Dubai, UAE

Course Director

Address

Dubai’s PADI IDC

Take your PADI IDC in Dubai, in the UAE

PADI Gold Course Director has been diving since 1994 with thousand’s of logged dives in the UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Red Sea and the Caribbean and is still actively diving.

In 1994 whilst working in the Oilfield Industry myself and a group of friends decided to go book a holiday to Australia. On this trip we had a boat trip built in to the Great Barrier Reef. So we all decided that it would be a good idea to learn to dive before went so we could get the best from the trip. Prior to this I had never even thought about Scuba Diving as a hobby. So off we went to our local centre and earned our PADI OW rating. Ironically due to various reasons we pulled out of the trip to Australia but we still had our PADI certification.

I continued to dive fairly regularly and got hooked pretty quickly. Due to a problem with my current employment at the time I found myself out of work. I had a great relationship with the Dive Centre and started to help out there while I was between jobs. My time there became an internship and I quickly realized that being an outdoors kind of bloke, I wanted to give the Instructor Course a bash with a view staying with the centre full time. So I took the plunge and it worked out. Imagine that, never thought about diving, took a course and ended up a diving Instructor. A string of these opportunities continued for several years resulting in a management position in my current dive centre and reaching the level of PADI Course Director.

I still remember my first dive in the warm shallow waters of Abu Dhabi marina where I saw one unidentified fish…and look where it got me!

DAN Instructor Trainer and also a PADI Instructor Trainer for more than 20 PADI Specialties, Emergency First Response Instructor Trainer, having certified and team taught over 1500+ PADI certifications of all levels, Considered one of the most experienced Instructor Trainers in his territory. Our Course Directors instructional experience is based in Dubai where he has lived for over 10 years but has traveled and Instructed in Thailand, Indonesia and the Red Sea.

What is the philosophy of your company?

Dedication to excellence and continuous improvement is demonstrated through our commitment of resources to innovation and learning. We will, through our Business Management System, deliver benefits to our customer, colleagues, business partners, owners and society by listening, building loyalty and developing mutually beneficial relationships.

Our success and sustainability is achieved by:

Making customers our first priority and striving constantly to exceed their expectations Applying our Hallmarks, Guiding Principles and Core Standards in day-to-day activities Leading by example and role-modeling a culture of excellence in everything we do Providing consistently superior and innovative products and services.

With valuable experience, knowledge and the quality of instructors already trained, you can be assured of the very best quality education and introduction to the dive industry. Since graduating as a PADI Course Director in 2003, 95% of IDC candidates trained by our Course Director and his team have achieved a first IE passing rate!

Dedication to the PADI system of dive education has resulted in receiving PADI’s prestigious award for Excellence in the implementation of PADI eLearning 2009″

English Gold Course Director
Staff of 10 including :
2 Gold PADI Course Directors, Staff :1 Master Instructor, 2 Master Scuba Diver Trainers, 5 PADI Assistant Instructors
3 IDCs per year
5000+ logged dives
15 years diving experience
1500 + PADI Certifications
300 + Professional Certifications
20 + PADI Instructor Specialties
95% First time IE success rate

Dive Centre

One of the most important steps towards a successful career in diving is your Instructor Training. Becoming a diving instructor is much more than a change of career. You are embarking on an exciting adventure, one that will change your life forever.

Your Career Development will be conducted in one of the most luxurious resorts in the world making for a professional setting but above all, a very comfortable and conducive atmosphere with a touch of Arabian adventure.

To ensure that you can concentrate fully on your IDC, The Dive Centre and our PADI Course Directors provide dedicated Instructor Training in English, German, French, Russian, and Arabic.

It is important that you receive the right preparation to make this lifestyle change a success. Our PADI Course Directors are committed to providing a very high standard of quality, service and professionalism guaranteeing success in your new venture.

It’s time to start your diving career, so come on in and let us educate you.

Has anything funny happened during your IDC courses?

