Beginner to Instructor Scuba Internship Course content and timeframe

Week One; Course 1) The Open Water Diver certification is the 1st complete PADI certification you can earn. The Open Water Diver course is comprised of 5 academic modules, 5 confined water training sessions and 4 open water dives. This license is the beginning of your passport to adventure.

This course can be conducted in 3 ½ to 4 ½ days and requires no previous diving experience and you’ll start your Open Water diver course by studying independently with the PADI Open Water diver manual, on day 1 our experienced and fun Instructors will review your assignments and elaborate on any areas necessary, on day 2 you’ll take your fist breathes underwater and enter a new world and you’ll be amazed at why you never took this course earlier but be warned diving is addictive. On day 3 you will complete all of your confined water training that will have made you proficient with basic dive skills and we’ll take you onboard one of our dive boats for your first dive in Open Water, if you thought confined water training was amazing, just wait till you see the beauties of our reef systems, it’s a tropical paradise. The final 4th day will finish your Open Water training with your last 2 dives on our reefs and now you’re a PADI Open Water diver and the adventure is just beginning!

Step 2) Now you’re really discovering the adventure of diving when you earn the Advanced Open Water Diver certification which can be completed in just 2 days. This certification allows you to choose 5 dives from night, deep, navigation, naturalism, multilevel, boat, search & recovery, underwater photography, underwater videography, cavern and many many more amazing experiences. If you’ve always wanted to tour underwater wrecks, enjoy spotting lobster and octopus on night dives and see schools of pelagic fish or learn how to identify the hundreds of different creatures that live on a Caribbean reef system then you will love this course.

Week Two; Fun Dives, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Nitrox and Wreck specialty classes will fine tune your dive skills and air consumption in the water so you get the most from your scuba diving internship, whilst improving your awareness of the diving environment under the supervision of your dive Instructor. By the end of week two you will have accumulated 20 dives and will enter our Rescue program with the utmost confidence in your own diving abilities.

Course 3) Emergency First Response; a non-diving certification that teaches you basic first aid care of cardio-pulmanory resuscitation on both adults and children. This program has no minimum age requirements so is ideal for all family members. This certification is a prerequisite for all PADI courses beyond the Advanced Open Water Diver. In just 1/2 day build your confidence and no how to act in the event of an emergency. Build upon your CPR skills by learning how to provide secondary care to a patient when the care provided by local emergency services will be delayed. The secondary care module shows you how to assess illnesses, injuries and splint wounds. Other additional skills include an orientation to using an ‘automated external defibillator’, providing oxygen and dealing with choking adults.

Week Three; Course 4) Build your confidence and abilities as a PADI Rescue Diver with this 4 day program which improves your scuba diving skills and has several different academic topics that teach you about recognizing diver stress, diving first aid, emergency management and dive equipment problems. The 10 in-water exercises will give you the ability to deal with distressed, tired, panicking and missing divers, feel your confidence and skills improve as we train you in a conducive learning environment and confined water setting where you’ll receive demonstrations from our scuba dive Instructors on in-water and our of water rescue techniques, this is serious fun. Once you’ve mastered these techniques we’ll then we’ll take you to an Open Water environment and you’ll demonstrate your ability through 4 staged scenarios to manage an accident, organize a missing diver search, retrieve an unconscious diver to the boat or shoreline and provide CPR/1st aid, you’ll also learn how to complete and activate a local emergency assistance plan, which can credit towards your PADI Divemaster training.

Weeks Four to Eight; Course 5) The Divemaster course consists of 3 separate modules, knowledge development, watermanship and practical training and is a week initial training internship, followed by up to 4 months hands on scuba diving professional experience. During knowledge development you’ll learn about supervising both students and certified divers in addition to gaining theoretical diving knowledge about physics, physiology, skills and environment, equipment and the recreational dive planner. You’ll also put your practical training into developing an underwater map of a local dive site. The waterman ship module will develop your strength and skills in the water and develop your confidence to a strong level of comfort. With guidance and counseling from our experienced Instructors you’ll soon develop into a true dive professional.

As part of the diving internship you’ll be assisting our experienced team of Scuba Instructors as they conduct PADI training programs with student divers. We’ll provide Instructor led class sessions to help you assimilate the most from your independent study so if Physics sounds like a foreign language then you’ll soon become multi-lingual thanks to the expert tuition of our staff. You’ll also get experience working as a dive guide by guiding certified divers on our dive trips to Utila’s famous North Side dive sites. At the Utila Dive Centre we put no time limit on the length of time you can stay with us so the more you put into this program the more you get out of it. We are not a factory and train all of our trainees as if they plan to go on to become Instructors.

