S/01 — Instructor Development Course
From Divemaster to PADI Instructor.
Ten to fourteen days of intensive training. Maximum eight candidates per course. Over 95% IE pass rate. Four languages. Two locations. One Course Director personally guiding every step — from Day 1 orientation to your final mock presentation in front of the Instructor Examiner.
What to expect.
The PADI IDC is not a lecture series — it's a dense, structured programme that interweaves theory, presentation delivery and in-water craft. The modules build on each other, are mirrored in mock exams, and are finally tested in the real IE.
01
Orientation & Standards
Day 1 begins with the PADI System. We review your prerequisites, map out your personal learning path, and clear all administrative items. The rest of the day belongs to PADI Standards — the backbone of everything that gets tested later in the IE.
02
Presentation & Teaching Skills
Classroom presentations, confined-water demonstrations, open-water training sessions. Each category is prepared individually, rehearsed repeatedly, and wrapped in structured feedback. You learn not just *what* to say — but *how* to deliver it so it lands.
03
Dive Theory
Physics, physiology, equipment, decompression theory, RDP, and general dive knowledge. Systematically structured with focus on the IE theory exam — taught in the language you actually think in. Emphasis adapts to your prior knowledge.
04
Confined & Open Water Teaching
You practice all 24 confined-water skills in demonstration quality — slow, precise, worthy of being copied by your future students. Open-water sessions focus on briefing, positioning, problem management, and debriefing at the actual dive site.
05
Rescue & Risk Management
Rescue skills are practiced and graded to instructor standard. Structured risk management follows: dive site briefings, emergency action plans, emergency scenarios — the content that makes you insurable and accountable as an instructor.
06
IE Preparation & Mock Examinations
The final two to three days are packed with mock IEs — presentations, theory tests, confined and open-water sessions under realistic conditions. By the time the IE arrives, it no longer feels like an exam — it feels like another training session that happens to have an examiner in the water.
Three tier options.
The IDC training itself stays identical — same Course Director, same small group, same curriculum. The three packages differ in accommodation, meals, additional Specialty Instructor ratings, and the depth of personal follow-up after the course.
Basic
IDC + IE
The pure training track. Full IDC participation, IE preparation, Instructor Examination included.
- +Complete IDC (10–14 days)
- +IE Preparation with Mock IEs
- +Instructor Examination (IE)
- +PADI Digital Crew-Pak
- +Choice of location: Zurich or Dauin
Recommended
Silver
IDC + MSDT + Accommodation
The extended track. Basic + MSDT prep with 5 Specialty Instructor ratings + on-site accommodation. The standard package for anyone serious about their career.
- +Everything in the Basic package
- +MSDT prep with 5 Specialty Instructor ratings of your choice
- +Accommodation for the full course duration (Dauin)
- +Alumni network access
- +6-month WhatsApp follow-up support
Gold
Full Package · with Internship
The complete career track. Silver + two-week internship with a partner dive centre + priority job referrals from my international network.
- +Everything in the Silver package
- +2-week internship with a partner dive centre
- +Priority job referrals to trusted dive centres
- +Lifetime alumni support
- +Gold Package details →
Transparent: PADI eLearning, Application Fee and IE Fee are billed separately by PADI and are not included in any package — because they go directly to PADI, not to me. You'll get the full pricing breakdown (including these fees) in the free Info Pack.
MSDT — Master Scuba Diver Trainer.
MSDT isn't a luxury — it's a market reality. Most dive centres worldwide prefer to hire MSDTs because they can teach more courses, which means more revenue per instructor. MSDT prep with five Specialty Instructor ratings of your choice is already included in the Silver and Gold packages.
1
Sidemount Instructor — increasingly in demand, especially in technical and cave environments.
2
Deep Instructor — essential for any resort offering deeper dives. High market value.
3
Nitrox Instructor — practically universal. Almost every guest asks for Nitrox certification.
4
Night / Peak Performance Buoyancy — immediately deployable, short format, high enrolment.
5
Search & Recovery · Wreck · Underwater Photography — selectable by market.
6
Location-matched — Specialties are matched to Zurich or Dauin: cold water, night, wreck in Europe; muck, sidemount, deep in Asia.
IDC prerequisites.
Formal PADI requirements are clearly defined. If you're missing something — e.g. EFR Instructor or part of the Divemaster certification — we'll sort it in the Info Pack call and build the right lead-in around it.
✓
PADI Divemaster (or equivalent qualification from another dive organisation).
✓
At least 60 logged dives at course start, 100 for the IE.
✓
EFR Instructor certification — can be completed before or during the IDC.
✓
Dive medical clearance — not older than 12 months at course start.
✓
Minimum age 18 and PADI Divemaster for at least 6 months.
Two locations. One standard.
You pick one of the two locations for the complete IDC including IE. No mid-course switching, no split training days across continents — one clear, coherent training space from Day 1 until you pass the IE.
Zurich · Switzerland
TSK Tauchsport Käser
PADI 5 Star IDC Center on Stauffacherquai. Classic European course logistics, fully equipped showroom, on-site pool sessions, open-water dives at Zurich and regional sites. Ideal for candidates based in DACH, with limited holiday time, or a preference for European diving conditions.
Dauin · Philippines
SeaExplorers Philippines
PADI 5 Star Career Development Center in Negros Oriental. Warm water, calm house reefs, muck-diving capital of the world, up to ten dives per day possible. Ideal for candidates who want to complete their training in a tropical context, train more intensively, or start their instructor career directly in Southeast Asia.