Preparing for PADI IDC Course – What Should I Study & Practice?

You’re interested in becoming a PADI Instructor and taking your professional diving career to the next level, but what preparation work should you do prior to the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (IDC) course program?

We do recommend to all our PADI IDC candidates here at Aussie Divers to arrive in Phuket a few days before the official start date of the IDC programs, this does give you a couple of days pre-IDC prep. There are also a few things you can start doing prior to coming to Phuket however, after all the more prepared you are for the IDC program the more successful it will be.

Prior to the PADI IDC course, you should be preparing yourself by revising your dive theory, completing the required online eLearning, practising your presentation and demonstration skills preparing your dive equipment, getting all of those final little bits and pieces together, and being ready for the most important step in your diving career.

IDC Preparation

One of the first things you should be studying other than the online eLearning prior to coming to Phuket is your dive theory from the PADI Encyclopaedia of Recreational Diving. Whilst studying through the Encyclopaedia of diving you should be paying particular attention to the Physics, Physiology and the RDP dive tables section. These are the most commonly failed sections of the IDC theory exams, don’t worry if it doesn’t all make sense we will offer a theory workshop in the IDC Prep prior to the IDC.

Dive theory, including dive physics and physiology used to be a part of the PADI Divemaster program, if you have been through the divemaster course recently however you probably just touched on basic physics and physiology. As an instructor, you will be required to know these theory topics in-depth and it’s a good idea to start studying the PADI Encyclopaedia of Recreational Diving and Diving Knowledge workbooks prior to travelling to Phuket.

Required PADI Materials

During the IDC course and your continuing career you will be referencing the PADI Instructor Manual and the PADI Guide To Teaching. Both of these materials are also available in digital format these days from the PADI Pro’s website. Simply log in and download the current versions, you will need to make sure you have access to the most up-to-date version of the instructor manual, and that you are up-to-date also with the PADI Training Bulletins.

It’s a great idea to read through the latest training bulletins or PADI Undersea Journals on the PADI Pro’s site before coming to Phuket, to refresh yourself on what has been going on.

Practise your Skill Demonstration’s in the Pool

Time to step up your demonstrations, remember it’s not enough to simply be able to do the skill, as an instructor you will be required to demonstrate the skills to students.

Get in the pool with your local dive club or certified mates and practise some skill demonstrations before coming to Phuket.

You will cover skill demonstrations on the IDC Prep before the start of the IDC and one of the aims of the IDC is to develop and build on your demonstration abilities. Skills that you should concentrate on are hovering skills, regulator recovery and alternate air source skills along with mask clearing skills.

Been a while since your PADI Rescue Course?

It’s also a good idea to make sure your rescue skills are current if you can assist on a rescue course prior to coming to Phuket or again practice your rescue skills in a pool. During the IDC course, you will be practising the ever-popular Rescue Exercise 7 (unresponsive diver on the surface) with both the mouth-to-mouth method and the Pocket mask.