Become an instructor in paradise! Join us in St Croix in September 2026

 

Take the Next Step in Your Pro Journey:
PADI Instructor Development Course in Paradise!

PADI IDC & Instructor Examination (IE)

Dates: September 18–30, 2026

Location: St. Croix, USVI

Ready to transition from PADI Divemaster to Open Water Scuba Instructor?

You already did the work to become a dive pro. This is the step where you start teaching — and we run the whole thing in one trip, so you come home with your instructor rating instead of a list of things still to schedule. Join Blue Planet Scuba in St. Croix this September to hone your teaching skills, expand your career potential, and earn your instructor rating in an unbeatable tropical setting. 

Course Overview & Program Outline

This program is built for certified PADI Divemasters, or divers holding an equivalent leadership certification from another recognized training agency. It is intensive. It's thirteen days, most of them long, and by the end you will have taught real presentations in the classroom, pool and ocean more times than you are probably expecting. We will help you build confidence and master teaching techniques so you can hit the water ready to go.

What’s Included in Your IDC Training Package:

  • Emergency First Response Instructor (EFRI): Learn to teach CPR, first aid and secondary care. It builds the coaching habits you will use in every course you run afterward, and it is a required prerequisite for certifying as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.

  • Assistant Instructor (AI): Transition into the instructional mindset. Master academic teaching presentations, confined water skill demonstrations, and open water evaluation strategies.

  • Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI): Where it all comes together — the business of diving, risk management, standards compliance, and public speaking.

  • Specialty Instructor Prep: Five PADI Specialty Instructor ratings, so you can teach specialty courses once you are certified as an instructor. Those five ratings also count toward PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

  • The PADI Instructor Examination — September 28–29 The IE is conducted by a PADI Examiner, not by us. It is a real exam: two days of teaching presentations, skills, dive theory and standards. We are not going to tell you it is easy. What we will tell you is that everything in the days leading to it is designed to get you ready, and that we would rather over-prepare you than send you in hoping.

Can't do the full package?

You can join us for any parts you'd like! If you're already an instructor, come for the specialty instructor training. If you are a Divemaster but can't stay the whole time, you can still complete EFRI and AI. We got you!

Prerequisites to Join

To enroll in our St. Croix IDC, you will need:

  • Certification as a PADI Divemaster, or an equivalent leadership certification from another recognized dive training agency.

  • To be at least 18 years old.

  • Certification as a PADI Rescue Diver, or equivalent, with first aid and CPR training completed within the past 24 months.

  • At least 60 logged dives to start the course, and 100 logged dives before the IE.

  • Medical clearance for diving, signed by a physician within the past 12 months.

Short on dives? Tell us now rather than later. It is the most common thing that holds people up, and with a few weeks' notice it is usually straightforward to sort out.

Why Complete Your IDC in St. Croix with Blue Planet?

Warm water and good viz — for a practical reason
You will teach both off the beach and from a boat. Easy conditions matter less for the scenery than for this: when the water is not fighting you, you can put your attention on your teaching instead of on your own comfort. That is when the coaching actually lands.

A Course Director who will know your name before you arrive 
Michelle Swiger runs the program. Class sizes are small — not as a selling point, but because it is the only way a Course Director can watch every presentation you give and hand back feedback that is about you rather than about the group. We prioritize one-on-one coaching, real-world instruction insights, and long-term career mentorship.

Mentorship that does not end at the airport
Once you are home, you are welcome at our training weekends to keep working on your teaching. Most new instructors find the first few courses they run on their own are the ones they have the most questions about. You will not be doing that part alone either.

Help with the logistics
We can help you sort out accommodations — The Landing at Cane Bay is close by — along with on-island transportation and whatever else comes up. Lodging and travel are at your own cost.

About the cost

When you get in touch we will give you the whole picture: what you pay Blue Planet, and what PADI charges separately for crewpacks, application fees and the Instructor Examination. Those PADI fees are a real part of the total, and we would rather you see them at the start than run into them halfway through.

Ready to Turn Your Divemaster Status into an Instructor Rating?

Spaces are limited, because small classes are the whole point. If you are thinking about September, get in touch early — we will go through your logbook and prerequisites with you before you commit to anything.

Get in touch to reserve your spot or review your prerequisites:

Contact us at info@blueplanetdc.com or call (202) 527-9419 for full schedule details, course packages, and materials lists.

 

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