Digital Underwater Photographer Instructor Course

Take your teaching and creativity underwater with the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Instructor course at IDC Koh Tao. Underwater photography is one of the most popular and rewarding specialties in diving, allowing divers to capture and share their experiences with friends, family, and the wider world.

As a PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty Instructor, you will be qualified to teach divers how to take high-quality underwater images using modern digital equipment. You will train your students using the PADI SEA method (Shoot, Examine, Adjust), a simple and effective approach that helps divers quickly improve their photography skills—even on their first dive.

This course goes beyond simply taking photos. You will also learn how to guide your students in reviewing, editing, and optimising their images for storage, sharing, and printing. This makes the course highly appealing to divers who want to document their adventures and create lasting memories.

Underwater Photography Diving Around Koh Tao

Koh Tao is one of the best locations in Thailand to teach underwater photography. The island offers exceptional marine biodiversity, vibrant coral reefs, and varied underwater landscapes—providing the perfect environment for capturing stunning images.

With over 25 dive sites to choose from, including shallow reefs, pinnacles, and macro-rich environments, Koh Tao gives you the ideal setting to teach composition, lighting, and subject selection. As an instructor, you will learn how to help your students achieve great results quickly, while maintaining excellent buoyancy control and protecting the marine environment.

Teaching underwater photography in Koh Tao not only enhances your own skills but also allows you to offer one of the most in-demand specialty courses in the dive industry.

Who Can Enrol on the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Instructor Course?

To enrol in this course, you must be:

• A renewed PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)

Note: IDC/OWSI candidates may complete the Digital Underwater Photography Instructor training during their IDC but can only apply for certification after successfully passing the PADI Instructor Examination (IE).

To qualify for certification, you must also have a minimum of 10 logged digital underwater photography dives. This requirement can be completed either before or after the course.

What Will You Learn?

This course is designed to give you the skills and confidence to teach underwater photography professionally.

During the program, you will:

• Deliver and be evaluated on a knowledge development presentation based on the Digital Underwater Photography Specialty
• Review PADI standards, procedures, and course structure
• Learn how to organise and conduct the full specialty course
• Complete open water training sessions where you will demonstrate, execute, and evaluate student-level photography skills

Your open water dives will take place at carefully selected dive sites around Koh Tao, giving you real-world teaching experience in ideal photographic conditions.

Upon completion, you will be certified to independently teach the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty course, allowing you to expand your teaching portfolio and increase your employability.

PADI Materials

Please bring the following materials:

• PADI Specialty Instructor Manual (from your IDC Crew Pack)
• PADI Instructor Manual (available as a free download for renewed PADI Members via PADI Pro / MyPADI)

PADI Fees

• PADI Digital Underwater Photography Instructor Application Fee: AUD $145

Why Add the Digital Underwater Photography Instructor Specialty?

This specialty is one of the most popular continuing education courses in diving. It allows you to offer something highly engaging and creative, while also increasing your value as an instructor.

By adding this rating, you expand your teaching opportunities, improve your own underwater skills, and move closer to achieving your PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) certification.