The IDC is divided into three parts, the Assistant Instructor (AI) course and the Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) course. The final part is the Instructor Examination (IE), which the candidates are required to pass before they are allowed to begin teaching. The IE immediately follows the OWSI course.

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.

During the course, the candidate will act as an instructor with fellow candidates acting as students. Your Course Director and his staff will closely observe and give each candidate detailed feedback on their performance with suggestions on how to improve their performances. These suggestions will help you to improve your diving skills, demonstration skills, communication skills, and problem solving techniques. We will also give you valuable tips on how to make your students have fun in the water and the classroom.

A PADI Assistant Instructor is qualified to teach Discover Scuba and snorkeling programs, give knowledge presentations (classroom) for all PADI courses under supervision of a PADI OWSI. They can also teach and certify students in the project A.W.A.R.E and Peak Performance Buoyancy courses. An AI is also qualified to take an Emergency First Responder Instructor course and upon successful completion, able to certify Emergency First Response students. Finally, AI's are qualified to enter the OWSI program to become fully qualified PADI Instructors.

The OWSI course is taught during the last six days where your newly acquired teaching techniques are practically applied to the various PADI diving courses including the Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue and Divemaster. During this segment we also teach you various marketing strategies, business principles, legal risks and responsibilities, diver retention programs, and how to teach children how to dive.

During the OWSI segment, your presentation skills will be fine-tuned by giving at least two additional presentations in the classroom, confined water, and open water. We also include hands-on workshops on how to demonstrate in water rescue techniques for your future real-world students.

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
• Instructor Candidate Workbook
• 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