Don't Shoot Me... But Looking For Cheap Place To Do Idc

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Bison Ravi

Contributor
Messages
162
Reaction score
35
Location
Montréal, Canada
# of dives
I just don't log dives
Ok, so here's my situation: I've been diving for over 15 years in many different places in the world, did my divemaster 1.5 years ago, full cave about 2 years ago.

I have a good job I don't plan to leave, but have lots of free time. When I look at what kind of entry level instruction many people receive in a lot of resort locations I can't help but feel bad for them. I have the impression I could do better.

I've been thinking about doing my IDC to teach friends how to dive. I have access to a pool and there's some good local dive sites for teaching. I also plan to be living on a sailboat in a year or two, and would be happy to teach people that come on my boat.

I would be willing to travel pretty much anywhere in the world from Quebec, Canada, but the price of the flight ticket would be have to be taken into account. I can do with very basic accomodations, and the price of food/lodging will have to be taken into account too. If the course is in playa del carmen I'd have access to free accomodation.

Doing the course locally is not an option. Would like to do the course before december 2016.


What I'm looking for:

-somewhere I can do my IDC in 3 weeks or less, including flights.
-quality instruction
-do nitrox instructor speciality
-CHEAP, without cutting corners on quality of instruction

What I'm not necessary looking for:

-internships
-a job after the course
-working in the same location as the course

What I'm not necessary looking for but could be a plus:

-nice diving location
-reduced prices for fun diving after the course

Again, unfortunately the price will be an important factor for me.

If you know a dive center that you think offers what I'm looking for please let me know, it would be REALLY appreciated.


Thank you!
 
I did my IDC at Master Divers on Koh Tao, Thailand, and couldn't recommend them enough! The quality of education goes above and beyond what is required for the Instructors Exam and really teaches you how to be an instructor in real life situations. The course director Gaz personally teaches the entire course and you'll only be in a group of 4 maximum, but often even less. All specialty training can also be taught throughout of after the IDC. The dive centre has a reputation for quality training, customer service and safety and all the staff are exceptionally experienced, friendly and welcoming.

The IDC takes around 2 weeks with the IE taking 2 days so well within your timeframe. Koh Tao is an incredibly affordable island with a great atmosphere and relaxed culture. 3 weeks accommodation is only around $160-200. Daily food will be less than $10. Course prices are comparable to the rest of Thailand, but with Master Divers you'll be getting more for your money. The only other financial factor would be the flights.

The diving isn't world class but is very good, especially approaching high season and you'll get a discount on fun dives after the IDC. Honest recommendation, but check them out on TripAdvisor for a breadth of reviews. Best of luck!
 
Most of your IDC training centers will schedule their courses to coincide with an I.E. Look for that type of scheduling. I would look for a course that also has the logistics for an efficient IDC, e.g. close proximity to boats, swimming pools and classrooms. You don't want to have to rent a car to get to a marina or swimming pool.

I did my A.I. than an entire IDC locally in Denver Colorado. But I did my DM at Utila Dive Center. UDC is a good school with good Course Directors and all the required support logistics.
 
All of our Instructor courses here in Costa Rica coincide with the instructor exams and MSDT prep with enriched air is included. Something to think about.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and PM's guys, really appreciated.

I'm still debating where I'll go. Most places offer pretty much the same things, biggest differences seem to be group sizes, accomodation included or not and price. Except for a few exceptions finding out the total price can be a nightmare.

Quite a big difference on prices too, from 2500 all in with lodging and 1 speciality included to over 3500 with no lodging.

I still have time, I will let you know what I decide when I do, I the meantime keep the suggestions coming :)
 
I'm thinking of doing mine early next year :) would be great if you can tabulate the findings in an excel or something and share with us?? You got time for that? :wink:

I did talk tithe guys from UTILA DIVE CENTER and from my research they were the cheapest and highly certified by PADI.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing your findings !

P.s. I love Mtl. One of my favorite cities
 
I'm thinking of doing mine early next year :) would be great if you can tabulate the findings in an excel or something and share with us?? You got time for that? :wink:

I did talk tithe guys from UTILA DIVE CENTER and from my research they were the cheapest and highly certified by PADI.

Good luck and looking forward to seeing your findings !

P.s. I love Mtl. One of my favorite cities

Hey Chadmeister, I hate excel with a passion so I doubt I will do that, but I will for sure share the most interesting offerings I find.

I don't know if Utila Dive Center is the cheapest, but so far they are one of the only ones to be clear on the total costs.

Montreal is an awesome city, but only during the summer!
 
My recommendations are to stay after the IE and do a MSDT prep. While working with your CD you will leave certified to teach at least five dive specialties. Once you leave the training center and return to Montreal it will become much more challenening to pick up the extra instructor ratings.

I also saw a comment "looking at" class size. Your IDC is not a dive training experience...you should not need a close attentive instructor to ensure you are diving safely and correctly. You are learning to be such an instructor. I have done both small student number instructor courses and larger size courses and I think the larger ones offered a more variety of experiences shared by others. Something to think about.
 

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