The New Revised PADI IDC now brings major updates and changes that will make an already successful IDC course even better! Now you have signed up for the course. Super excited, but where to start? You want to make sure that your IDC course is successful and as stress free as possible. In order to make that happen, we strongly advise that you prepare your IDC and self-study before the course starts.
Welcome to the digital ages! Everybody nowadays has a smartphone, tablet, laptop or access to a computer. This gives an opportunity to finally move away from the hard copy paper manuals and go digital. From the moment you sign up, you will have access to the PADI IDC Digital Crew pack with PADI’s eLearning. This makes learning easier, very eco-friendly, all devices supported and available in multiple languages. Ready to start studying from the hammock in sunny Curacao?
NEW The E-Learning for Instructor Course at Blue Bay Dive
You can start off with the IDC eLearning. Sixteen interactive presentations, where you learn how to use the PADI system, the different courses you can teach, risk management and how to give teaching presentations. This allows in the classroom more time to have hands-on practice and workshops.
Next part, your Dive Theory. A couple of chapters about the following subjects:
- Physics
- Physiology
- Equipment
- Decompression Theory and the RDP
- General Skills and the Environment
Make sure you understand the basics. It is not inventing the wheel all over, but you need to take some time to let this all sink in. If you then still have questions, feel free to contact us by e-mail.
The PADI’s Guide to Teaching, IDC Resources, Prescriptive Lesson Guides, Exams and Specialty Instructor Guides, are all resources you can use during the IDC and after you become an instructor. We recommend you to get familiarized with your Guide to Teaching, you will use it during the IDC.
Last part of the PADI IDC Digital Crew pack is a Tutorial of the Online Processing Center, which already starts preparing you for the first day at work as an instructor. How to assign codes to your students, how to process and view your students and how to use PIC processing.
Get your paperwork ready
Are you finished with all the mandatory preparation? Then you are almost prepared to start the IDC. Almost…? Yes, there are a few things you can prepare to make your life easier during the IDC!
Your PADI Instructor Manual has to be the latest version. You can have it with you in hard copy or a digital version, but you must have the most recent version. Some people in the course have been Divemaster for a long time! There is a great chance that your manual is not the latest version anymore. You should also download and read at least the last 4 PADI Training Bulletins, which can be found on the PADI pro’s site. If you are crossing over from another organization, no problem, we can provide you with these files.
Have copies of your certification cards The course director will need all your (PADI) certification details.
Check what PADI materials you have and which you are missing or are out of date. This is because you will not only need the following PADI materials working as a PADI Instructor, but you will also be using them every day on your PADI IDC. Ask for the list of needed materials.
Get a PADI medical questionnaire signed by a physician within the past 12 months. In case of an emergency that you forgot to do this beforehand, you can have this done by a local physician, but it is better to have it done by your own physician.
On the first day of the IDC, bring your logbook with proof of 100 logged dives. This is something the course director needs to sign off on.
Perfection your Skill Circuit & Diving Skills
But the most important step is of course:
GO DIVE as much as possible, nothing replaces real life experience. Practice all your dive skills, especially the 24 skills of the PADI Divemaster Skill Circuit. Concentrate especially on your buoyancy skills: Hovering and Neutral Buoyancy. The New Revised IDC will score you by some skills as well on demonstration while being neutrally buoyant. The demonstration quality expected of a PADI Instructor is a long way from being able to do the skill as you would expect of a certified diver. Also practice the CESA, make sure you can do the performance requirement yourself, because if you are role playing and you are the student, you need to be able to do the 9 meters horizontally, effortlessly with no problems!
Also try to assist on courses as much as you can. You can always ask to assist on any Dive Division location, if you are on the island already
And while you are, as there will be more emphasis on practicing Rescue Scenarios during the New Revised PADI IDC Course, assisting on PADI Rescue Diver Courses is also an excellent PADI IDC preparation. Be able to demonstrate the organization, sequence and conduct of the Rescue Diver course:
- Exercise 2 – Panicked Diver
- Exercise 6 – Surfacing the Unresponsive Diver
- Exercise 7 – Unresponsive Diver at the Surface
When you can tick off all the boxes above, there is one more thing left to do! RELAX, you’ve got this! Remember the more prepared you are, the less of a workload you will have during your IDC. This results in a more relaxed and enjoyable PADI IDC every time! Will we see you at the next IDC on Curacao? Click here to sign up or send us an e-mail for more information & start preparing today! See you soon at Blue Bay Dive at Curacao!
