re really excited that we could come here and help set things up for the future, so that both locals and internationals can come here and get trained in the future. We’re honored to be invited here and to be a part of developing this instructor training program, and doing it in a professional and sustainable way, with our high standards of safety and quality.”
The ISA International Surf Instructor Symposium 2015’s technical program will conclude on May 22nd, but will continue by providing practical training opportunities for those that wish through May 24th at the Rip Curl School of Surf.
