Instructor Development Course (IDC) - Go Pro | Go Pro! | Utila Diving

The Instructor Development Course is comprised of 2 components. The 1st portion is the Assistant Instructor program. The 2nd portion is the OWSI (Open Water Scuba Instructor) program. The IDC develops candidate's abilities to prepare academic, confined water and open water teaching presentations. As an Instructor candidate you'll also learn about business principles, teaching children, risk management and other important topics relevant for the dive professional. Practical workshops during the IDC will develop your ability to retail dive equipment and counsel divers into continuing education programs.

Unlike most PADI IDC facilities we schedule our IDC program over a period of 11 days, with a free 2 day 'Preparation Program' included, and have 2 resident Course Directors. This allows us to make the course much more relaxed and to give us more time to focus on individual counseling and development which guarantees your success at the IE and in reality after the training is implemeted into real teaching. Our IDC's are scheduled to end 2 days before local PADI IE's commence, allowing time if necessary for our in-house Course Director to remediate with individual candidates. At the Utila Dive Centre we conduct our IDC's in modern air-conditioned classrooms using the latest PowerPoint multi media presentations. Candidates already certified, as Assistant Instructors only need to complete the OWSI portion of the IDC.

Free 2 day IDC Preparation program
Pool session and free try dive on rebreathers, no other staff on Utila are trained or qualified to offer this additional experience or insight into future technologies
Free Internet access
Free lunch buffets
Discounts on scuba equipment (the only full service retail store on Utila)
Additional work shops on Rescue techniques and technical diving
The longest serving team on Utila, with the highest rated Course Director in Central America 'Platinum status', no other Course Director in Central America has achieved this rating
2 Course Directors involved on your program and a guaranteed group size of no more than 6 candidates
Guaranteed pass at the IE or free IDC and IE
On site accommodation
Job placements, proven and successful (We have conducted over 60 IDC's in the last 7 years, we know the region and industry the best)
The most comprehensive choice of Instructor level continuing education programs
Additional study and support materials, free of charge, designed to aid your learning development
A lot of fun loving people, come and find out why..............

Andy Phillips and Angel Navarro are the PADI Course Directors that will conduct your IDC, they are have a wealth of experience and knowledge beyond the average 'Instructor Trainers' in the region, are true professionals and love diving, Instructing and having fun! There award winning IDC's have seen them both receive countless certificates of excellence from PADI Vice President James Morgan based on the comments and feed back of the Instructors they have trained.

Andy has over 5000 logged dives, is also a DSAT Trimix Instructor Trainer, DAN Instructor Trainer and IANTD Instructor Trainer. Andy's diving background has taken him all over the world, instructing and diving afar as the Great Barrier Reef, Galapagos, South Africa, Yucatan caves of Mexico, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, Thailand, Costa Rica and his current home in the Caribbean. At only 35 years old Andy has trained over 2000 divers and issued over 1400 professional level certifications and is an accomplished and experienced mixed gas technical diver, full cave diver and 'Closed Circuit Rebreather' diver, and with such a qualified background is often involved in local diving projects as a safety and support diver and technical consultant. Andy's hobbies outside of diving are sailing, travel, trekking and off road mountain biking. Prior to working in the scuba industry in 1997, Andy worked in commercial insurance in market analysis and designing future policies, his business background and expertise will help you get the best possible start to your professional dive career. Andy is the highest qualified and most experienced Course Director in Central America and has received the most awards for his work in training dive professionals, many of his previous IDC candidates now hold prominent positions within the dive industry as successful Instructors, in managing resorts, operating live aboard vessels, working for PADI and also as PADI Course Directors themselves.

Angel Navarro, originally worked in Spain as a mountain guide, but like many of our candidates turned his love of marine biology, eco systems and meeting people into his livelihood. Angel is experienced in dive centre management and has risen from 'Open Water Scuba Instructor' to PADI Instructor Trainer in just 3 years and gained extensive worldwide experience along the way. His patience, role modeling, empathy, attitude have had PADI Vice Presidents label him the consummate professional. Angel has played a pivotal role in upgrading and adapting our IDC curriculum beyond the generic course structure that PADI designed. Angel has developed workshops on knot tying, lift bag deployment, CESA's and descents and a session on future technologies. Angel also uses our internet equipped classroom to guide you through PIC online, PADI's employment board, many scuba related websites and forums to make you as best informed as can be.

The PADI IDC is held in the Mango Inn resort, on Utila, Honduras, Central America, equipped with a spacious, modern, A/C class room with fully stocked reference library and wireless internet access. The Mango Inn is away from the main settlement of Utila in quiet gardens yet is only a few minutes walk from all amenities and conveniences should you need to procure any items or accessories. Our presentations are given on widescreen TV's and LCD projector display. Outside the classroom you are surrounded by luscious gardens with accommodation, freshwater training pool and restaurant a few steps away. The tranquil gardens of the Mango Inn are the perfect location, in this tropical paradise, for a low stress learning environment and you are need more than a 5 minute walk from where you may be staying whilst on Utila.

Come join us in Utila, Honduras, Central America, for the life changing experience you have always dreamed off-GoPro!

Read about our teaching philosophy and find out what sets UDC apart from the rest of the dive industry.