COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
- Minimum age: 18 years old
- Certified scuba diver for a minimum of 6 months
- Certified divemaster
- Minimum 60 logged dives
- Minimum 100 logged dives needed to take the instructor examination (IE)
- Current Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care within last 24 months
- Time commitment: 7 days (not including self-study or instructor examination)
- Medical statement with a sign-off from a physician within the past 12 months
- Emergency First Response Instructor
*Co-requisite:
GEAR REQUIREMENTS:
- Basic scuba equipment
- Dive computer
- Dive knife
- Surface marker buoy (SMB) with finger spool
- Audible underwater signaling device
- Compass
- Lift bags
- Slate(s) with pencil
WHAT WILL I LEARN DURING THE PADI INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT COURSE (IDC) WITH DXDIVERS?
The instructor development course (IDC) at DXDIVERS is designed to prepare you to teach others how to scuba, sharpen their skills as they continue education, and help you pass the instructor examination (IE) with flying colors. We understand the amount of time, money, and commitment you have made to pursue your instructor rating and we don’t take that lightly. That said, you will spend your 7 day IDC week doing classroom presentations, pool skills demonstrations, open water skill simulations, and evaluating each other on said skills. PADI’s approach to courses is conservative, always erring on the side of safety - comforting for both the instructor and the student. Additionally, you will work on becoming a better public speaker as you give presentations to your peers and Course Director Charles Kiss. After all, as an instructor you are the leader - you command the attention of your students and you are the authority they’re looking to. You will even get the chance to work with real students during the course to gain real-world experience, with the benefit of Course Director Charles watching over your shoulder and giving constructive feedback.
WHAT IS THE INSTRUCTOR EXAMINATION (IE)?
The IE is the final step in earning your Open Water Scuba Instructor certification. This is a two-day independent examination to evaluate your performance in four areas: written exam, classroom presentation, confined water teaching and open water teaching. It is our recommendation that you finish the IDC course right before you plan to take the IE for best results.
BECOME AN IDC CANDIDATE IN 3 STEPS:
- Complete all the prerequisites
- Purchase the PADI IDC digital crew-pack and complete all the modules
- Schedule your in-person training with Course Director Charles Kiss
Glad you asked! Here at DXDivers, we're proud to have an all encompassing facility and dive boat to provide a convenient and relaxing scuba experience. We have a full retail store equipped with over 100 diving brands and over 3000 unique products. On-site, we also have a training pool out back and several classrooms upstairs. Once you're certified, check out our drive-thru tank fill station so you don't have to lug your tanks through the store. Best of all, you can hop on our 46-foot Newton custom dive boat, the Lady Go Diver, docked less than a mile from the shop. Did we mention we're the only dive shop in South Florida to have both a full retail dive shop and our own charter boat? We manage every aspect of our operation to better serve you and provide the best possible diving experience.
Aside from the self-study, the in-person sections of the course will take 6 days to complete. These are jam packed 8-10 hour days and should be done right before you plan on taking your Instructor Examination (IE) for best results, which is when we normally schedule IDC.
IDC will be a combination of in-pool skills training, classroom presentation training, open water scenarios and simulated classes. The focus of the course will mainly center around teaching the PADI core courses. Course Director Charles Kiss particularly likes to focus on instructor lifestyle, how to create a good class flow, how to order student materials from PADI, how to tie classes together like looping specialties in with Advanced Open Water and more.
The main objective of the IDC course is to effectively learn how to break down concepts to students and assess their skills performance. You will learn proper skill delivery and how to evaluate a student’s competency for each skill. With this, you will also improve your public speaking, necessary for classroom and confined water exercises.
It’s required to have your own personal and scuba gear. Personal gear entails: mask, snorkel, fins, weights, safety marker buoy (SMB) with finger spool, whistle, boots (if using open heel fins) and wetsuit. Recommended scuba equipment: regulator with first and second stage, octopus, buoyancy compensation device (BCD), a dive computer, compass and lift bags. Tanks are not necessarily required but highly encouraged. Besides the basic scuba gear, you will need: slates with a pencil, lift bags, an audible underwater signaling device, a knife, a reel for your flag, back-up computer and dive lights for night dives.
Yes, both air and Nitrox fills are included throughout the duration of the course. If you do not have your own tanks, rentals will be included as part of the course fee.
First, make sure you have fully completed the self-study portion of the course, including all the knowledge reviews and the dive knowledge workbook. Next, familiarize yourself with the additional course materials like the Guide to Teaching and the PADI Instructor Guide. Read through the EFR instructor materials. Make sure to get your Medical Statement completed with a sign-off from a physician. Besides the course work, make sure your gear has been serviced within the past year and the battery on your computer still works.
Medical Statement is PADI’s waiver that constitutes a physical performed by a physician that you are in good health to dive.