Where to Do a PADI IDC in Australia
You can do a PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) at any PADI IDC Centre in Australia, and the right one for you comes down to who runs it, how many candidates share your class, what the price really covers, and what support you get afterwards. Ours runs in Bondi, Sydney, over ten days, at a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre, one of only two in Australia in 2026.
I'm Woody, Dive Centre Bondi's in-house PADI Platinum Course Director, and I run every IDC here personally. This guide covers what to look for in any IDC centre, the five steps from Advanced Open Water to Instructor, and exactly what our PADI Instructor Development Course includes, with the full cost.
What to Look for When Choosing an IDC Centre
IDCs run in every Australian diving region, from the reef in Queensland to the temperate coast of New South Wales, so the postcode matters less than the questions below. Ask every centre the same ones and compare the answers side by side.
- Centre status. PADI rates its IDC centres. A Five Star IDC Centre is assessed on training quality and professional output, and Platinum is the top tier of PADI Asia Pacific's Professional Development Excellence Award. Platinum status is awarded annually, so check the year.
- Look for a Platinum Course Director. A PADI Course Director conducts the IDC, so search for the person as well as the centre. Ask whether they hold PADI Platinum recognition, how many instructors they have trained, and what their candidates' examination record is. Then ask whether they personally teach your course or hand it to someone else. Platinum recognition points to a Course Director with a long record of training professionals.
- Group size. Ask for the maximum number of candidates in your class. Teaching practice only works if you get enough turns at presenting and enough feedback on each one.
- The pass record. Ask how many of a centre's candidates have sat the PADI Instructor Examination and how many passed.
- How you get feedback. Ask whether you will see yourself teach, not just hear about it afterwards.
- The full cost. The Instructor Examination fee and the EFR Instructor registration are paid directly to PADI, so ask for a total that includes them.
- Dive access. PADI sets a minimum of 60 logged dives to start an IDC and 100 to sit the examination, but in practice most candidates arrive with close to 100. Ask whether you can dive with the centre while you build those hours.
- Career support. Ask exactly what help you get finding work once you are certified.
Our answers to all eight are further down this page.
The Five Steps to Becoming a PADI Instructor
There are five steps between a certified diver and a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor: Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, Divemaster, the IDC and the Instructor Examination. Each one has its own prerequisites, and the dive counts are what catch people out. The requirements below follow PADI's professional education pathway, and EFR means Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care.
| Step | Course | What you need first |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PADI Advanced Open Water Diver | Open Water Diver certification, aged 15 or over (12 for Junior) |
| 2 | PADI Rescue Diver | Advanced Open Water, or Adventure Diver with the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive, aged 15 or over |
| 3 | PADI Divemaster | Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver, aged 18 or over, 40 logged dives to begin and 60 to finish, a medical within 12 months, EFR within 24 months |
| 4 | Instructor Development Course (IDC) | Divemaster, certified diver for six months, 60 logged dives as the PADI minimum (we recommend close to 100) with night, deep and navigation experience, aged 18 or over, medical within 12 months, EFR within 24 months |
| 5 | PADI Instructor Examination (IE) | 100 logged dives, and an IDC completed within the past 12 months |
The courses are easy to book. The 100 dives are not, which is why time in the water, rather than course availability, sets the pace for most people. Our full guide to becoming a scuba diving instructor in Australia walks through the pathway in detail, and you can start any step with us: Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver or Divemaster. Not certified yet? Begin with the PADI Open Water Diver course.
Already a Divemaster with the dives behind you? Check dates and book your IDC with us.
Why Train at a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre
Dive Centre Bondi is a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre, one of only two in Australia in 2026. Platinum is the top tier of PADI Asia Pacific's Professional Development Excellence Award, and it is awarded for a reporting period, so we have to keep earning it. The full story of the award is on the blog.
For you as a candidate, the practical meaning is simple. The team that trains new PADI Instructors here is the same team that teaches our Open Water, Advanced and Rescue students, and I lead every IDC personally. You are not handed to a stand-in halfway through. I hold Platinum recognition as a Course Director, and my candidates' record on the Instructor Examination is the one stated below.
We also cap every IDC at five candidates. That keeps your turns at presenting frequent and your feedback specific, which matters more in the second week than the first.
Ten Days of Intensive Training, With Video Feedback
Our IDC is ten days of classroom, pool and ocean training, followed by a two-day PADI Instructor Examination. The first days build your presentation skills, the middle of the course tests them, and day 9 is a full mock examination so nothing on the real one is a surprise.
Here is how the ten days are shaped:
- Days 1 to 3: PADI Standards, theory, your first pool presentation as an instructor, and the first round of exams.
- Days 4 to 5: your first presentations in the ocean, an advanced water workshop with lift bags and compass navigation, and rescue skills practice.
- Day 6: a deliberate rest day, or time to catch up on theory and skills.
