PADI IDC costs

[dj10022]

Hi,

I have finished my PADI DM course and I am looking at starting my Instructor level certification. Can anyone give me a sense of what the costs are to get a PADI instructore certification, including course fees, books, exams, etc. Appreciate your input.

 

[Peter Guy]

Appreciate your input.

Probably not!

Whatever the price, don't pay it is my advice. Since you write you've just finished your DM course, be a DM and learn, really learn, that craft. Learn how to work with students -- how to lead them effectively, help them, teach them (yes, the DMs probably do more real teaching than the instructors). That takes time and effort.

Your profile says you have less than 200 dives and that you've been diving for more than 10 years -- if that is true, you've averaged fewer than 20 dives/year and that is not enough to be a competent diver in my opinion.

If you feel you need more instruction, take the time to get some technical instruction -- an intro to tech class from a competent instructor (!) will teach you more about diving than the DM, AI and IDC combined. Perfect your diving and your "DMship" and then, after another 12-24 months of diving, do the IDC.

 

[Steve50]

Be best to talk to a PADI course director/s in person.

 

[Scott]

Costs may vary from CD to CD but I would estimate around $1000-$1500 for the IDC plus books. Maybe $300 for books...actually I'm to lazy to look up the book prices. You'll pay $195 for the application fee and $400 for the IE, both paid to PADI.

I do agree with Peter that it is best to spend some time as a DM before going on to the IDC. IMHO it will make you a better Instructor.

 

[dj10022]

Just looking for the run-of-the-mill IDC prices guys. Thanks for the info so far. Just to put things in perspective: I am 53 years old and have a great career in IT, I am not looking to work as DM but I do love to teach, I've taught/couched swimming, windsurfing, sailing, waterskiing, and other professional related courses for years, and I am doing this as a hobby. I want to teach OW and AOW in my spare time and I am not interested in teaching tech diving. I will sign up for a deep dive tech class this summer for the same reason someone else outlined: continue to learn. In addition, I am expanding my knowledge continously not just via training but also by reading the vast amount of scientific Dive material out there. I have also learned not to judge people's abilities on paper. Some people learn faster than others and where some may need hundreds or thousands of hours underwater to learn, others need a lot less and some people have a natural ability to absorb and teach effectively. Without disagreeing with anyone about this, everybody is different. Not that I am not tooting my skills just trying to explain where I am comming from. Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

[Superlyte27]

I actually just looked this info up in FL. With books, insurance, membership fee, app fee, everything that's included, it was just under 3k.

I have a friend locally here who's got the oldest dive shop for 35 miles. He's established and loved. He went from running 4 full classes per week a few years ago to running a class of 4 per week lately (for the last year or so). In this area, there is at least an instructor for every student taking a class per week. And a guy on Craigslist selling PADI OW for $100.00

I enjoy teaching, and consider teaching scuba, but I couldn't even recoup my costs right now in the first few years.

 

[orm]

Expect to pay $2-3k. Depends on the CD etc...

 

[tomboyy]

Just looking for the run-of-the-mill IDC prices guys. Thanks for the info so far. Just to put things in perspective: I am 53 years old and have a great career in IT, I am not looking to work as DM but I do love to teach, I've taught/couched swimming, windsurfing, sailing, waterskiing, and other professional related courses for years, and I am doing this as a hobby. I want to teach OW and AOW in my spare time and I am not interested in teaching tech diving. I will sign up for a deep dive tech class this summer for the same reason someone else outlined: continue to learn. In addition, I am expanding my knowledge continously not just via training but also by reading the vast amount of scientific Dive material out there. I have also learned not to judge people's abilities on paper. Some people learn faster than others and where some may need hundreds or thousands of hours underwater to learn, others need a lot less and some people have a natural ability to absorb and teach effectively. Without disagreeing with anyone about this, everybody is different. Not that I am not tooting my skills just trying to explain where I am comming from. Thanks for the feedback so far.

and some people feel the need give advice that wasn't asked for and assume they know other peoples skills by looking at their dive numbers.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

and some people feel the need give advice that wasn't asked for and assume they know other peoples skills by looking at their dive numbers.

It has been my observation that a good number of the instructors in MY area have been on the Zero to Hero Plan and have gone from OW to Instructor in either a short period of time or a low number of dives, often most of them being training dives. This is what produces some of the worst instructors out there. What Peter seems to be pointing out is that you shouldn't be teaching unless you are a highly experienced diver yourself! It is hard to teach students proper buoyancy when you need to be kneeling in the mud to do skills with your students. The students see you kneeling and think that it is appropriate. Well, it isn't! I am not a DM or Instructor and do not have any plans of ever being one, but it would be really nice to see others taking the time to learn to be good divers, without having to worry about things that are really beyond their skill level.

Many times, it seems that it is the shops who are pushing divers through all their training courses, up to instructor and beyond, without really taking the care to make sure that they really do have the skills.

What this eventually leads to is... Newly certified OW divers who really don't know what they are doing and don't really even know what skills they should be working on.