Description

SDI Course Director Training: Shape the Next Generation of Instructors

Format: Elite Hybrid (Flexible Video Academic Sessions + Premium In-Person Evaluation)

Location: Online and Hoodsport, WA (In-water environments at Sunrise Resort, Hood Canal)

Are you ready to take the ultimate step in professional dive leadership? The SDI Course Director course is the pinnacle module of professional development. Earning this rating authorizes you to independently conduct the SDI Instructor Development Course (IDC), teach Non-Diving Specialty Instructor courses, issue specialty ratings to active professionals, and conduct administrative crossovers.

With Spartan SCUBA you experience a elite, flexible hybrid format designed for high-performing professionals. You can complete the vast majority of the 100 required training hours, academic topics, and lecture presentations via live video sessions from home, balancing your professional life with rigorous leadership development.

The “Doc” Premium: Elite Mentorship

When you enroll in this program, you aren’t just paying for a rubber stamp or a standard classroom lecture. You are investing in the “Doc” Premium.

Your training is directed personally by Dr. Eric Strand (“Doc”)—an Instructor Trainer with decades of elite instructional history. This program infuses standard leadership curriculum with real-world expertise drawn from 30 years of medical practice, intensive public safety and recovery diving leadership, military service as a Marine Corps linguist and instructor, and thousands of logged technical and cold-water dives. You will exit this course not just knowing the standards, but possessing the critical psychological, physiological, and business acumen required to command authority as an industry educator.

The PNW Geographic Advantage

True leadership isn’t forged in warm, crystal-clear swimming pools. Training in the Pacific Northwest gives our candidates a massive professional advantage:

• The Cold-Water Standard: Mastering student management, rescue scenarios, and demonstration-quality skills in the demanding, heavy-exposure environment of the PNW proves you can command an IDC anywhere on earth. If you can confidently evaluate an instructor candidate here, warm-water environments are a walk in the park.
• Premier Training Site: All practical skill evaluations, watermanship trials, and in-water presentations will be conducted on-site at Sunrise Resort on Hood Canal. This pristine, protected marine environment serves as our dedicated canvas for elite instructor development.

Course Structure & Hybrid Format

• Academics via Video Sessions: All core subject areas—including Methods of Instruction, Risk Management, the Business of Diving, and Standards reviews—will be handled via interactive online video sessions throughout the month.
• The In-Person Milestone: To ensure absolute professional readiness, the final academic presentation must be delivered in person to Doc and your peers during our practical weekend.

Investment & All-Inclusive Pricing

Course Fee: $3,800 (Early enrollment by September 1st, 2026 – $3,000)

We believe in professional transparency. This flat fee is all-inclusive of your tuition, customized individual mentoring, digital learning platform access, evaluation slates, and facility/site entry fees at Sunrise Resort (requires dorm room booking – stay in private room extra).

⚠️ What is NOT included: The only out-of-pocket expenses remaining are your air fills at Sunrise, and final SDI Professional Application and processing fees, which are paid directly to SDI Headquarters upon graduation. No hidden site fees, no surprise material costs.

Prerequisites & Graduation Requirements

Candidates must meet strict leadership criteria before starting the program. Please review the official entry requirements:

• Minimum Age: 20 years old with a current diving medical exam signed by a physician.
• Experience: Minimum of 200 logged dives.
• Professional Standing: Active SDI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor (OWSDI) or equivalent for at least 2 consecutive years, with zero verified quality assurance complaints in the past 12 months.
• Certifications: Active First Response Training International Adult and Child Emergency Care Instructor (or equivalent); current CPR, First Aid, and $O_2$ provider credentials.
• Certifications Issued: Minimum of 150 total certifications at various levels (suggested: 100 Open Water, 25 Rescue, 20 Specialty, and 5 Divemaster or Assistant Instructor).
• Course Familiarity: Proof of using SDI/TDI/ERDI materials to conduct or assist with at least 5 full courses.

Becoming a Course Director:

1. Pass the Course Director written exam with an 80% or higher.
2. Deliver and evaluate a series of diver-level and instructor-level academic, confined water, and open water presentations.
3. Complete the 100-meter unconscious diver rescue tow (under 4 minutes) and stamina swimming trials (400m swim, 800m snorkel swim under 17 mins, 10-min survival float).
4. Perform all entry-level skills to demonstration quality while remaining neutrally buoyant.
5. Show verification of staffing one complete SDI IDC within 12 months of starting or finishing this program.

For a complete breakdown of technical standards, please review the official SDI Leadership Standards: Course Director PDF.