Become a Diving Mentor with PADI® Instructor Development Course!
14 days | Unlimited Dives
Why become a PADI instructor?
It's a calling for some, a must for others, and a fantastic adventure for all. Coral Grand Divers is here to help you achieve it with minimal hassle.
Embarking on the Instructor Development Course in Koh Tao is your passport to a global career. You'll have the chance to share the wonders of the underwater realm, live your dream, and transform your passion into a fulfilling profession—all while earning a living doing what you love!
Become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor of the Coral Grand Divers Family
At Coral Grand Divers, we believe in the highest level of diver standards and training for all our diver courses. Our Course Director and his team will give you the best tools to participate in your PADI Instructor Development Course.
Beyond preparing for your Instructor Examination, this is the beginning of your new life and career.
The main objective of the PADI OWSI is to teach you how to manage divers through mentor-ship for all the PADI programs, from Discover Scuba Diving to PADI Divemaster. It will prepare you to function as an effective PADI Instructor by thoroughly familiarizing you with the PADI system and all its diver training programs.
PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors are the most sought-after dive professionals worldwide, and you will have job opportunities at your fingertips everywhere!
During your Instructor Development Course, you'll acquire Specialty Instructor ratings for Deep Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox Diver, Wreck Diver, and two additional specialties of your choosing while diving on some of Koh Tao's best sites form our boat.
If you feel like teaching others about diving and the ocean's wonders is your call, then our PADI Instructor program has you covered!
With this rating, you will be able to teach:
- PADI Scuba Diver/Open Water Diver
- Adventures in Diving Program (Adventure Diver/Advanced Open Water Diver)
- Rescue Diver
- Divemaster
- Skin Diver and Discover Snorkeling
- Discover Scuba Diving
- PADI Seal Team and Bubblemaker
- ReActivate and Discover Local Diving
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Project AWARE Specialty
- AWARE – Coral Reef Conservation
- Deep Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox Diver, Wreck Diver, and two additional specialties of your choosing
Composition of the Instructor Courses
The PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC), the core of PADI Instructor training, is made of 2 components:
- The Assistant Instructor course
- The Open Water Scuba Instructor course
The IDC emphasizes the development of candidates. Candidates develop their intructor-level knowledge and skills in the IDC through independent study and live presentations and workshops conducted or supervised by the Course Director.
It also includes an EFR Instructor Training Program in two days.
After completion of the IDC, you will move to the Instructor Examination - a two day program run by the PADI examiners. The applicant is tested during academic presentations, confined and open water presentations, and your knowledge of diving and PADI standards.
Classroom Presentations
- Orientation
- Dive Theory Workshop
- PADI System Workshop
- Learning and Teaching Workshop
- Discover Scuba Diving Workshop
- Open Water Dive Course Scheduling and Set Up Workshop
- Risk Management and Licensing Workshop
- Knowledge Development Presentation Workshop and Candidate Knowledge Development Presentations
- Skill Development Workshop
- Confined Water Training Workshop and Candidate Confined Water Teaching Presentations
- Open Water Training Workshop and Candidate Open Water Teaching Presentations
- Continuing Education Workshop
- Advanced Open Water Diver Course Workshop
- Rescue Diver Course Workshop
- Sales Techniques Workshop
- Course Close
Presentations
- Present at least three knowledge development teaching presentations
- Present at least four-confined water teaching presentations
- Present at least two integrated (two skills) open-water teaching presentations
Demos
- Perform all 24 dive skills in the Skill Evaluation
Swim test
- Perform a 400 meters/yard continuous swim without swimming aids and using any stroke or combination of strokes.
- Perform a 10-minute tread, drown-proof, bob, or float using no aids and wearing only a swimsuit.
Rescue practice
- In a confined or open water environment, you must demonstrate with role-model quality the rescue of a simulated panicked diver at the water surface.
- In open water, you must demonstrate with role-model quality the rescue of a simulated unresponsive, non-breathing diver at the water's surface.
