Frequently Asked Questions

We are partnered with Black Turtle Dive Koh Tao’s award-winning PADI Dive centre and also Ananda Villa, one of the island’s newest resorts. Accommodation is offered to all IDC Koh Tao candidates at discounted rates, covering all budgets.

In the highly unlikely event you are unsuccessful on the IE we will pay for your second IDC & IE. This is exactly as it says. We are so confident that our Instructor Development Course will prepare you for a successful Instructor Exam that we will cover the expense of re-taking if there are any issues.*

*So far, this hasn’t happened..!!

CDC stands for “Career Development Centre”. This is the highest award given by PADI to any diving resort/centre to recognise first-class levels of Pro Level training. Here at IDC Koh Tao we are very proud to have achieved this level.

We have fully inclusive Diving Internships which can take you through from being a recreational diver to fully qualified Instructor. Message us for more specific details as the information is dependent on your current diver rating.

We are affiliated with Black Turtle Dive Koh Tao and share the extensive diving facilities located on the beach only a 2 minute walk from the main pier in Mae Haad. This is the pier you arrive at on Koh Tao.

We generally accept a 10% deposit to confirm bookings for any of our IDC courses by payment button on this website. However, please confirm any bookings by email, website message or direct communication with our IDC team led by Matt Bolton beforehand.

Our PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) is scheduled to take place each month – please download the schedule from the website for full details.

IDC Koh Tao is fortunate in that its location in the Gulf of Thailand has a consistent climate throughout the year. November | December is recognised as our ‘rainy season’ but this is rain for short bursts only and temperatures remain high. Sea temperatures will drop a couple of degrees to around 26 + degrees so we enjoy diving all year round.

At any given time, our pro level student divers are all at different stages of their courses or internships. So we provide a ‘Flexi – Schedule’ system meaning our Internships are tailored to an individual’s requirements. This gives you greater flexibility with your arrival dates and planning and does not tie you down to a specific date.

We provide you with the best value and the highest standards in diver training worldwide. Our diver training standards are recognised throughout the industry and we have been awarded many ‘Diver Trainer’ Awards by PADI.

The short answer to that is no, PADI fees where stated on any of our website pages are paid separately direct to PADI (normally by card). The exceptions to this are our ‘Lifestyle Packaged Internships’ that are great value and the most competitive prices anywhere in Thailand.

Please communicate directly with us for clarification on your choice of ‘package’ to avoid any unnecessary surprises as you progress through your training.