Become a PADI Instructor
Caring, confident and capable.
Take the next step in your diving career with me in Kaş, Turkey. As a PADI Course Director, I’ll guide you through your Instructor Development Course with hands-on training, personal mentorship and structured preparation, helping you develop the knowledge, teaching skills and professional confidence to make the transition from Divemaster to instructor.
Training within the daily cadence of Deepist Dive Center, ensuring immediate immersion in authentic marine logistics.
PADI Course Director Mentorship
Hands-on instructional leadership
What Is the PADI IDC?
The PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) is your training pathway towards becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. During the IDC, I’ll help you make the transition from being a skilled diver and Divemaster to someone who can teach others effectively and responsibly.
We’ll work on your teaching techniques, presentations, confined and open-water instructions, student management and professional decision-making. The goal is not simply to know how to dive well — or to pass an exam. It is to learn how to teach diving well and take on the responsibilities that come with becoming an instructor.
Theory & Logic
Deep mastery of physics, physiology, and PADI standards.
Classroom Delivery
Engaging presentations that simplify complex concepts.
In-Water Control
Effortless student safety, positioning, and coaching.
Is This IDC for You?
If you’re ready to become an instructor, I want your IDC to give you more than the skills you need for the examination. I want you to leave Kaş feeling ready to stand in front of your own students, take responsibility for their learning and safety, and find your own confidence as an instructor.
That means plenty of practice, close mentorship and honest, individual feedback. And because we train within the working environment of Deepist in Kaş, you’ll experience more than course exercises: you’ll be around real dive-centre operations, boat activities, student management and the everyday professional environment you’re preparing to join.
Entry Requirements Checklist
6 Mandatory PrerequisitesAge Milestone
Be at least 18 years old at the start of the programme.
Divemaster Credential
Be a PADI Divemaster or hold an equivalent recognized leadership certification.
Logged Dives (Start)
Have at least 60 logged dives to begin the IDC syllabus.
First Aid / EFR
Have current Emergency First Response training completed within the last 24 months.
Medical Clearance
Meet the required medical fitness requirements signed by a physician within 12 months.
IE Examination Entry
Have at least 100 logged dives before attending the final PADI Instructor Examination.
Not sure whether you meet the requirements?
Get in touch and I’ll personally review your logbook, previous certifications, and medical checklist to help you understand what you need before your IDC.
What You’ll Learn
Practical mastery built through repeated iterations, video feedback, and individualized coaching.
1. Theory & Teaching Techniques
Turning your diving knowledge into clear, effective instruction that students retain and apply underwater.
2. Knowledge Development
Learning to explain, engage and check understanding with dynamic interactive teaching presentations.
3. Confined Water Training
Teaching and demonstrating skills while managing your students effectively in a calm aquatic setting.
4. Open Water Training
Bringing your teaching skills into a real ocean environment, managing currents, descents, and ascents.
5. Dry & Wet Workshops
Developing practical handling skills, knot tying, rescue management, and equipment mastery expected of a PADI Pro.
6. Evaluation & Critique
Becoming comfortable giving actionable instruction, debriefing constructively, and responding to candidate feedback.
7. Student Control & Coaching
Recognising individual learner anxieties, adapting drills, and helping different students overcome hurdles.
8. Risk & Safe Practice
Developing the judgement, legal clarity, and maritime awareness that come with holding duty-of-care for others.
“By the end of our time together, I want you to understand not only what to teach, but how to teach it well.”
View the Full Course Syllabus ↓More Than Preparing for an Exam
It is simple enough to coach a candidate to pass a standardized scoring rubric. But scuba diving is real life. You will be escorting people who may be frightened, unsure of their equipment, or facing unexpected ocean conditions.
In Kaş, we treat every teaching scenario not as an artificial test, but as an apprenticeship. We analyze the psychology of student hesitation. We examine why instructors make mistakes under fatigue. We teach you to organize dive decks, communicate without ambiguity, and project a calming, unshakable maritime presence.
When you pass the PADI Instructor Examination at the end of our program, it won’t feel like a high-stress hurdle. It will feel like just another standard day on the boat.
Deniz Akçalı
PADI Course Director
Low Candidate Ratio
Ensuring daily personalized feedback and tailored pacing.
Years of Maritime Seamanship
Deep institutional knowledge across Turkish waters and beyond.
Working Dive Center Ops
Direct exposure to logistics at Deepist Kaş.
Career Placement Advisory
Guidance toward resort and dive center instructor roles.
Course Programmes
Choose the pathway that matches your preparation level, dive schedule, and independent study cadence.
10-Day Full Format
Comprehensive Mastery & Additional CoachingThis is the more complete training format, with theory, confined-water sessions and open-water development worked through across the programme. It gives us more time to practise, review your progress and revisit areas where you would benefit from additional coaching.
10 Consecutive Days
6-Day Intensive Format
eLearning Completed Prior to ArrivalThe intensive option is for candidates who complete the required independent study and eLearning in advance. With that preparation already in place, we can concentrate our time in Kaş on practical sessions, teaching exercises, workshops and in-water development.
6 High-Intensity Days
Full Course Syllabus
Examine the exact structure of modules, lectures, and in-water evaluations that compose our Instructor Development Course.
The academic engine of the IDC. Covers diving sciences, operational protocols, marketing, and the pedagogical principles behind the PADI educational architecture:
“Passing the Instructor Examination matters, but I don’t believe it should be the only measure of a successful IDC. By the time we finish, I want you to feel better prepared to stand in front of real students, communicate with them clearly, take responsibility for their learning and safety, and begin developing your own identity as an instructor.”
Caring, confident and capable. That is the kind of instructor I want to help you become.
Upcoming IDC Cohorts
Upcoming schedules in Kaş, Turkey. Limited to 4-6 candidates per intake to guarantee dedicated coaching.
September 2026 IDC & IE
Prime autumn diving conditions in Kaş: calm surface seas, 26°C water temperature, and optimal 30m+ visibility.
Sep 12 – Sep 21, 2026
10-Day Full / 6-Day Intensive
Sep 22 – Sep 23, 2026
PADI Examiner Conducted
November 2026 IDC & IE
Quiet town atmosphere, peaceful waters, and complete focus on skill acquisition before the global winter hiring season.
Nov 05 – Nov 14, 2026
10-Day Full / 6-Day Intensive
Nov 15 – Nov 16, 2026
PADI Examiner Conducted
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Let’s discuss your logged dives, schedule preferences, and equipment setups. Together we’ll craft an IDC preparation strategy that ensures you step into Kaş ready to excel.