Teaching specialty courses helps you to teach the things that you love, and makes you as an instructor more valuable to any dive shop.
We all become instructors because we want to teach. The more we teach, the more we earn, and everyone wins.
To become a Master Scuba Diver Trainer you need 25 teaching certs (these can be from any courses that you are qualified to teach) and 5 Instructor Specialties.
Open Water and Advanced Open Water are the core courses that you are likely to teach most of, but your passion will inspire your students, and it’s great to be able to teach courses in the subjects that you love.
Personally, I love Self-Reliant and Search & Recovery, I love teaching those skills and watching my students become more technically proficient, able to deal with increased task loading, and watching them develop as competent, safe divers.
Some people are more interested in photography, or identifying marine-life. For others it’s wrecks. The beauty of specialty courses is that it doesn’t matter where your passion lies, you can teach a specialty in that subject.
The MSDT prep helps you towards the 5 specialties that you need, and makes it easier to achieve the 25 certs that you need for MSDT.
You will learn how to teach your chosen specialty subjects. We’ll look at the theory that your students will learn and the skills that they will develop. Together we will look at the best ways to organise, schedule, and deliver the courses.
If your chosen specialties include diving then we will go diving and you will demonstrate all the skills that you will be teaching.
Specialties are priced according to whether they require dives on Similans, local sites or no dives
| Specialty |
|---|
| O2 Provider |
| Nitrox * |
| Self Reliant |
| Dive Against Debris |
| UW Photography |
| Adaptive Techniques |
| Wreck |
| Search and Recovery |
| Shark Conservation |
| Deep |
| Price |
|---|
| 4500 THB |
| 4500 THB |
| 5500 THB |
| 5500 THB |
| 5500 THB |
| 5500 THB |
| 6500 THB |
| 6500 THB |
| 5500 THB |
| 8500 THB |
For courses marked * you must have the specialty before you can take the instructor specialty and we can work out a program to include these for you if you don’t already have the specialty.
The PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) Prep Program helps scuba instructors earn the Specialty Instructor ratings needed to work toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating. The program develops your ability to teach specialty courses confidently, correctly and professionally.
To qualify for the PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) rating, you must hold at least five PADI Specialty Instructor ratings and have certified at least 25 PADI divers. An MSDT Prep program helps instructors build the specialty teaching qualifications needed toward that goal.
An MSDT Prep course allows instructors to teach more courses, expand their professional skills and increase their value to dive centres and employers. Teaching specialties can also create more teaching opportunities and help you guide divers through continuing education.
Available specialties vary by program, but commonly include courses such as Enriched Air Nitrox, Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Self-Reliant Diver, Search and Recovery, Digital Underwater Photography, and Adaptive Techniques. Choosing specialties aligned with your interests and career goals can help shape your professional profile.
Available specialties vary by program, but commonly include courses such as Enriched Air Nitrox, Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Self-Reliant Diver, Search and Recovery, Digital Underwater Photography, and Adaptive Techniques. Choosing specialties aligned with your interests and career goals can help shape your professional profile.
Yes. Many instructors choose to complete MSDT Prep directly after becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor while their instructor training is still fresh. This can be an efficient way to continue professional development and start teaching specialty courses sooner.
During MSDT Prep you will learn how to organise, schedule, market and teach your chosen specialty courses. Training typically covers standards, course structure, theory, practical teaching techniques, student skill development and real-world delivery of specialty training.
Thailand is a popular destination for professional scuba training thanks to warm water, active dive operations, varied diving environments and opportunities to gain practical teaching experience. Completing MSDT Prep in Thailand can combine instructor development with real-world diving and specialty teaching practice.
Khao Lak offers access to world-class dive environments including the Similan Islands, Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock. Compared with larger, higher-volume training destinations, Khao Lak can provide a more personalised training experience, smaller groups, focused mentoring and strong opportunities for professional development.
Teaching specialty courses can broaden the range of courses you can offer, increase your teaching opportunities and make you more versatile as a dive professional. Many instructors use MSDT Prep to strengthen their employability and expand their career options.
MSDT Prep is designed primarily for instructors who want to strengthen their professional teaching skills, expand their specialty portfolio and progress within the PADI professional pathway, whether they plan to work seasonally, full-time or develop long-term careers in diving.
