Call us on regular phone In the USA (broadband) 305 420 5959 From the USA to Honduras 011 504 4253326 (cell phone) 011 504 33732521 In the UK (broadband) 0203 3719488 From the UK to Honduras 00 504 425 3326 (mobile phone) 00 504 33732521
It's not just my love affair with Central America that has seen me
living in this region for over the last 9 years. One of the great
things I enjoy about training PADI Instructors in our IDC on Utila and
offering other courses through Utila Dive Centre is the atmosphere,
high standard and internship programs that we have designed in order to
get you off to the best start as a PADI Instructor on Utila, throughout
Central America or other scuba diving resort destinations around the
world. Whilst you can be assured you'll love your IDC and we will
get you to pass the IE we prefer not to use this as a benchmark of your
success, instead we will work with you as a PADI Instructor, beyond the
standard PADI IDC, to see that you have the most success you can enjoy
and get the most from this amazing lifestyle! If you talk to our IDC
candidates from a few years ago you'll find that many have enjoyed
success as dive Instructors, resort managers, liveaboard operators and
some are even Course Directors themselves, our IDC on Utila, Honduras,
Central America is world famous, even PADI Instructor Examiners have a
tough time to leave Utila after visiting just to assess our IDC, come
and find out why?!!!
Our IDC includes;
Free 2 day IDC Preparation program
Pool session and free try dive on rebreathers (subject to availability), 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
Dive for free for life!!!!!
Additional work shops on Rescue techniques and technical diving
The most comprehensive range of Instructor level continuing education programs
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 as often
2 Course Directors involved on your program and a guaranteed group size of no more than 6 candidates
Tuition in English, Spanish, French, Dutch, German and Hebrew
Guaranteed pass at the IE or free IDC and IE
On site accommodation
Job placements, proven and successful
The only full service retail store on Utila with special discounts for our candidates
Additional study and support materials, free of charge, designed to aid your learning development
A lot of fun loving people, click on 'read more' below to find out why..............
Every candidate has their own ‘work station’ and access to the
Internet, a reference library and all PADI IDC course
materials. We have 5 fully equipped dive boats, 24
hour back up power generator, Bauer compressors with 8000 cubic feet air bank, 60 sets of ScubaPro rental equipment, private locker rooms, quiet study areas, a small dive retail outlet and a beautiful dock area constructed over the water with
social amenities. Our on site swimming pool at the Mango Inn, ensures that we can have as much time as possible with you in the water to work on skill
development and make you the best Instructor we can, particularly
should weather conditions become adverse, which can happen when the Caribbean trade winds are blowing towards Utila.
When I structured our first IDC’s back in 2001 I wanted to make a
program that would do more than just see a candidate through the
IE. I remember from experience how I would often find myself in
teaching situations that hadn’t been discussed during my IDC and in
varying geographical regions teaching diving where local protocols
differed. It was with this in mind that I wanted to train an
Instructor who would understand more about the dive industry, different
cultural environments, differing dive regions around the world and the
future of the dive industry. On Utila our IDC is 4 days longer than the
industry standard of 7 days and more comprehensive than any other facility in Central America, that’s 11 days of quality instructor
training. The last 2 days of our IDC are conducted as a ‘mock’
Instructor Examination to give you better preparation and insight into
the real IE. However from our experience as a professional and
from working in a dive centre that trains a lot of divers a year, at
all levels, we know how much more important it is to prepare a
candidate for the real world of dive instruction rather than just to
pass the Instructor Examinations.
We’ve extended our IDC program
to cover more effective teaching techniques, discuss instructing in
different worldwide environments, look at greater career opportunities
in diving including ‘diver safety’ and ‘technical diving’ and resume
preparation. As Utila Dive Centre’s training director I receive a lot of job
applications everyday so we’ll show you exactly what it takes to become
a successful Instructor and what gives you the best chance of success
as a professional in today’s dive industry. As the only facility
on Utila with ‘rebreathers we’ll spend extra time looking at future
trends in diving ‘rebreathers’.
