Become an SDI Course Director in Bohol, Philippines
Train the next generation of instructors
SDI Course Director course [CDW]
Take the next step in your professional diving career — learn to run IDCs, evaluate instructor candidates, and certify new SDI instructors. Intensive online classroom and face-to-face leadership training in the clear, warm waters of Panglao, Bohol. Limited spaces — professional focus, small cohorts.
Why Train With Us
From instructor to trainer - a new perspective on teaching
Becoming an SDI Course Director isn’t just about mastering evaluation skills — it’s about learning to inspire new instructors to go out and train great divers. We teach a hybrid program which we can adapt to suit your availability. This means that you can take your time with online classes and when you come to Bohol, focus on the practical skills of training and evaluating.
Your course includes:
Real Course Director training in Panglao. Local venue with regular CD course scheduling.
Hands-on leadership practice: real classroom delivery, instructor assessments and simulated IDCs.
Course location advantage: Panglao’s calm waters, a range of nearby dive sites and comfortable student accommodation make focused training efficient.
Small cohort sizes & personalised feedback — get the mentorship you need to pass and to take on instructor training roles confidently
Course Overview
Duration: Typically 5 sessions online, 7 days face-to-face
Price: USD $2,000 (confirm at booking)
What you’ll learn
How to plan and run an SDI Instructor Development Course (IDC) and SDI specialty instructor courses.
Instructor evaluation techniques and standards — conducting final exams and skill assessments.
Adult learning theory applied to scuba instruction, risk management, and quality assurance.
Practical teaching practice: classroom presentations, confined-water skill sessions, and open water course director exercises.
Outcome on successful completion
Certification as an SDI Course Director: authorized to deliver IDCs and certify SDI Speciality instructors per SDI standards.
Course schedule and requirements
Typical course schedule (sample)
Online: Five sessions – approximately 18 hours
Face to face in Bohlol
Day 1: Registration, orientation, leadership & teaching methodology
Day 2–4: Classroom delivery practice, assessment methods, paperwork & admin. Confined water skills review and workshop
Day 5–7: Confined water and open water teaching sessions, candidate evaluation exercises
Final day: Written and practical evaluation, debrief and certification paperwork
(Exact schedule provided on booking — flexible dates for course director candidates.)
Below is an outline of the course requirements. Contact us for our Course Director fact sheet which includes complete details on prerequisites
- Active SDI Instructors (or equivalent with other agencies) for at least 2 years, with no quality assurance.
- Minimum 150 certified students, of which 25 must be from SDI or TDI
- Current First Response Training Instructor
- Current First Aid, CPR and O2 Provider
- Have a current medical exam signed by a doctor
Location & Logistics - Panglao, Bohol
Our training base is on Panglao Island, Bohol at the Relax Diver Resort — easy transfers from Tagbilaran and nearby airports; a wide range of comfortable accommodation options available.
A great place for focused professional training — reliable dive sites nearby for real-world teaching practice.
Why Panglao works for CD training
Short boat runs of under 5 minutes and a variety of training sites reduce transit time and maximize training hours. Large 20m training pool on site
Warm water, predictable diving conditions, and local support for logistics and student accommodation.
FAQs
The Standard price is U$2000
That includes
- CD slates
- CD e-learning
- CD digital IDC guides [exams and powerpoints]
- Registration with SDI on successful completion of the course
Does NOT include
- meals and accommodation
- Crossover to SDI for candidates from other agencies [Approx $500]
- First Response Instructor course – if required
As much as possible we teach the hybrid CDW. This means online zoom classes for about 18 hours over a few days, then 7 days face to face.
Yes, depending on the agency. As a guide, PADI, SSI and RAID instructors can cross over as long as you meet all other CDW prerequisites. Contact us for full requirements
No, neither is included. However, we can assist with finding accomodation with rooms starting from Peso 700 a night
Contact us for our CDW information guide for complete details
The requirement of 2 years instructor certification and 150 students certified is the minimum. If you do not yet meet those numbers then you do need to gain more experience
A CD can teach the SDI IDC and SDI speciality instructor courses. In this regard it is the same as other agency’ CD rating
An IT can also conduct the SDI IE [not for their own students] as well as conduct TDI and ERDI instructor courses [subject to minimum teaching experience at each level]
As a CD you can also apply to HQ to take the Instructor Trainer Workshop [ITW] – the upgrade from CD to IT is currently $2000 [Oct 2025]. The ITW is conducted by headquarter staff and is very similar in content as to the CDW