One of the advantages of doing your PADI IDC at Thresher Shark Divers is the wide and varied experience of our dive instructors. They have each been working in diving jobs, teaching around the world for many years - in the tropics and in cold water, in Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, the Red Sea, South Pacific... you name it. So whatever your goals and aims for the future, someone should have done it before and will be able to help and advise you. Most of our instructor are PADI Master Instructors and above, which means they are tremendously experienced.

Small Class Size

TSD has always been known for its small groups and individual attention, both with PADI courses and fun divers. This does not change when you get to Instructor level. There are often several staff members helping on the IDCs, and sometimes more Instructors than students on your course. You will not be in a 'dive-factory' stuck in a class with 10-20 other Instructor Candidates with very little individual attention. When you do your IDC with us you get one-on-one attention to ensure you not only pass, but do well in your Instructor Exam. As an added bonus, you will become part of the TSD family and you can expect to make lifelong friendships.

Employment Assistance for Dive Instructor Jobs

For anyone becoming a PADI Instructor, the idea of finding a diving job after certification is sure to be a daunting prospect. For all PADI IDC Candidates we offer a FREE Dive Instructor Employment Workshop after the IE. This will involve all aspects of job-hunting in the dive industry. We will help you write your resume, advise you on how to find the dive job of your dreams, help you get started on your diving career, how to use the web, pitfalls to avoid etc. As we have many years experience in managing dive shops and employing dive instructors, we will be able to help you with many tips that will help you

get that critical first response and
avoid any mistakes that would send your resume straight to the trash.

Our newly certified instructors never seem to have any problems finding jobs and we currently have graduates working in locations as diverse as Thailand, Indonesia, The Red Sea, Antarctica, Mexico, the South Pacific and the Cayman Islands.

Work Experience as Diving Instructors

The PADI IDC gives you the tools to teach, but you still have no experience actually teaching. After certification as a PADI Instructor you have the option to continue your education at TSD on an MSDT Prep Internship, team-teaching with our experienced instructors. Team-teaching takes the stress out of your first certifications and also gives you some experience to put on your resume. You can do this as a stand alone 'Learn to Teach' program or as part of our PADI MSDT program.

Quality of your Dive Education

TSD is one of the top PADI Dive Centers in the Philippines and a PADI 5 Star IDC Center. The awards that we receive each year under strong competition are a testament to that. TSD's motto, in everything we do, has always been quality (and safety) above everything else - your IDC will be no different.

Fabulous Diving!!!

In the midst of worrying about becoming an instructor, don't forget the reason that most of us got into diving in the first place - the fact that diving is incredible! In Malapascua you have some of the top diving in the world. Most of our packages include free fun diving, so take advantage of that. This is the only place in the world you can see thresher sharks every day and mantas are frequent visitors. With wrecks, walls, reef, macro, muck diving, tec and more, there will be plenty to take your mind off studying if you need a break. Located in the Golden Triangle of diving, the huge biodiversity of species in Malapascua will give you a good foundation of marine life knowledge, particularly if you do a full PADI Dive Instructor internship with us.

PADI Course Directors

Richard Reardon

Rich is our resident Course Director and Training Manager, in charge of all PADI Pro Development at TSD.

He has been a dedicated PADI Master Instructor for over 10 years. He has a wealth of experience and you can learn untold amounts from him. He still teaches all levels of courses, but most of all loves to teach and mentor Divemasters and Instructors. He has worked in Egypt and all over the Asia Pacific Region including New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Palau.

Rich can also teach a seemingly endless number of PADI specialty courses including TSD's unique PADI Thresher Shark Diver Course and his own PADI Reef Shark Awareness Course. He can also teach you many Instructor Specialties, including Reef Shark Awareness, and is an EFR Instructor Trainer.

His involvement will not just start on the first day of your IDC. He will mentor you from your arrival and prepare you to get - not just passing - but exemplary marks on your Instructor Exam.

Rich hails from the UK and is an ardent Liverpool supporter. (We each have our crosses to bear!)

