From Resident Course Director Andy Phillips, January 2008;

The dive industry is a dynamic, rewarding and exciting recreational sport to be professionally involved in and has countless career opportunities all over the world for people from all different cultures and backgrounds, here's how we can help you be a part of this amazing sport and lifestyle.

My name's Andy and I'm the PADI Course Director for Utila Dive Centre on Utila, Honduras, Central America, and oversee all of our professional training programs. As a dive professional you want to make sure that you get off to the best start with you dive career and that means looking for the right dive facility and staff to undertake your PADI 'Instructor Development Course' (PADI IDC) and continuing education programs with. We'd like to help you decide if 'Utila Dive Centre' is the place where you would like to be trained as a PADI Instructor and if our team, of dive professionals, are the people you want to learn from. We don't claim or boast to be the best or the biggest, there are other much more commercial, bigger and more business orientated dive schools where you can undertake your course. We prefer a more personalized, real world approach to instructor training and we hope to give you an idea of what you receive when you take your training with us in regards to our staff, experience, facility, reputation, attitude, ambience, and atmosphere and training philosophies, once you've met our staff and facility your you'll be inspired and motivated to undertake your professional training with us.

2008 sees UDC entering its 8th year of training instructors and 18th year of training PADI dive professionals. In 2007 more PADI professionals, particularly those living on Utila, wanted and chose to conduct their 'IDC' with us than any other facility in the Bay Islands based on our reputation for success at, and beyond, the exams, and our lifetime pledge to all our trainees. Your IDC will be run by 2 PADI Course Directors, and we guarantee you will not be in a group size of more than 6:1, that allows us to provide dedicated personal instruction and share our teaching experience and knowledge with you, plus have fun. The fact that in 2007 over 80% of our Instructor candidates chose us through word of mouth recommendation, not advertising or marketing, is a recognition of the quality, professionalism, knowledge, expertise and fun that our Instructor Development team put into every 'Instructor Development Course'. We ensure that in addition to professionalism, safety and high standards, all the Instructors we've trained leave UDC, having had a rewarding, exciting, educational and fun experience with an open door to returning in the future. All our current dive professionals that work at Utila Dive Centre have come through either our Divemaster or Instructor training programs.

In October 2007, both the Utila Dive Centre, and our Instructor Development Team, received individual awards at the annual DEMA dive show for our contribution to supporting the local dive community in the Bay Islands, and also to our commitment and success in training PADI Instructors, no other facility worldwide has received such dual recognition.

Our PADI IDC training facility is modern, air-conditioned and lessons are given using the latest multimedia 'Microsoft PowerPoint' presentations. Every IDC candidate has their own 'work station' and access to the Internet (also wireless), a reference library and all PADI course materials. Our 'Open Water' training site is a shallow protected clear body of water lined with palm trees, white sands and will prepare you best for when you yourself come to teach this amazing sport of diving. We conduct our IDC in the 'Mango Inn' conference facility, set in it's own landscaped gardens and away from noise and distractions, we even have an on-site freshwater swimming pool that allows us to spend more time in the water with you on individual skill development and no matter what the weather conditions are, you get the best training and learning environment. The time that we can save on logistical trips is passed over to you for one on one counselling and training practice in our pool. Our IDC is 4 days longer than the industry standard of 7 days and longer and more comprehensive than any other facility in the region, that's 11 days of quality instructor training with a free preparation program included when you book online and in advance. We've extended our IDC program to cover more effective teaching techniques, discuss instructing in different worldwide environments, children's dive programs, beyond recreational diving - 'Tec-Rec', resort management, hold practical in-water sessions on re-breathers (the future of diving) and look at greater career opportunities in diving including 'diver safety' and 'technical diving', resume preparation and what gives you the best chance of success as a professional in today's dive industry.

Our team that runs UDC's professional programs have received recognition from PADI for their teaching efforts and many 'certificates of excellence', and between them have to date issued over 5000 PADI certifications, persoanlly I have been awarded the highest rating a PADI Course Director can receive as 'Platinum' status, no other Course Director within Central America has received this accolade from PADI. As a dive professional I am passionate about dive travel and adventure and have previously worked in Egypt Red Sea, Thailand SE Asia, Galapagos/Costa Rica Pacific, Cyprus Mediterranean, Caribbean and South Africa. As well as holding the highest qualification in recreational diving as a PADI Course Director (Professional Association Diving Instructors) my other diving interests are in technical trimix diving as an IANTD Trimix Instructor (International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers) and also cave diving as an NSS-CDS full cave certified diver (National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section), with many hours logged exploring the cenotes/cave systems of the Yucatan peninsular in Mexico. In 2005 I qualifed as 'Closed Circuit Rebreather' Instructor on the Inspiration and Megladon units and am often involved as a safety support diver and technical consultant in diving projects conducted within Central America.

