PADI IDC in Costa Rica
Rich Coast Diving will help you begin your dream career as a PADI Dive Instructor.
Our PADI Career Development Program has been the starting point for hundreds of dive professionals from around the world for over 20 years !
IDC & IE Dates
All Instructor candidates are taught by our inhouse PADI Platinum Course Directors and then evaluated by external examiners from PADI at a formal Instructor Examination.
We offer about 3 Instructor Development Courses (IDC) per year. The dates of these IDCs coincide with the dates of the PADI Instructor Examination (IE).
Additional dates can be offered if there is enough interest, please contact us for more details. You find our prices HERE.
IDC Schedule 2023
IDC COURSE - APR 8 & IE - APR 20 & 21
IDC COURSE - NOV 14 & IE - NOV 26 & 27
How to Earn Your Instructor Certification
The IDC is a challenging course but the outcome is being able to
follow your dreams and trade in that office for the ocean.
Once you sign up, you automatically receive the “DIVE FOR LIFE” membership. This means you get to dive with Rich Coast Diving if space is available for the rest of your life!
INDEPENDENT STUDY
1 - PADI eLearning
The IDC includes eLearning so you can study before you arrive and come well prepared. It's your course on your time. Study offline, or online using a computer or mobile device.
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eLearning time commitment: 30 hours

AT THE DIVE CENTER
2 - With Your PADI Course Director
The IDC is a very intensive training course to prepare you for the Instructor Examination (IE).
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Prerequisites: Have a Dive Leader certification, PADI Divemaster or leadership-level certification with a recognized recreational diver training organization
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Be over 18 years old
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Have medical clearance attesting to dive fitness signed by a physician within the previous 12 months.
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Be a certified diver for six months
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EFR Primary and Secondary Care course completion (or qualifying training) within the last 24 months (this must be brought with you)
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If not a PADI Divemaster, complete the PADI Divemaster course diver rescue skills assessment
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Submit documentation of qualifying certifications for entry level, advanced, rescue and leadership level.
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Total time commitment: 14 Days
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Certification level: Let us know your certification level and we will train you up to the required level to start the Instructor Development Course (IDC). Not a diver yet ? No problem we train you from zero to hero!
More Info
Included
Our IDC includes the following,
IDC Preparation
Training period 14 Days
FREE Accommodation during the IDC (*depending on availability)
EFR Instructor Course (Emergency First Responder)
FREE Enriched Air Specialty Instructor
FREE PADI Shark AWARE Specialty Instructor
Discount on shop retail
1 FREE Rich Coast Diving t-shirt
DIVE for LIFE Membership
Don't Miss Out on a Career of a Lifetime






After the IDC - Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT)
When you successfully complete the IDC, the next step is to become a Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT).
Most IDC graduates do the MSDT preparation directly after completing the IDC as it only takes 3 days extra.
We include 2 free specialties with your IDC (PADI Shark AWARE and Enriched Air Specialty Instructor). That means you only need 3 extra Instructor Specialties to be able to apply for the MSDT rating.
If you book the MSDT as add-on to the IDC, you can choose 3 additional specialties from the following options:
Deep, O2 provider, Search & Recovery, Dive against Debris, Underwater Navigation, Fish ID.
The PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating sets you apart as a dive instructor who takes continuing education seriously and is committed to teaching a variety of courses. Which makes you more valuable in the job market. After you complete the IDC, IE and MSDT you will be a certified instructor able to teach 5 PADI Specialty Courses.
Once you are certified in 5 specialties you can start teaching and after reaching 25 Specialty certifications
(in any level) you can apply for the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating directly with PADI.
If you book the IDC with us, we offer the MSDT Preparation package at a reduced rate of $500 USD.
We offer a very broad range of PADI Specialty Instructor courses depending on your interests.
If you want to book them individually the PADI Specialty Instructor courses start at $150 USD per Specialty.
And the application that you pay to PADI to become a Specialty instructor is $79 USD per Specialty course.