- Roatan’s most experienced Course Director
- No-one has been teaching the IDC on Roatan longer or taught more IDCs on Roatan, than course director Will Welbourn
- Roatan’s number one dive center in terms of:
- PADI rating, we are the only dive operation to have attained the prestigious CDC rating, awarded in recognition of the quality of our pro training
- Trip Advisor’s number one ranked dive operation
- Roatan’s best location, located on a white sandy beach with perfect confined water conditions on our doorstep, and beautiful Open Water sites just minutes away on our large comfortable boats
- Perfectly located in the center of West End with all the facilities it has to offer, restaurants, hotels, grocery shopping and bars all just two minutes walk. Giving more choice on where to stay and where to eat than any other Instructor development center
- Small class sizes, four is average number of candidates on an IDC this means shorter days and more personal attention you will find with many other bigger IDC centers
- More instructors currently employed on Roatan trained by Coconut Tree Divers than all the other IDC centers put together
- Extended 11/12 day IDC giving time to focus on your individual areas of weakness, be it dive theory, skills or just being a bit rusty after not diving for a while, we have the time and the expertise you fully prepare you for the IDC.
- Large, Air conditioned, multimedia classroom, giving the best facilities to hone your teaching skills.
- Nearby international airport with regular flights direct to Atlanta (with Delta Airlines) and Houston (with Continental and TACA), making it the easiest IDC center to reach in the Bay Islands
- Extensive range of con-ed options. The only Instructor development center on Roatan offering tec and tec instructor training all the way through to Trimix level.
- 10 Free fun dives included in the IDC price
Roatan's Most Experienced Course Director
Coconut Tree divers employ the most experienced Course Director on Roatan, no-one has been teaching the IDC on Roatan for longer than Will Welbourn, nor has any other Roatan Course Director taught more IDCs than Will. When it comes to your IDC experience that means you will be the best prepared candidates at the instructor exam. You will also have had the most well organized, efficient and stress free Instructor development course out there.
The Instructor development course is an intense course, there is plenty of pressure, but we want to make it as stress-free as possible. Behind the scenes Will makes the course run smoothly, with a reasonably relaxed and flexible schedule working with a team he has been a part of for 8 years on dive sites he has dived thousands of times, all he has to worry about is you, his students.
The course is split between two components. The assistant instructor portion, which is the first four days. Is followed by the Open Water Scuba Instructor portion, 5 days. We then have a two day mock IE. It is now a requirement to be an EFR instructor if you want to be an Open Water Scuba Instructor. When you use our course calculator to work out the cost of the course be sure to select whether you are already an EFR instructor to get an accurate price. Please note that the two components of the IDC, AI and OWSI are listed separately in the price quote.
We have a dedicated multimedia classroom, accommodations and boats, all there to ensure your instructor development course, runs smoothly.
We offer an extended Instructor Development course spread over 11/12 days compared to the minimum of 7 because we believe the course is more enjoyable and more productive taught that way. The extra time our Course Director spends teaching this course is worth it when you see the results. We have a 100% pass rate since the day we became an IDC center and Will became a course director. That is because we take our time and do it right. We can even include a 1 or two day Prep session free of charge if you feel the need. We are committed to spending whatever time you feel need you need preparing you for life as an instructor.
Many other centers offer a similarly long IDC, but few offers the combination of a maximum class of 8 AND that much time committed to Open water scuba instructor candidates. 'Hurry up and wait' is not experience that Coconut Tree Instructor candidates have because of our small class sizes.
We have short days in the IDC timetable because rest and relaxation is essential to enjoying the course. Our timetable is 9am to 4pm, giving plenty of time to do their homework and still enjoy a meal and relaxed evening. Nobody performs well when they are tired, we want you to do the best you can, that means giving you time to prepare every evening, putting a few extra days in the timetable in our experience makes the difference between an enjoyable course and not. After all, for many the IDC for many is also partly a vacation, with us it will feel like, by the end at least...
Real life training
We are not instructor training factory turning out 10plus instructors a month every month. We train people with the ultimate goal of making them great instructors, achieving their PERSONAL best. That can't be done when you are one of a dozen or so other candidates.
The course will prepare you to succeed way beyond the Instructor Exam. You need to be given real life examples of what a student may do when you do your IDC and be prepared for the unexpected. Will's huge experience is what makes it possible for him to create these real life scenarios for you to deal with as part of your Instructor development course.
You are going to have fun dealing with what Will throws at you, he will keep you on your toes from the start of the day to end, always with a smile on his face. He is quick to praise and explains your areas of weakness in a way that makes it easy to improve next time. You will always be given clear action points that allow you to improve your performance next time. Few people enjoy having their performance analyzed and criticized, but this is an essential part of both the Divemaster and Instructor development course, Will’s interpersonal skills and extensive feedback training make it painless though. You will learn a lot from Will’s feedback style, which is a skill every instructor needs to develop.