Central America’s First PADI Career Development Center

 

INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT COURSE

            In order to help you prepare for the IDC, the IE, and a successful career in diving, please take the time to review this information. These suggestions will help you enter the program better prepared, which in turn will make the IDC and IE easier and more fun for you. If you have any questions, contact us any time; we’re always glad to help in any way we can to improve your IDC experience.

SCHEDULE

            The IDC is an 11 day course, which includes the Instructor Preparation program. Immediately following each IDC, a two-day Instructor Exam is held right here on Utila or on nearby Roatan.

This is to your advantage because it means that everything will be fresh in your mind for the IE; logistics couldn’t be simpler; and you’ll enjoy taking the exams in familiar surroundings.

            The IDC is an informal event. The meeting room is air conditioned, and we want you to be comfortable. Remember, though, that as a dive professional you want to be clean and presentable, and project the best possible image. Clean shorts and T-shirts are perfectly acceptable.

            Most days will include classroom sessions in the morning, with practical application, teaching, and in water workshops in the afternoon. Our schedule will probably be more intense than you’re accustomed to in dive training, but we make every effort to keep the pace manageable and relaxed, and the stress level low. Yes, there will be homework most nights, and we’ll be quite busy, so it’s important to be well prepared and well rested.

            Please understand that while it is important to us that you enjoy your IDC, we do have a lot of work to do in a relatively short time; and our primary responsibility  is to help prepare you well for the IE and a successful career as a PADI Pro. It’s critically important the you are ready to go at the beginning of the program, so that we will be able to make the most of your IDC.

PREREQUISITES

            In order to enroll in the IDC, there are certain prerequisites that you have to meet. You must be at least 18 years old, with six months diving experience and at least 60 logged dives (including night, deep, and navigation). Because we are a Career Development Center you may take both the IDC and IE with the minimum of 60 dives, but won’t be authorized to teach until you have logged at least 100 dives.

You have to be an active PADI Divemaster or Assistant Instructor, or if crossing over from another agency, you must have been a leadership level member for at least six months. You also need signed medical clearance to dive and proof of certification in CPR and basic first aid within the past two years.

If any of your training has been with any agency other than PADI, you need to be able to show proof of certification. If you have any questions or are not sure whether you meet the requirements, please contact us immediately; we’ll help you find out, and will do whatever we can to help you qualify.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

             We have the IDC Crew Pack for sale at BICD, and strongly recommend that you purchase yours as soon as possible, to begin preparing for the IDC. We offer a significantly discounted price on the pack, but if you are coming from off island and can get it to begin studying early, that would be a benefit to you.

            Of course, you will also need the usual classroom supplies such as. notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, post-it notes, and calculators will also come in handy. All of these things are available locally as well.

            For the duration of the IDC, IE and all Specialty Instructor courses you may use our equipment. PADI standards require every member to have a compass, dive tool, and two signaling devices on every dive - we do not provide these items, but you may purchase them in our shop. As a working Professional you will need personal dive equipment. If you would like some recommendations on what we recommend and thereby avoid "buyers remorse", contact us for a listing with details. We have a gear storage room available for our use during the IDC, so you can store your equipment adjacent to our pier throughout the program.

PREPARATION

            Preparation is the key, both during the IDC/IE and in your career in diving. We’re here to do everything we can to prepare you for a successful career, but we can’t do it for you. Entering the IDC well prepared is absolutely essential! To help you come into the program better prepared, follow these steps carefully:

§         Assemble all your certification information. PADI requires that you submit all certification information for Open Water, Advanced, Emergency First Response, Rescue, and Divemaster (dates, locations, numbers, Instructors’ names and PADI numbers, Dive Centers’ names and numbers) with your application. If any of your certifications are from another agency, certification cards or other documentation is also required.  Now is the time to assemble your documentation!

§         Know your dive theory. As a prerequisite for entering the IDC, PADI requires that you demonstrate mastery of dive theory at the Divemaster level. Dive theory is not part of the IDC curriculum, if you would like additional instruction check out our IDC Prep Program. We have you covered! You will be tested on theory in the IE, so it’s important that you’re comfortable with physics, physiology, equipment, skills and environment, and using all versions of the Recreational Dive Planner.

§         Brush up on your skills.  A good idea is to practice the 20 basic skills in the Divemaster Skill Evaluation. Also, you need to practice Exercise Seven (unconscious diver at the surface) from the Rescue Diver course; you will be expected to demonstrate the exercise during the IDC and IE.

§         Know your standards. You’ll want to be as familiar as possible with the courses and programs we’ll be working with in the IDC. Review each program in the Instructor Manual. Sit in on and assist with as many classes as possible.

§         Do your reading and knowledge reviews. The first section of the Candidate Workbook is entitled “Independent Learning,” and all the reading and Knowledge Reviews have to be done before the IDC begins!  If you don’t own these materials, they are included in the IDC Crew Pack, which is available at BICD.

     To get as fair assessment before the IDC, plan on attending the Instructor Preparation Course. If there are areas where you need practice, it’s much better to practice before the IDC!

 

INSTRUCTOR LEVEL CONTINUING EDUCATION

No, the IDC is not the end of the line! In fact, it’s just the beginning, and you’re moving into an entirely new arena as an Open Water Scuba Instructor. That is why we have designed a comprehensive, integrated program to help you get started in your new career. Check out our Instructor Career Packages.

A WORD ABOUT THE IE

            Many candidates come into the IDC without a clear picture of what happens during the IE. This can cause undue stress, and may get in the way of candidates enjoying and getting the most out of their IDC. So we think it’s important for you to know, what to expect in the IE.

            In the IE, you will write 5 exams, multiple choice, 12 questions each, of dive theory (physics, physiology, equipment, skills and environment, and the Recreational Dive Planner). So you’ll take practice exams during the IDC.  

        You’ll also write a 50 question multiple choice exam on PADI Systems, Standards and Procedures. This is an open book exam; based on the same material from your Independent Learning assignments. We’ll discuss every PADI program in detail during the IDC; you’ll practice working with these programs; and you’ll have opportunities to take practice exams, so that we’ll be able to gauge your mastery.

            You’ll also perform knowledge development, confined water, and open water teaching presentations during the IE. During the IDC you’ll learn how to prepare presentations based on the exact same scoring criteria used in the IE. We will work with you until you are comfortable that you’re ready.

            Finally, you’ll demonstrate several skills from the Open Water course and Exercise Seven from the Rescue Diver course. Again, you have time before the program begins to practice; we’ll work with you during the IDC.

           We hope that understanding what will be expected of you during the IE will make the process a little less stressful and more enjoyable for you. We don’t mean to tell you that it will be easy, because it won’t. But there will be no surprises at the IE. All you need to succeed is to repeat one more time in the IE what you’ve already done successfully several times in the IDC. Don’t focus solely on the IE…look at the big picture, and focus as much as possible on making the IDC (and your career in diving) rewarding, and the IE will take care of itself!

           We at the Bay Islands College of Diving are busy getting ready for your Instructor Development Course, and we look forward to working with you soon. Again, if there’s anything we can do now to help you prepare, just let us know!

 Course dates, prices and availability are subject to change. Please contact us at cd@dive-utila.com or call +(504) 425-3291 for further information.`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````