PADI IDC Staff Instructors & Master Instructors

Dino (Josh) Dean

Dino is a PADI Master Instructor and has been managing resorts & hotels in South East Asia since 1992. He is TSD's Operation's Manager and logistics coordinator for all intern and IDC candidates. In addition to helping on IDCs, he will be a valuable resource for job searching after you are certified due to his extensive experience in dive resort management.

Angus Thorburn

Angus has been with with TSD for a year and is a PADI Staff Instructor, soon to be Master Instructor. Before joining us in the Philippines, his main experience was in Thailand and Mozambique. In' Africa he dived every day with the "Big 5" - whales, whale sharks, turtles, mantas and dolphins, sometimes seeing all 5 in one day! There is no-one who is more dedicated to his students, and Angus will bring out the the best in you.

Julia van Beinum

Julia is a PADI IDC Staff Instructor and has been working in the dive industry for over 5 years. She has worked in such diverse locations as Thailand, Malaysia, the Red Sea, Bermuda, Palau and the Andaman Islands.

Andrea Agarwal

Andrea will probably be your first contact when you e-mail us about IDC programs. Before you arrive, she will help you with program options and logistics to build the program that is best for you.

Andrea is a PADI Master Instructor and over her many years in diving has taught in three continents, including 8 years on Malapascua. As well as assisting you before and during your stay, she may be on staff during your IDC. Andrea is also an EFR Instructor Trainer.

Trevor Holmes

Trevor is co-owner of Thresher Shark Divers with Andrea, and for those of you that want to try out technical diving, he is our resident Tec Guru. So if you want another challenge after your IDC, Trevor is your man!

Find out more about the staff of Thresher Shark Divers

Course Directors Past

We have been honored at TSD to have worked with some amazing Course Directors over the years.

January 2011: Platinum Course Director, Camille Lemmens

Camille was our guest Course Director for our January 2011 IDC to coincide with the first ever Instructor Exam held on Malapascua.

Camille's award presentation from
PADI's Worldwide CEO & President, Drew Richardson

Camille is an award winning PADI Course Director, usually based in Thailand, but he flew out to Malapascua especially for our IDC - and of course to see some thresher sharks! He has achieved the prestigious Platinum Course Director distinction 4 years in a row, and this year also won PADI's much coveted Instructor Development Award, beating out all of Thailand's many excellent Course Directors. We were privileged and honored to have him host our January IDC.

Camille became a CD in 2003 and since has worked on more than 70 IDC programs, teaching more than 1350 Instructor level courses with an amazing IE pass rate of 98%. He can teach more than 20 Instructor Specialties.

We hope to see Camille back at some point in the future!

See Camille's other awards.

2010: Silver Course Director, Mike Ferguson

PADI IDC - Mike's briefing Mike has a wide range of experience teaching in both the cold waters of the UK and in tropical locations. Before coming to Thresher Shark Divers in 2007 he was the Head Instructor and owner of a PADI 5 Star Dive Center in Turkey.

Mike has won several PADI awards including the PADI Keyman award for the whole of the UK, and a PADI Certificate of Excellence at TSD. He also won the prestigious PADI Silver Course Director award for his work at TSD.

Mike sadly had to leave us at the end of 2010 to return home to the UK.

2009: Silver Course Director, John Taylor

John and Mike discussing Open Water presentations

John is a very experienced and dedicated Course Director and helped us start our IDC program at Thresher Shark Divers. Originally from the UK, John has successfully run IDCs in England, the United States, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. He worked for many years with a busy PADI CDC (Career Development Center) in Thailand, turning out a great deal of very successful instructors, including several who have worked at TSD.

As well as a PADI Course Director he is also an Instructor Trainer for EFR, many PADI Specialty courses, DSAT TecRec and Trimix, Rebreather and DAN.

In 2009, John earned the Silver Course Director distinction because of his great work at TSD. Sadly John has now retired but we have been honored to have him work with us.