When not busy instructing on Utila, our team are often seen together on Utila's reef on photography dives, studying the eco system, promoting conservation of our underwater heritage or working on behalf of local environmental group 'Utila Centre for Marine Ecology'.  As a commitment to the underwater environment we have qualifed as a 'Beautiful Oceans' Science Instructor Development Center, so can offer specialized marine science training, not only does this benefit the underwater environment but we keep our dive professionals on the cutting edge of environmental issues and instruction.  In 2007 we also formed the 'Utila Center for Marine Ecology', the only non-profit research facility in Utila headed by Steve Box, P.h.d Marine Biology, with specific research areas that our professionals can get involved with.

The team that I work closely with include PADI Instructor Trainer Angel Navarro from Spain, Environmentalists Julie Page from Australia and Yamil Ortiz from Mexico. Our team has varied backgrounds from stock broking in London to engineering in Germany, from wine growing in Spain to computer engineering in the Far East, but the one thing we all have in common is our love for diving and our passion for the wonderful lifestyle that this industry bestows upon its professional dive Instructors. Our motivation varies from giving beginner divers their first underwater experience, to showing 'pro's in training' just what it takes to be a success in the modern dive industry and how to unleash your potential as a dive guide/instructor in some of the most exotic dive destinations on Earth.

We've all worked as dive professionals for many years and have certified 1000's of divers at all levels and still enjoy teaching at all levels and training future instructors how to be safe, professional, successful and fun. Our IDC Staff assistants are also qualified to teach both recreational and technical trimix diving, including DSAT Gas Blending and the full range of 'Divers Alert Network' programs such as DAN O2 provider or 'First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries' and between our staff we can also teach in German/French/English/Spanish, working with you for closer supervision and attention.

Our commitment to you doesn't end at the Instructor Examination's. After the Instructor Examinations we have a full range of Instructor level continuing education programs designed to give you a head start to your dive career. We have also designed post IE programs that mentor you with one of our resorts experienced Instructors and you can follow, observe and shadow them as they teach their courses (Open Water to Divemaster), so now what we taught you during the IDC about real world teaching you get to put into practice, at no extra charge. This gives you valuable experience and a work reference from our PADI 'Career Development Centre' Gold Palm Resort and will make it easier for you to find your own Instructor position, our goal is to get you employed as an Instructor, not just pass the IE, and we will work closely with you to help you achieve this, after all your success is also our success. As part of our commitment to you we send regular newsletters keeping you informed of changes in the Latin America/Caribbean dive industry but most importantly you become part of a professional network of divers (Divemasters/Assistant Instructors/Instructors) that have all trained at Utila Dive Centre. In addition to having our Staff who have worldwide contacts and teaching experience we can use this network to place you in touch with other professionals who are working all around the world to help you find employment or simply seek advice from.

At Utila Dive Centre we prefer to keep our AI/IDC class sizes smaller and more personal by offering up to 10 IDC's a year and by giving you more choice over your path to becoming a professional, our average group sizes are 6:1 which is less than the maximum set by PADI of 8:1. If you compare this to other dive resorts you'll probably find few other facilities give as many scheduling options, personal attention or flexibility.

The one thing we cannot give you an idea of is the great ambience and atmosphere that exists at Utila Dive Centre and probably one of our biggest assets is intangible, no matter how well equipped our facility is, no building, boats, classrooms, equipments can match the care, attention, service and quality that we put into every PADI Instructor Development Program and all the staff at our resort who works so hard to achieve this. Whilst many other facilities often try to imitate our training and philosophies we can assure you that we are never surpassed and this is reflected in the caliber of Instructor that we train, our track record and that we have the longest serving team of Instructor Development staff in Central America. As a dynamic team our IDC's improve on a course by course basis just as we also train you to constantly evolve and raise the standard of your own dive courses, for an impartial report please look at www.choosingidc.com, an independent PADI search engine to find out how we compare to other facilites and if you'd like to undertake your pro training with us.

As PADI Instructor Examiner 'Arch Archibald' recently wrote; "Andy; Finally got home - Just a quick note and a BIG THANK YOU to you and the entire staff at UDC for a job well done during the IE - Accomodations were great, neat pool and classroom combination, wonderful weather, and a great group of folks to work with. Regards; Arch"

We hope you now have a better insight into how we, at Utila Dive Centre, can help you get off to the best start in your professional dive career so please if there's anything specific we can help you with then feel free to contact me at gopro@utiladivecentre.com and I'll do my best to get back to you ASAP.

What more are you waiting for, GoPro in Paradise with the most rated team (by PADI) in the Western Hemisphere, read about our Instructor Development Course to see the unique and distinct advantages we can offer you in the beginning of your dive career, often imitated but never surpassed!!!!!!

Warm regards from the Caribbean,

Andy Phillips

PADI Course Director #608779
DAN Instructor Trainer #10778
DSAT Tec-Rec Trimix Instructor Trainer #608779
IANTD Instructor Trainer #389

Please if there's anything else you need to know do not hesitate to contact myself and remember the earlier you can enroll in the program the more prepared you will be.

Are you up to the challege of an exciting career as a Dive Professional?

See our schedule to find out when the next Pro courses are being offered.

Or sign up now on our reservations page.

Call us +1-305-4205959, we'll call right back for a personal discussion about your professional training goals, specific course prices, requirements and other questions, or e-mail gopro@utiladivecenter.com

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