Our commitment to you doesn’t end at the Instructor
Examination’s. If you are staying on Utila looking to find work
we will do our best to help you as our staff and facility have a high
standing in the dive communities of Utila, Roatan and throughout
Central America, and can try to find suitable work. With 11 dive
centers on Utila and many more on Roatan it doesn't take long before a
vacancy arises and we will do our best to help you with resume
preparation, placements and a
reference. In 2008 we trained over 60 Instructors
and with a 100% pass rate and helped all those who have stayed in the local area find
suitable employment and through our placement service have also secured
positions for our Instructors in the Caymans, Costa Rica and
Panama. We always try and encourage our candidates to gain
additional qualifications as this will better prepare them for teaching
through our 25 certification internship program, also this will make
you more valuable as an employee.
Our team of staff is the most experienced in the region, and there is no substitute for experience at the level of 'Instructor Development', through our ongoing support many of our former candidates have progressed to become resort managers, Captains of live aboards, even PADI staff, and several have even become Course Directors, both locally and afar. Whilst our courses and programs, philosophies, and teaching techniques are often attempted to be imitated, they are never matched or surpassed.
If you plan on traveling to
other dive resorts in the world then it’s possible our Course Director and IDC Staff Instructors,
through their own experience of working all around the world, can
help/advise and counsel you on teaching in differing environments and
help guide you in the right direction to secure employment.
As part of our commitment to you we send regular newsletters keeping
you informed of changes on Utila 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.
We've developed our program to be at the forefront of dive professional education and have integrated the Beautiful Oceans Science Diver Instructor course into our MSDT program, the Beautiful Oceans programs are essential for any professional working in or near coral reefs and as well as giving you a better understanding of the marine environment will allow you to make a positive contribution to sustaining coral reefs and enhancing your students interaction with them.
Although I am proud of the success and precadent that we have set at the Instructor Examinations I can never guarantee that you will pass the IDC 1st time, that would just be marketing talk,
arrogance and false promises, even the most gifted of us can have an
off day! I will however advise you if you are not quite ready and
should wait a little longer before taking your Instructor
Examinations. Though it doesn’t happen often if we do
advise you to wait before taking the IE then we will give you a 2nd IDC
for free, no gimmicks. However in 2008 our 'Instructor Development' team of PADI Course Directors, Andy Phillips, Angel Navarro and IDC Staff Instructors trained over 60 Instructors that all passed the IE and we assisted all those that
stayed on Utila or in the local area secure employment. I and my
colleagues are available for consultation during the IE and so if
you’re still now sure of the location of where you’d like to ‘Go Pro’
ask yourself the following questions?
Is my IDC extended beyond 7 days to a program 10-11 days in duration?
Do I have 2 experienced Course Directors conducting my IDC with 30 IDC’s to their experience?
Can I get tuition in other languages, Spanish, French, Dutch, German and Hebrew, if needed?
Will my group size be smaller than 6 candidates?
Can I assist on PADI courses and dive prior to my IDC?
Can I dive for free if I return to my IDC facility?
Is my IDC conducted in a Career Development Center
and multimedia facility, with reference library and internet access?
Will I have a training pool at my availability for additional skill development and extended practice?
Is my Course Director able to offer the complete
system of Instructor ‘continuing education’ including Instructor
courses such as Nitrox Instructor, Gas Blender Instructor, DAN 02 Instructor and 'Beautiful Oceans' Science Instructor?
After the IE can my Course Director help me with
career placements and are they well connected in the local region, Central America and in other dive resorts around the world?
Am I confident my PADI IDC will be professional, knowledgeable, interesting, real world and fun?
Have PADI recognized my IDC facility and Course Director with certificates of excellence and recognition?
If you can answer yes to all the above then we hope that you’re able to
join us in the near future for your PADI IDC on Utila and the beginning
of an exciting time and start to your dive career as a PADI
professional. Remember it’s important that you feel 110%
comfortable with the facility and people where you undertake your dive
training so we hope this gives you an
idea of what we have to offer at Utila Dive Centre. Unfortunately
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.
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