As part of the service we provide to our Divemasters you’ll be offered specialty training in areas of diving where you have accumulated additional experience e.g. Fish Identification, Deep diving, Equipment maintenance, and as the only facility on Utila with the Dolphin semi closed circuit rebreather’s we’ll even offer you certification in this course as part of our ‘Open Water to Instructor Career Development Program’. In week 1 of the Divemaster course you will receive the following academic classes; Role of the Divemaster (Course Orientation), Assisting Student Divers in Training and Supervising Certified Divers. These classes will be conducted in the evenings giving you time to study independently and prepare for them, in the mornings we will conduct a training skills circuit for you to watch and then we will work with you to develop your own demonstration quality skills, you’ll also complete a 400 meter swim, 800 meter snorkel, tread water for 15 minutes, an equipment exchange (whilst buddy breathing) and tow a tired diver for 100 meters, plus we’ll conduct an evaluation of your rescue skills at the end of the week. You will also be assigned a dive site to make a map of and an emergency assistance plan to complete which will be done independently over the next few weeks.

There will be several opportunities in week 1 of the Divemaster course for you to go out and dive for fun with the other candidates on your course and learn more about our reef systems and diving conditions. In week 5 we will continue to develop your academic understanding of dive theory by giving classes in Physics, Physiology and Equipment. Now that we have completed week 1 and given you a strong foundation from which to progress you can now join your 1st PADI Open Water course and assist the group and learn with real students and observe other experienced Divemaster’s and Assistant Instructors, as most of our PADI Open Water students take the PADI Advanced Open Water course as well you will also get the chance to assist on this course and see the real progression of students in training and get to some experience some great North side Utila diving as well.

In week 2 we’ll complete your academic understanding that all Divemasters should possess and give the final theory classes in Skills/Environment and Recreational Dive Planner. Now you’re comfortable working with students you’ll get to team up with a more experienced Divemaster on our daily North side dive boat which normally caters specifically to certified divers. You’ll learn how to brief a certified diver on a dive site and profile and understand more about the logistics of running dive trips for certified divers.

Now in week 3 it all comes together, you’ll get to assist a PADI Rescue class and you’ll hand in the map of the dive site and emergency assistance plan that you completed independently.

In the last week of your Divemaster training you’ll also have the option to enroll in 5 PADI specialty classes, these courses make you more knowledgeable and skillful, choose from: Enriched Air, Gas Blender Nitrox and Trimix, Wreck, Deep, Night, Naturalist, Photography, Search & Recovery, Dolphin Rebreather, Equipment and Navigation. Our ‘Divemaster’ IDC Staff Instructors will met with you on a weekly basis, with regular debriefs, to mentor, counsel and guide you into the ranks of a professional scuba diver, should any additional tuition or remediation be needed this will all be provided at no extra cost.

By now you would have been on Utila 8 weeks and you are now a certified PADI Divemaster and really ready to learn more, the sun will always shine, strangers will smile whilst carrying your equipment and opening doors for you, members of the opposite sex will fall at your feet, well until you wake up at least!!!!!! Then you’ll go to work with a smile and a passion for what you’ll be experiencing at our dive operation. We’ll train you specifically working on our resort boat, dealing with resort guests on a 7 day inclusive diving package. You’ll get additional training, experience and supervised guidance, in planning dive profiles, briefings, reservations, and providing a higher level of service to our guests. This additional weeks training will really give you a ‘polished’ edge as a PADI Divemaster and improve your professionalism, knowledge and skills.

In weeks 9 to 24; You’ll gain additional dives (probably close to 200), experience working as a PADI Divemaster with both certified divers and students in training, course sales skills which benefit you as a knowledgeable professional, learn about social event organization and have a lot of fun whilst learning. We’d also recommend that you use this time to enroll in basic Spanish language tuition, this is available on the island, and a class of 10 hours per week for about 6 weeks, at an additional cost of $120 per week, would allow you to master the basics in a second language, that would allow you to communicate with boat captains, kitchen staff, dive operation staff, who only speak Spanish, and increase your employment prospects, in Spain and the whole of Mexico, Central and South America.

Week 24/Month 6; Course 6) The Instructor Development Course is comprised of 2 components, the Assistant Instructor portion is the 1st component of the PADI Instructor Development Course and builds upon Divemaster training. The Assistant Instructor course is a 5-day program that introduces you to the role of an instructional assistant, both in academic teaching and in confined & open water training.

The 2nd portion of the IDC is the OWSI (Open Water Scuba Instructor) program. The OWSI 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. Our IDC is 4 days longer than the industry standard of 7 days, 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 dive centre that trains over 1500 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. At Utila Dive Centre we 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’. All this is done in a low stress, relaxed and most importantly ‘fun’ environment. Although the actual number of hours per day on the IDC are about 8 we have our IDC facility open at least 12 per day so anytime our candidates need quiet study time, assignment preparation time, private discussion or career counseling they get it! Our staff are available outside of regular hours for any remedial tuition or 1 to 1 coaching, remember we want you to succeed as a first rate dive instructor, not just pass the IE!

