Course overview

The PADI Instructor Development Course on Koh Tao takes you from leading dives to teaching them, on the island that certifies more divers than anywhere else on earth. Candidates rehearse classroom, confined-water and open-water teaching presentations in the warm 28-30C Gulf of Thailand, then sit the independent Instructor Examination. You finish ready to certify your own students at sites such as Twins, White Rock and Chumphon Pinnacle.

What you’ll learn

• Deliver knowledge-development, confined-water and open-water teaching presentations
• Apply the PADI system of education, standards and learning objectives
• Demonstrate, evaluate and correct the 24 core scuba skills to instructor level
• Manage student risk and run training sessions to dive-centre standards
• Brief, supervise and debrief student divers with confidence
• Prepare fully for the independent two-day PADI Instructor Examination

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• PADI Divemaster or a qualifying leadership rating from another recognised agency
• Certified diver for at least 6 months
• 60 logged dives to begin the IDC and 100 to sit the Instructor Examination
• Emergency First Response Instructor rating (can be completed alongside)
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   IDC orientation & teaching foundations

   An introduction to the PADI system of education and your first knowledge-development classroom presentations.
2. Day2
   Confined-water workshops

   Practise demonstrating and teaching the core scuba skills in Koh Tao's calm shallow training bays.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Deliver open-water teaching presentations and skill circuits at sheltered sites like Mango Bay and Japanese Gardens.
4. Day4
   Standards & risk management

   Work through dive standards, risk management, marketing and the business of diving.
5. Day5
   Theory & rescue assessment

   Sit the dive-theory exams and complete the rescue assessment to IDC standard.
6. Day6
   IE preparation

   Mock examinations, presentation polishing and a full briefing for the independent Instructor Examination.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Koh Tao.

Frequently asked questions