PADI Co-Founder John Cronin once observed, “PADI Course Directors are the crème de la crème.”

PADI Course Directors are instructor trainers who conduct PADI Instructor Development Courses and other instructor-level training, holding the highest and most respected rating in recreational scuba diving.

Those who join this elite group of professionals pass through a stringent screening process that examines their experience and training just to get into the demanding, intense two week Course Director Training Course.

• Renewed teaching status PADI Master Instructor for at least six months.
• Conduct all PADI certification courses and experience programs using methods consistent with PADI Standards and philosophy as outlined in the PADI Instructor Manual.
• Exclusively use the complete PADI System of diver education including all appropriate PADI training materials.
• Certified as a PADI IDC Staff Instructor Certified as a current Emergency First Response Instructor.
• Experience working with a PADI Center or Resort.

After successful completion of the PADI CDTC you can teach the following PADI courses and  programs:

PADI Instructor Development Courses (IDCs) and PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) programs
• PADI IDC Staff Instructor courses
• PADI Status Updates
• After certification as a PADI Specialty instructor Trainer, you can also teach PADI Specialty Instructor Courses 

At a glance, compare what you can teach when you continue your professional diver education.

To take this course, you must:

• Be a renewed, teaching status PADI Master Instructor for at least the past six months
• Have no verified Quality Assurance complaints for at least the past 12 months
• Conduct all PADI certification courses and experience programs using methods consistent with PADI Standards and philosophy as outlined in the PADI Instructor Manual for at least the past 12 months.
• Exclusively use the complete PADI System of diver education including all appropriate PADI training materials for at least the past 12 months.
• Certified as a PADI IDC Staff Instructor
• Have staffed at least two complete IDCs after being certified as a PADI IDC Staff Instructor
• Certified as a current Emergency First Response Instructor Trainer
• Experience working with a PADI dive shop or resort
• Have a minimum of 250 logged dives
• Meet all other requirements as specified by PADI at the time of application