PADI IDC & Instructor Crossover

The PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) rating is the first PADI Instructor level attainable for diving professionals.

During their training (either in the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) or the PADI OWSI program), aspiring OWSIs receive an overview of PADI standards and procedures, PADI philosophy, and PADI teaching methods, as well as the final touches on their practical teaching and training skills, both in and under water, and in dive theory.

Upon successful completion of the PADI Instructor Examination (IE), the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor assumes responsibility for teaching and developing scuba diving skills through various courses and programs. A PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor in teaching status is authorized to teach all PADI courses and programs, from Discover Scuba through Divemaster (except for Medic First Aid and specialty courses that require a specialty instructor rating).

To participate in a PADI IDC, you must:

Be a certified PADI Assistant Instructor or PADI Divemaster, or be a certified instructor member of another recreational diver training organization

Be at least 18 years old

Provide a medical certificate no more than 12 months old. The certificate must be signed by a physician and certify the individual's fitness to practice scuba diving. The signing physician must not be the instructor candidate themselves.

Be a certified diver for at least 6 months and have completed and logged at least 60 dives (as documented in the diver's personal logbook).

Provide proof of successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training within the last 24 months.

Provide proof of all equivalent certifications from other training organizations for the Entry Level, Advanced, and Rescue Diver courses. If an equivalent certification for the PADI Rescue Diver is presented, a copy of the proof of successful completion of a first aid training course must also be presented (PADI Members who already have this certification on file with PADI do not need to resubmit it).

The PADI Instructor development process is divided into two phases: a training phase and an examination phase:

1. The training phase can be completed either by attending an Instructor Development Course (IDC) or through the OWSI program. PADI Assistant Instructors and PADI Divemasters participate in the IDC format, whereas qualified instructors from other recognized training organizations choose either the IDC or the OWSI program. IDCs and OWSI programs are led by PADI Course Directors with teaching status.

2. The PADI Instructor Examination (IE) is the assessment phase of the PADI Instructor qualification process. Instructor candidates who have successfully completed an IDC or the OWSI program can participate in a PADI IE. To be certified as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI), you must successfully complete a PADI IE under the supervision of a PADI Instructor Examiner.

Our IDCs are conducted in cooperation with the 5-Star IDC Center Santana Divers, Patong-Phuket.