In open water, participate in a scenario including:
- Surfacing a simulated unresponsive non-breathing diver
- Providing aid at the surface
- Exiting
First aid on boat/shore, including rescue breathing for and administering oxygen to the victim using a rescue breathing mask.
Theory Exams
- Score 75 percent on the PADI Systems, Standards, and Procedures Exam and have any missed questions reviewed until mastery is achieved. Retest candidates scoring less than 75 percent.
- Score 75 percent on all sections of the Dive Theory Exam and have any missed questions reviewed until mastery is achieved. Retest candidates scoring less than 75 percent.
Now that you have done part one and part of the PADI, you can attend the PADI IE, PADI examination.
Duration
We run a 14-day Instructor Development Course. Then you need to complete the independent and PADI examiner-led 2-day PADI Instructor Examination (IE).
The MSDT Prep can be completed after your IE in only 3 days ; the perfect way to spend those days while you wait for your paperwork to be processed at PADI head office.
Why complete my IDC Course with Coral Grand Divers?
We are one of Koh Tao, Thailand's most professional and sought-after Instructor Development Centers.
- 5 Star facilities (Beachfront Dive center, purpose-built scuba training pool, boat, AC classroom, free wi-fi…)
- During your Instructor Development Course, you'll acquire Specialty Instructor ratings for Deep Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox Diver, Wreck Diver, and two additional specialties of your choosing while diving on some of Koh Tao's best sites form our boat.
- Pass Guarantee: once you have passed your IDC, if you fail at the IE, you can retake the next PADI Instructor course for free with us.
- We prepare you for real-world teaching and help you pimp your CV to land the best job!
Why should I do my IDC course in Koh Tao?
Some of the world's most recognized PADI Dive centers are based in Koh Tao, so training standards are incredibly high. The Koh Tao island has produced some of the diving industry's most celebrated and awarded leaders.
Koh Tao is a world-class diving destination. Over 25 dive sites, Shipwrecks, whale sharks, fantastic fish, and corals are throughout our beautiful island. The dive sites in Koh Tao are rich, healthy, and vibrant. Training on this tropical island is the best place to have a balanced life between work and lifestyle.
And how about the climate? The weather is excellent all year round in Koh Tao, with some rain between November to December. We enjoy great diving all year round!
What are the prerequisites for the IDC course?
- Hold a PADI Divemaster or Assistant Dive Instructor qualification with a current paid membership of PADI or an equivalent leadership level certification with another training organization.
- Please let us know if you have been out of Divemaster teaching status for an extended period. You may need some retraining before the course.
- Have proof of 60 logged dives
- The ruling is that you need 60 dives to start the course and 100 dives to attend the Instructor examination. There are no logged dives during the course, so you will need 100 logged dives to begin effectively.
- Please let us know before arriving if you still need to get 100 dives or have the dives logged.
- Have medical clearance of fitness to dive, signed and dated by a doctor within the past 12 months*
You can contact your regular doctor or do it here in Koh Tao before starting the course.
Emergency First Response training within the last 24 months
If your Emergency First Response training has expired, you can do an EFR Refresher in Koh Tao.
- Have been a certified diver (Open Water Diver course or equivalent) for at least six months
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be able to swim with mask/snorkel/fins 800 meters
- Tread water for 10 minutes
- Have experience in night dives, deep dives, and underwater navigation
Required Equipment For All IDC Candidates
The following items are NOT included with your free equipment rental and will need to be purchased if you still need them.
- Surface Marker Buoy
- Finger Reel or Buoy Line (5 meters)
- Pocket O2 Mask
- Whistle
- Dive Knife
This equipment is the necessary and highly recommended safety equipment for any scuba diver to carry with them on any dive.
What Should I Know Before Turning Up For my IDC?
The knowledge development section of the IDC is divided between independent study (E-learning) plus a series of in-class knowledge development presentations and workshops.
We recommend completing all independent eLearning before beginning the Instructor Development Course.
