Become a PADI Scuba Instructor atBuddy dive academy

Are you ready to start living your dream and start a career in the dive industry? No better place to do your Instructor Development Course than on Divers Paradise Bonaire at Buddy Dive Resort.

Buddy Dive Resort is not only well renowned as one of the top dive destinations in the Caribbean, but it has been hosting Instructor Development Courses since 2010. As one of the best PADI professional dive training facilities worldwide, Buddy Dive Academy is the perfect place to start your career. We maintain very high standards in all levels of scuba education, which will help you succeed as a PADI Professional Instructor.

We are proud to be a PADI Career Development Center (CDC)*. By consistently teaching PADI Instructor Development Courses (IDC), and with the wealth of experience from our Course Directors, we adhere to the highest level of standards to train our candidates. With well over 200 open Water Scuba Instructors and more than 500 IDC Staff and Specialty Instructors trained, this is just the best choice for you to do your professional training. As PADI CDC Your Buddies™ offer job placement in Bonaire and surrounding islands in the Caribbean.

The Dive Academy:

The Dive Academy is run by our course directors Lars Bosman and Maarten van den Hazel. Maarten has been a course director since 2013. Since he left Buddy Dive in 2007, he has been working in Mexico, and Indonesia, and established his own IDC dive center in the Netherlands. Lars became Course Director in 2019 and trained well over 200 candidates on various instructor levels. Besides being a Course Director Lars is also actively involved in Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire. Lars and Maarten go way back to 2005 when they met at their local dive shop and became friends. In 2015 Maarten trained Lars to become an IDC staff instructor. It is always great having their positive energy combined with years of experience around.

Vision and Team:

Lars and Maarten run the Buddy Dive Academy together with a team of 7 dedicated IDC Staff Instructors. Our vision on the IDC is that only the best instructors can train good divers. So after the shortening of the IDC program by PADI, Buddy Dive decided to extend their existing program by a day, to add more hands-on training sessions. Additional practical workshops have also been added to better prepare you, for your career as a PADI instructor. We will go the extra mile to make you the best PADI pro possible.

PADI 5* Career Development Center

* The PADI Career Development Center (CDC) classification is awarded annually to PADI Five Star Instructor Development Centers and Five Star Instructor Development Dive Resorts that dedicate their businesses to professional development beyond regular scuba instructor training and meet the highest requirements for training PADI scuba diving leaders. PADI CDCs offer career-oriented training to prepare scuba diving professionals for employment in the dive industry, as well as offering job placement assistance for program graduates

IDC DATES 2023

All inclusive MSDT and Divemaster course dates

NOTE : It is possible to follow the MSDT program in other weeks, but not as an all-inclusive package.

Everything you need at one location

At Buddy Dive Resort you’ll find everything you might need to become the best Open Water Scuba Instructor you can be. The Instructor Development Course taking place at one of the best dive operations in the world is only one of the benefits. We offer a professional dive operation, classrooms, swimming pools, and the crystal-clear ocean with its typical Bonairean pool-like conditions, all just steps away. With all this at hand, you can be entirely focused on becoming the best instructor you can be.

You won’t even have to leave the resort for your meals and accommodation when choosing the all Inclusive IDC.

If you want to blow some bubbles with your new friends after a day at the IDC, you simply strap on a tank and enjoy our beautiful house reef.

EXTRA Workshop by our Dive Operations Manager

Buddy Dive Resort has been recognized as one of the most active and successful dive operations worldwide. Therefore, we believe that using our experience with the everyday logistics in our dive operation to teach this important component in our PADI Instructor Development Course will prepare our candidates to interact with diving activities and management in real life. With dive operations for: Dive shops, Dive Centers and Diving Resorts, it will be a very valuable tool for their employability and development in the diving industry.

PADI Instructor Development Course at the best Diving Resort of Bonaire

Become a PADI professional in the Caribbean while diving at the best Diving Resort of Bonaire. Buddy Dive Academy gives you the best possible professional Dive Training and education. We inserted the most effective tools in our PADI IDC package to exponentially increase your professionalism and employability in the dive industry:

  • Free PADI Emergency O2 provider course.
  • Free week of On Hand teaching PADI Courses with our experienced PADI Instructional Staff.
  • Free online counseling and tutoring with our Course Director to help you with the 5 theory segments 2 weeks prior to your arrival.
  • Free Equipment rental.
  • Free Job placement, we will help you find the job of your dreams in Bonaire, other islands in the Caribbean or anywhere else in the world.

Your Buddies choice: The all-Inclusive IDC
When choosing the All-inclusive IDC package at Buddy Dive Resort, you’ll have everything you might need to become a professional, well-educated scuba instructor. Your Buddies will take care of everything. Your (shared) accommodation, meals, materials, the course itself (including EFR instructor & Emergency O2 provider course), the instructor applications and the Instructor examination.

After booking this package there is nothing else, you’ll have to think of except focusing on studying, practicing and having lots of fun with your fellow IDC candidates and course directors.