Frequently Asked Questions

The IDC turns Divemasters into PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors. It combines instructor-level theory, teaching workshops and confined and open water training, and prepares you for the PADI Instructor Examination (IE).

You need to be 18 or older and a PADI Divemaster (or equivalent), with 60 logged dives to start (100 to be certified), a medical statement and first aid/CPR training from the last 24 months.

About four weeks of e-Learning with live Zoom sessions, then 10 days in person in Golfo Aranci - 2 days of IDC Prep and 8 days of IDC. The Instructor Examination follows, usually within two days.

Teaching workshops and presentations, confined and open water teaching practice, standards and risk management, IE preparation, a dedicated EFR Instructor day and three Instructor Specialties: Enriched Air, Emergency Oxygen Provider and Advanced Oxygen Provider.

Both. Live e-Learning sessions run in Italian on Mondays and Thursdays and in English on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the in-person IDC is taught in English or Italian - bilingually when the group needs it.

Yes - the pathway is Divemaster, then IDC, then the IE. If you are a professional with another agency, ask us about a Crossover to PADI.

If you can demonstrate core skills comfortably, control your buoyancy and trim and explain things clearly, you're ready. Feeling rusty? 1-to-1 tutoring with an IDC Staff Instructor closes the gaps before day one.

You sit the PADI Instructor Examination, run independently by a PADI Examiner. Once you pass, you can teach PADI courses up to your instructor rating.

Yes. Add five Specialty Instructor ratings and certify 25 divers to become a Master Scuba Diver Trainer - many candidates start straight after the IE with the specialties included in their IDC.

Yes - we help with arrival, accommodation (rooms in a hotel B&B 20 metres from our base or a shared apartment), equipment and your study plan.

Finish your e-Learning, practise your core skills to demonstration quality, and make sure your medical statement and first aid/CPR training are current.

Choose your dates on the course page and book, or contact us for a quick eligibility check and a step-by-step plan.

It lets you teach a specific PADI specialty course - for example Enriched Air, Deep, Wreck, Drift, Dry Suit or Night Diver.

PADI Instructors in teaching status, and IDC candidates. Some specialties also need specific experience or logged dives in that area.

Not always. Many specialties can be earned directly with a Course Director, as long as you meet the prerequisites and performance standards.

Usually a day per specialty - longer if it includes confined and open water sessions.

Yes - most instructors combine several specialties into one trip to Sardinia, and our specialty bundles make it better value.

Enriched Air, Deep, Wreck, Drift, Night and equipment or safety-focused specialties are the most in demand.

Yes. Five Specialty Instructor ratings plus 25 certifications make you a Master Scuba Diver Trainer - and more ratings make you more employable at resorts and liveaboards.

How to teach it: briefings, student control, problem prevention, safety standards and demonstration-quality skills.

Think about where you want to work (currents, wrecks, cold water), what dive centres there sell most, and your own strengths.

It qualifies you to teach Emergency First Response first aid and CPR courses, using EFR's lesson guides and skill coaching.

EFR Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and first aid), Care for Children and related courses - to divers and non-divers alike.

Anyone 18 or older with first aid and CPR training from the last 24 months.

One to two days, depending on the group and whether you need a first aid refresher first.

First aid and CPR training is required to become an instructor, and our IDC includes a dedicated EFR Instructor day, so most candidates certify as EFR Instructors at the same time.

You complete an EFR Primary and Secondary Care update before or alongside the instructor course.

Yes - EFR courses suit individuals, families and workplaces, so many instructors teach them well beyond diving.

Book your dates on the course page, or contact us and we'll confirm your prerequisites and send a checklist.

It qualifies you to teach and certify PADI Mermaid programmes. The course is performance-based: you are assessed on your own water skills, monofin rescue and teaching.

PADI Mermaid programmes, from the Discover Mermaid experience to the Mermaid and Advanced Mermaid courses.

You need to be 18 or older, hold PADI Advanced Mermaid (or take it in your package), have valid First Aid and CPR training and medical clearance, and be able to swim 400 m continuously and float for 10 minutes.

Yes - our complete pathway takes you from PADI Mermaid through Advanced Mermaid to Mermaid Instructor in about 7 days.

The instructor course itself is 4 days. With Advanced Mermaid first allow 5-6 days, and about 7 days for the complete pathway.

It depends on the certifications you hold. Send us your cards and we will recommend the right starting point - Mermaid Instructor, Advanced Mermaid and Mermaid Instructor, or the complete pathway.

No. Mermaid Instructor suits mermaids turning professional, freedivers and swim instructors as well as scuba professionals adding a new programme.

With experience teaching mermaid courses you can progress to Mermaid Instructor Trainer and train new mermaid instructors yourself.