We will give you a different homework schedule if you are signing up late for the IDC or have yet to complete this section beforehand.
E-learning topics covered are:
- Getting Started
- Dive Theory for Dive Leaders
- PADI System Overview
- Learning, Instruction, and the PADI System
- Discover Scuba Diving and Experience Programs
- The PADI Open Water Diver Course
- Risk Management and Legal Considerations 8 – Managing Risk
- PADI Quality Management and Licensing
- Introduction to Teaching Presentations
- Conducting and Evaluating Knowledge Development
- Confined Water Training
- Open Water Training
- Continuing Education and Leadership Courses
- The Business of Diving
- How to Teach the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) – required for crossover candidates; optional for PADI Members
Physical Dive Skills
You should know how to do the following things safely, correctly, and without difficulty.
- Deploy a surface marker buoy
- Deploy a lift bag
- Basic underwater navigation skills
- Boat entry & exits
- Assemble your diving equipment
- Operate a dive computer
- Swim 400 meters and treat water for 10 minutes
- Rescue Skills: Surfacing a simulated unresponsive non-breathing diver and providing aid at the surface. Exiting. First aid on boat/shore, including rescue breathing for and administering oxygen to the victim using a rescue breathing mask.
Diving Knowledge
You should understand and be able to do or generally explain the following things:
- General diving knowledge
- Safe diving practices
- Equalization theory
- Basic Physics of and scuba diving
- Basic mathematical skills
- Operate a calculator
If any of this is unfamiliar, you need to brush up on it, and the best way to do that is by reading your Scuba Diving Encyclopedia, which you should have received with your PADI Divemaster Pack.
All IDC candidates must have a set of required materials for use during the course and to retain afterward.
You can purchase the PADI IDC Crew Pack from us directly. The pack itself is broken into two components; digital and physical.
The physical PADI IDC Crew Pack includes the following:
- Dive Lesson Planning Slates (Confined and Open Water)
- PADI Dive Planning & Skill Practice Slate
- Open Water, Advanced, Rescue Diver, Divemaster Course Instructor Cue Cards
We will provide you with the PADI IDC physical crew pack once you arrive in Koh Tao.
You will also need the following items from your Divemaster pack:
- PADI Instructor Manual
- E-RDP ML and Instructions for use booklet
- Encyclopedia of recreational diving
The IDC program includes (14 days)
- IDC and EFRI courses
- Coral Grand Divers offers all candidates the chance to assist in dive courses, lead fun dives, and practice dive skills before the IDC
- MSDT Prep can be completed after your IE in only 3 days ; the perfect way to spend those days while you wait for your paperwork to be processed at PADI head office.
PADI Dive Instructor Course Cost: 41,900 baht **
** Additional Costs
2024 Instructor Application Fee: $AUS 331
PADI Instructor Examination fee: $AUS 1,120
EFR Instructor Application – $AUS 228
Specialty Instructor Application Fee per individual specialty chosen : $123.00 AUD
* Payable directly to PADI and can undergo changes
PADI Instructor Materials – 25,000 baht
(IDC eLearning & physical crew packs & EFR))
EFR Instructor Digital Guides – 4,000 baht
IMPORTANT! -Flying after Diving
When planning your diving trip and your journey toward your destinations, always remember that you must not fly directly after scuba diving. It accentuates the risk of having decompression sickness.
The PADI guidelines are to NOT FLY during a 12 hours interval after a single dive and 18 hours after multiple dives. As often when it comes to scuba diving, take a conservative approach to safety, and whenever possible, avoid flying the next 24 hours after a dive.
If you intend to do multiple dives on different days during your trip, consider buying your own dive computer, as it will calculate the optimal time to fly based on your diving history.
Even more than other outdoor sports, diving is weather- and sea-dependent. Be aware that some sites might be inaccessible on certain days and that diving trips might be canceled due to dangerous conditions.
Luckily, Thailand has a fantastic climate almost all year round and this happens very rarely.