The Emergency First Response Instructor course takes 1 day and trains you to become a competent 1st Aid/CPR Instructor with specific skills that focus on ‘Care for Children’. The EFR Instructor rating is essential in order for you to certify PADI Rescue Divers, as prior to Module 2 of the Rescue course all candidates have to have completed a sanctioned program in 1st Aid/CPR within the last 24 months. This training will also benefit you outside of the dive industry and you can offer formal 1st Aid/CPR training to family, friends and also in the UK, USA and Australia the EFR program can be used to meet 1st Aid in the workplace requirements. The ‘Emergency First Response’ Instructor course will be held on the last day of the IDC program, just before the IE. If you dream of working in exotic environments, beautiful dive experiences and meeting people from all walks of life then our ‘Scuba Instructor’ internship course will give you the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.

We’ve extended our program to cover more effective teaching techniques, discuss diving in different worldwide environments, look at greater career opportunities in diving including ‘diver safety’ and ‘technical diving’ and resume preparation. As a PADI Career Development Center we receive a lot of job applications everyday so we’ll show you exactly what it takes to become a successful Instructor in today’s dive industry and all this is done in a low stress, relaxed and most importantly ‘fun’ environment.

Our staff are available outside of regular hours for any remedial tuition or 1 to 1 coaching, remember we want you to succeed as a first rate dive professional, not just get certified. So if you’re still not sure if our facility and location is the right choice for you, then compare these points to other places;

1) Is my training with ‘real world students’ on courses from Open Water to Divemaster?

2) Is my Divemaster course and Instructor program beyond the standard?

3) Do I have 2 experienced Course Directors conducting my IDC with over 60 IDC’s to their experience? 4) Can I get tuition in French, Spanish, German, Hebrew, Dutch and Danish, if needed?

5) Will my group size be smaller than 6 candidates?

6) Can I assist on PADI courses and dive for free at any time?

7) Can I dive for free if I return to my facility?

8) Will my PADI Course Directors still be advising, assisting, mentoring and helping me find employment, years after my IDC/IE is finished?

9) Is my IDC conducted in a Career Development Center and multimedia facility, with reference library and internet access?

10) Will I have a training pool at my availability for additional skill development and extended practice?

11) Are my Course Directors able to offer the complete system of Instructor ‘continuing education’ including Instructor courses such as Nitrox Instructor, Gas Blender Instructor, Marine Science Instructor and DAN 02 Instructor?

12) After the IE do my Course Directors help me with career placements and are they well connected in the local region and in other dive resorts around the world?

13) Am I confident my IDC will be professional, knowledgeable, interesting, real world and fun?

14) Have PADI recognized my IDC facility and Course Directors with certificates of excellence and recognition?

15) Will I have access to over 40 different dives sites, with daily diving, regardless of most weather conditions?

16) Will my training include coral reef surveying, Fish ID classes, and other environmental studies?

Plus there’s countless other reasons to come and join us, but we thought we’d save some surprises for when you get here, so don’t delay and contact us today to see how we can help you obtain the best job in the world!!!

After the Instructor Examinations Optional MSDT Internship; We offer all different kinds of Instructor level continuing education programs from PADI, DAN and DSAT Tec courses. These are scheduled to being after the IE and we can arrange package deals as part of a career-training program, at our resort. The dive industry is like any other in terms of competitiveness for employment and newly qualified Instructors often find the challenge after passing their Instructor Examination is in securing suitable employment. At Utila Dive Centre our staff, with their extensive network of contacts in the region and worldwide, will do their best to assist you find employment with their placement service but to facilitate your chances of gaining employment as a PADI Instructor, you can give yourself the best possible head start by enrolling in our ‘Premium Pro Plus’ program.

Our ‘Premium Pro Plus’ program includes the PADI Instructor Development Course, Emergency First Response Instructor and Master Scuba Diver Trainer preparation program. Our ‘Premium Pro Plus’ program will train you beyond a regular PADI ‘Open Water Scuba Instructor’ and after the IDC is completed and the examinations passed we will train you as a ‘Master Scuba Diver Trainer’ and allow you to intern with our full time Instructors at the Utila Dive Centre on Utila, so what we taught you during the IDC you will get to put into practice under the watchful eyes of our seasoned professional staff.

This will train you in 5 PADI Specialty Instructor ratings and no other facility or Course Director in Central America can offer such an extensive range of continuing education programs, choose from;

Enriched Air

Gas Blender Nitrox and Trimix

Wreck

Deep

Night

Naturalist

Photography

Search & Recovery

Dolphin Rebreather

Equipment

Navigation

Videography

After the specialty Instructor training has been completed we have an optional internship (highly recommended) that allows you to assist our qualified and experienced Instructors on their PADI courses and you get the chance to take the ‘micro teaching’ techniques that we taught you during the IDC and apply to actual courses and gain real world experience. The MSDT internship will allow you to assist on at least 4 PADI courses from Open Water to Rescue and gain invaluable real world experience and organizational and logistical skills, by the end of our internship you will have issued 25 PADI certifications and can apply for your PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, also you will have earned a valuable reference from our Career Development Center which is good for life, wherever you travel in the world as an Instructor.

To book now, or for more information, please contact ‘Director of Professional Training’ Andy Phillips on or call International +1-305-420-5959. Don’t delay………Make your life mean something, both above and below the water!