PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Instructor Course

Learn to Teach DPV Instructor Course on Koh Tao

Take your diving—and your teaching—to the next level with the PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Instructor course at IDC Koh Tao. Also known as underwater scooters, DPVs are one of the most exciting and enjoyable specialty courses you can offer as a dive instructor.

Many divers want to explore more of a dive site while staying within safe limits, and DPVs make this possible. By reducing physical exertion and improving efficiency, DPVs allow divers to cover greater distances, conserve energy, and enjoy longer, more dynamic dives.

As a PADI DPV Specialty Instructor, you will be qualified to teach your students how to safely operate a DPV, control their speed and buoyancy, and manage their dive effectively while using this equipment. It’s a fun, engaging specialty that adds variety to your teaching and is highly appealing to divers looking for something different.

DPV Diving Around Koh Tao

Koh Tao is an ideal location to teach the DPV Specialty course. The island’s diverse underwater landscapes—including reefs, pinnacles, and wrecks—provide the perfect environment for DPV diving.

Dive sites such as Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle, and the HTMS Sattakut wreck offer exciting terrain where students can safely practice DPV skills while exploring more of the underwater environment. Using a DPV allows divers to glide effortlessly across reefs, navigate larger dive sites, and experience a completely different style of diving.

As an instructor, you will also learn how to teach students to use DPVs responsibly—maintaining buoyancy control, avoiding contact with marine life, and protecting the reef environment while enjoying the experience.

Who Can Enrol on the PADI DPV Instructor Course?

To enrol in the PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Specialty Instructor course, you must be:

• A renewed PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)

Note: IDC/OWSI candidates may complete the DPV 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 have completed a DPV training course conducted by a PADI Course Director and demonstrate sufficient experience using a DPV. This is a course exit requirement.

What Will You Learn?

This course is designed to give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach DPV diving professionally.

During the program, you will:

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

Your training dives will take place at carefully selected dive sites around Koh Tao, ensuring you gain real-world experience in safe and suitable conditions.

Upon completion, you will be certified to independently teach the PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Specialty course, allowing you to expand your teaching portfolio and offer one of the most fun and unique specialties in diving.

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 Diver Propulsion Vehicle Instructor Application Fee: AUD $145

Why Add the DPV Instructor Specialty?

The DPV Specialty is a fantastic way to diversify your teaching and offer something unique to your students. It is highly engaging, fun to teach, and gives divers a completely new way to experience the underwater world.

Adding this specialty increases your versatility as an instructor, enhances your employability, and contributes toward your PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) rating.