Looking for a good IDC

[SubQ]

Hi all,

I am looking to do my IDC. Quality is, of course, most important to me (and to my future students I guess). But, if I had to choose between several good schools I would definitely go to a place with big fish and good viz.
Any suggestions?

Cheers,

SubQ

 

[GotAir]

SubQ is IDC mean that you havnt got your C-Card yet and are looking for a diving school ?

Mike

 

[SubQ]

hey Mike,
If by C-card you mean Open Water Diver certification card; no. If you mean instructor certification card; yes, and then please excuse me for explaining.
IDC stands for (PADIs) Instructor Development Course, which is the course you take to prepare for the IE, which stands for Instructor Exam. Hope that clarifies my first post for you.
Cheers,
SubQ

 

[Doc]

The IDC should be pre-read and pre-studied the point that all you have to do is show up: learn & polish the skills to demonstation quality level; learn classroom techniques. This is usualy best done in a pool.

You will have an open water portion to repeat the demonstartion processes required at depth. At both instances you will be challenged to correct mistakes by your co-candidate "stand-in students".

The IE is merely a repetition of the above plus the written tests.
Pre-study is everything. Pretty fish mean nothing as you will not have time to look at them. If you have the kind of spare cash to fiddle around for months while doing your IDC, I would suggest Utila College of Diving or Roatan at Anthony's Key.

I instruct (occasionaly) in one of the prettiest underwater scenes in the Caribbean, the shore dive at CoCoView. I took my IDC at ProDive in Ft. Lauderdale where the reef was awful and the best instructors made the IE a non-event. It took less than 2 weeks. The ProDive "Cosa Nostra" is well known.

 

[Cudabait]

SUBQ:

Deep Blue Divers, Utila Dive Center and Bay Islands College of Diving on Utila are all having IDC in February with the IE being held the last week of the month. February is probably the best month to see whale sharks at Utila, if you had the extra time. It would be tough to co-mingle the IDC with UW cruising.

Rregards,

 

[divinglife]

Hey I am in the process of looking at IDCs as well and was in contact with the Utila Dive Center. I liked what I saw and received by email, however I really thought I would be saving money by going south and it appears it will be just as expensive as it would be up here (boohoo). Also, I was REALLY hoping to work a little before to help pay for the IDC but they don't seem to have that kind of opportunities. Anyone know of somewhere where I could do that??!!! I am currently working in a LDS, hence making VERY little money... hehehe oh the things we'll do for scuba. Any ideas would be great as I was hoping to get on this within the next 2 months (winter sucks and I've reached the point of putting my name down for an ICE diving trip).
Sofi

 

[MartiniTime]

Bjorn Tackman has a great program in Phuket, www.idc-phuket.com

 

[SubQ]

hiya Sofi,

Just out of curiosity; what is an LDS?
Anyway, I have also heard about some diveoperations paying for your IDC in return for you to stay and work at their school. I don't really remember where it was (i think thailand or the maldives) but you might wnat to look out for that kind of stuff. Good luck with that.

And RoatanMan, thanks for the info, I will certainly check out the ProDive thing. Good point about the prestudy, if the course is only two weeks I imagine they would want to get right down to business.
I don't really understand the concept of "spare cash", I hope I will someday , but I would want to stay for a week or so after my IDC to just relax and dive. Is Roatan much more expensive than Utila?

Cheers,

SubQ

 

[MartiniTime]

Sub Q I have never heard of anywhere that pays for your IDC / IE. I did mine in Thailand and dont know of any shops doing that. A couple people from my class are working the Maldives and they dont know anyone who does that either. Instructors are a dime a dozen in both places unfortunately.

 

[SubQ]

all right, must have been someplace else then I guess..
So is there anyplace where there is a shortage of instructors?