The courses are described below. It is best to take both courses one following the other as the candidate will be more likely to be successful during in the IE. If taken together, the IDC is a total of  twelve days and followed by the 2 day IE.

The AI course is taught during the first six days of the IDC. Here you are introduced to PADI's teaching standards, and are taught how to give presentations in the classroom, confined water (pool), and the open water (the ocean). The candidates will give two knowledge development presentations in the classroom, two confined water presentations, and two open water presentations.

As a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, you are qualified to teach and certify students from Discover Scuba Diving through Divemaster. You will also have the required prerequisites to enroll in a PADI Emergency First Response Instructor course and the Master Scuba Diver Trainer Course, allowing you to teach and certify students in numerous of specialty programs.

• PADI Instructor Manual 2010 version
• PADI's Guide to Teaching manual
• Open Water Lesson Planning Slate
• Confined Water Lesson Preparation Slate
• Open Water Aquatic Cue Cards
• Confined Water Aquatic Cue Cards
• The Law and the Diving Professional
• The Business of Diving
• The Best of The Undersea Journal
• Log Book
• Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Instructor Outline
• Project AWARE Specialty Program Instructor Outline
• Aware Coral Reef Conservation Specialty Instructor Outline
• Open Water Diver Manual
• Recreational Dive Planner, The Wheel and table, and Instructions for Use Booklets
• Open Water Diver Quizzes and Exam booklet
• Adventures in Diving Manual
• Rescue Diver Manual
• Rescue Diver Final Exams Booklet
• Divemaster Manual
• Divemaster Final Exams Booklet