IAHD Dive Pro/Instructor program

The Utila Dive Centre is the official exclusive IAHD training facility in the Bay Islands of Honduras, offering both training for disabled divers, and also for dive professionals who want to give back, and increase their employment prospects and rewards of working with disabled divers.

The IAHD Pro-Training is a totally integrated program for Divemasters, Assistant Instructors and Instructors which consists of two days of classroom, pool and optional open water training.

Candidates learn:

• To be able to relate to some of the common psychological aspects of disabled persons.

• The characteristics of various physical disabilities, and how they relate to scuba diving.

• To recognize and adapt to some of the unique characteristics of mental & emotional disabilities.

• How to overcome some of the problems you may encounter when training physically disabled divers, through simulations and workshops in both confined and open water environments.

• Proven methods for assisting those with sight impairment, hearing impairment, spinal injuries, amputations, and other disabilities.

• How to adapt and modify normal diving equipment to the needs of the disabled diver.

• To anticipate the needs and attitudes of challenged students and to develop a foresight in logistic awareness and considerations.

All dive professionals who are qualified as Instructors with their respective training agencies, and who qualify as an IAHD Dive Pro through our IAHD Instructor training course at the Utila Dive Centre, over 2 days, and can then offer the following training experiences/programs through IAHD;

Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) programs introduce scuba diving to any interested person, age 10 and above, in a safe, controlled pool setting.  For qualified divers, the Advanced DSD program allows qualifed divers to expand the DSD experience into open water. Classes are supervised by IAHD-certified professionals. Note: DSD is not a certification level class. Medical approval from the diver’s physician is required for this and all IAHD diving programs.

IAHD Confined Water Diver is a diver certification for use in pools only. Designed for those who enjoy the exercise and fun while scuba diving but are unable or don’t desire to explore diving in open water, this certification allows divers to conduct subsequent IAHD-supervised dives in pools.

The IAHD Sport Diver course is an entry level open water scuba certification that provides candidates ages 12 and up with the necessary knowledge and skills required to dive safely in an open water environment under direct supervision of an IAHD-certified professional. Certified IAHD Sport Divers may dive to a maximum depth of 12 meters/40 feet.

The IAHD Open Water Diver course provides the knowledge and skills required to safely dive in an open-water environment, accompanied by two or three certified support divers or IAHD-certified dive professionals. The course is performance based and specific academic & waterskills requirements must be met in order to complete the program. Upon completion of the course you receive the appropriate Open Water Diver certification based upon your level of dependency and your ability to assist your fellow divers.

The IAHD Advanced Open Water Diver Course is designed to provide the candidate with greater supervised dive experience, while furthering their academic knowledge and diving skills. The course focuses mainly on open water dives augmented by brief academic sessions. A minimum of 5 dives is required for certification. There are no compulsory dives. Together with your IAHD instructor, you can make your own program.

The IAHD Specialty Diver Program is adaptable to suit the interests and abilities of each diver. Some of the most popular courses are:

• Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver – our #1 specialty course!

• Fish Identification

• Peak Performance Buoyancy

• Propulsion Vehicle Diver

• Underwater Videography

• Underwater Digital Photography

IAHD Surface Support Specialist, this is a non-diving certification class. The course introduces the participant to divers’ needs before and after the dive, including equipment and dive procedures specific to handicapped divers.

The IAHD Dive Partner course is designed to allow certified divers to be certified to fill the key role of a certified support diver for an IAHD-certified adaptive scuba diver. An IAHD Dive Partner is specially trained in how to dive with a disabled diver. Candidates get first hand experience in understanding some of the problems encountered by disabled divers.

Take the step and enhance your resume, and expand the rewards and enjoyment of scuba diving to divers with disabilities and challenges. IAHD Divers Have Overcome:

• Amputation

• Emotional/Social/Trust Issues

• Autism

• Movement Disorders

• Birth Defects

• Spinal Injuries

• Blindness

• Stroke-Paralysis

IAHD Divers Receive:

• Safe and effective training conducted by credentialed experts in adaptive scuba; participants who successfully complete the programs become certified divers

• An unmatched opportunity to set aside burdens and limitations using the freedom and adventure of scuba’s aquatic environment

• Discovery of new places, new personal achievements, and new friends sharing the dive experience

• Membership in an international network of adaptive scuba buddies, instructors and training centers

• Access to extensive resources for dive & trip planning at accessible resorts, dive operators, manufacturers of specialized equipment and facilities

Students learn from IAHD certified instructors who love to share the magic of scuba in a nurturing and productive environment, and we schedule our IAHD Dive Pro/Instructor programs each month, though with very limited spaces.  The program can be offered to dive professionals with no previous experience/certification in adaptive teaching, and the course takes 2 days and the cost of the program is $350 and $100 application fee to IAHD Americas, please contact us for availability.