- Days 7 to 8: a second round of exams, workshops on risk management, licensing, continuing education and sales, and more presentations.
- Day 9: the mock examination.
- Day 10: the EFR Instructor course, and the IDC closes.
The two examination days follow, run by a PADI Instructor Examiner who is independent of the centre that trained you.
Video feedback is the part candidates remember. You watch your own underwater teaching on video with your instructor. Almost nobody enjoys the first session, and it compresses months of gradual improvement into a fortnight, because you stop guessing what you look like to a student and simply see it. We also teach every skill in neutral buoyancy from day one, which is the modern professional standard.
The result is a record I'm proud to state plainly: every candidate we've trained has passed the PADI Instructor Examination, first time.
What Our IDC Includes, and What It Costs
Our IDC costs $3,395. Add $1,575 for the PADI Instructor Examination and $277 for EFR Instructor registration, both paid directly to PADI, and the all-in cost is $5,247. We would rather you see that total here than find it later.
The $3,395 includes:
- Ten full days of training: classroom, confined water and open water
- All theory materials, a backpack and slates
- The EFR Instructor course and materials
- Three specialty instructor certifications at no extra cost: Enriched Air Nitrox, Equipment Specialist and Emergency Oxygen Provider
- All training equipment
- A free Shark Exploration Dive
- A free Santi drysuit try dive
- Free instructor trainee dives, from your deposit, through the course, and for life afterwards
- 15% off retail and 20% off packages
The free dives answer the biggest problem in the pathway. If you are sitting on 45 logged dives and need 100, that gap is what delays most people, not the course. Once your deposit is paid, you can join our training dives straight away at no extra cost, with all equipment provided, so you build your hours with the team you will train with. These free dives are for IDC candidates, and they stay free for life after you certify.
Upcoming IDC Dates
| Start date | Seats remaining |
|---|---|
| 18 November 2026 | 1 of 5 |
| 27 January 2027 | 5 of 5 |
| 26 May 2027 | 5 of 5 |
| 29 September 2027 | 5 of 5 |
| 24 November 2027 | 5 of 5 |
Seat numbers change as people book, so check live availability on the course page.
Our Job Placement Program
Finishing the IDC is step one, and we help with step two. Our job placement program supports you in putting together your professional profile, preparing for interviews and connecting with opportunities, whether that is teaching in Sydney, working on a liveaboard, instructing overseas or building your own dive operation.
We also hire from our own graduates, and we take on a lot of newly qualified instructors internally after the course. We can't promise you a job, because that depends on you and on the market, and nothing here is guaranteed. Dive work is also seasonal in many places and it is not highly paid, so go in with open eyes. What we can promise is that you will not be working it out alone.
Many of our graduates continue to a Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, which our PADI PRO+ guide explains.
Do Your IDC in Bondi, Sydney
Our shop is at 198 Bondi Road, Bondi, and your ocean presentations take place on Sydney's temperate coast, at sites like North Bondi and Gordons Bay. Training in cooler water is a real advantage for an instructor, because you learn to manage exposure protection, buoyancy and students in conditions that are less forgiving than a warm reef. The free drysuit try dive in your IDC is a good first look at that.
Come in and talk it through with me, call us on (02) 9369 3855, or email info@divebondi.com.au. When you are ready, start your Instructor Development Course with Dive Centre Bondi.
FAQ: Doing a PADI IDC in Australia
Where can I do a PADI IDC in Australia?
At any PADI IDC Centre, in most Australian diving regions. Compare centres on who runs the course, class size, total cost including PADI fees, and support after. Dive Centre Bondi runs its IDC in Sydney at a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre.
How long is the PADI IDC at Dive Centre Bondi?
Ten days of training, followed by a two-day PADI Instructor Examination run by a PADI Instructor Examiner. The ten days cover classroom, pool and ocean work, with video feedback throughout and a mock examination on day 9.
How much does a PADI IDC cost in Australia?
At Dive Centre Bondi, the IDC is $3,395. The PADI Instructor Examination ($1,575) and EFR Instructor registration ($277) are paid to PADI, so the all-in total is $5,247. Other centres price differently, so always ask for a total.
How many dives do I need to start an IDC?
The PADI minimum is 60 logged dives to start the IDC, with night, deep and navigation experience, and 100 to sit the Instructor Examination. In practice most candidates arrive with close to 100, and we recommend you plan for that. You also need to be a PADI Divemaster, certified for six months, with a current medical and EFR.
Is there job placement after the IDC?
Yes. Our job placement program helps with your professional profile, interview preparation and connecting with opportunities, and we hire from our own graduates too. A job is never guaranteed, but you will have support finding one.
What is a PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centre?
Platinum is the top tier of PADI Asia Pacific's Professional Development Excellence Award for Five Star IDC Centres. Dive Centre Bondi is one of only two PADI Platinum 5 Star IDC Centres in Australia in 2026.