Each IDC is unique and always presents something funny. On one open water presentation, the glass lens in a candidates mask fell out, when the instructor candidate asked the student to flood and clear the mask it was really funny watching the Instructor candidate try to communicate problem solving underwater, just picture it.

On another IDC during a confined water presentation on alternate air source use a candidate had just replaced both his mouthpieces and in the rush he forgot to cable tie them in pace. When the out of air candidate took the alternate source, the mouthpiece came off in the holder and he tried to breath from the Reg with no mouth piece. Same thing happened when he went for the Instructors primary.

Lastly, during an academic presentation a candidate dressed the whole class up in grass skirts and choreographed a whole dance routine as part of his contact and introduction to his presentation. The class was predominantly males of all shapes and sizes, where is the camera when you need it!

What is the reason Divemasters should take their IDC with you?

On our PADI professional Development Courses we take every candidate seriously and we treat them as an individual. We are not an Instructor machine just churning out the numbers. Instructor Candidates spend a lot of hard earned money to take this step and many of them will make a career of diving instruction at the end of our course. With this in mind, we want them to feel that they have been given value for money and more importantly we want them to be successful. Such a bond is created between Course Director and candidate that the learning process does not stop when the IDC is over. The mentoring goes on in some cases for years. Many of my candidates keep coming back to me for Instructional advice, training techniques and Instructor continuing education.

It’s not all about the course either, when you enter our resort, you are instantly put in awe of the surroundings and this really helps the candidates to relax and de-stress. Taking an IDC in this kind of environment is really a unique opportunity and our candidates constantly remind us that we have excellent facilities in a fabulous environment.

What type of diving do you like the best?

Having dived for many years in many places, I now like to dive in remote locations where there has been limited or no diving activity and there are no expectations, exploratory diving. I love deep dives, fast flowing waters and great wreck dives too. I really enjoy diving with big marine life such as Sharks, Rays, and Barracudas etc. Like my snowboarding activities I am a thrill seeker.

What else do you like (non diving)?

When I am not in the water, I am either on the snow or on a stage. I am a keen snowboarder and love the adventure and the rush of off-piste boarding. I also play electric guitar in a band and love rocking out live on stage as much as I can.

Why do you love being a PADI Course Director?

I love being a PADI Course Director for similar reason I love being a PADI Instructor. It’s the transformation and end result that I particularly like, especially with the Instructor candidates. Many candidates begin the course with a degree of doubt about their abilities. To mentor instructor candidates through the industries toughest instructor course and lead them to success is such a reward for both me and the candidates. I also like the bonding process of the candidates and the ID team throughout the course.

What does the future hold for you?

Achieving PADI CDC status for the Dive Centre was a huge achievement after 10 years of very hard work. The future is certain for me and the centre and that is to stay the industry leader for PADI Professional development in the Middle East.

In addition to professional development we are still pioneering scuba education for hundreds of school kids every year with a strong emphasis on environmental issues. We believe this is our social responsibility and we hope to grow this rewarding and very worthwhile project.

What do his IDC students think?

“I honestly don’t think I would have reached this level if it wasn’t for the help, support and guidance provided by the Dive Centre and the IDC staff there. Thanks Guys” Ghazi Gashut

“The internship at the Dive Centre is a lesson in client service above all, professionalism, standards, safety, team worm, a respect for PADI, energy and fun” Mathew Boice

IDC Guide Tips

We have stayed at the Hotel in Dubai where the PADI IDC is located and we recommend it 100%, the best rooms, service and food you will find anywhere. Dubai is one of the world’s premier resorts and as such you will find hotels, meals and shopping are expensive but if you want to do your IDC in style and comfort with great dive facilities then taking it with Dive Center located in the Jumeriah Beach Hotel, Dubai, UAE has to be your choice.

Want to see what goes on during our IDC classes ?

Click on the photo to the right to view a photo gallery from a recent IDC class