PADI IDC Professional Scuba Instructor Development Center

Welcome to Rainbow Reef's professional scuba diving academy, a 5 Star PADI CDC, located on our sprawling island training campus, and connected to one of the largest and busiest dive centers in the world. We offer PADI professional training at every course/level, virtually every day. It means you can start your IDC/professional training courses/career virtually anytime you want. At Rainbow Reef IDC, you simply choose when you want to start, and what level you want to train up to.

This effectively makes it YOUR IDC on YOUR SCHEDULE, not our IDC on our schedule. What a difference!

  • YOUR COURSES ON YOUR SCHEDULE

    Achieve your goals on your schedule. Start your professional training at ANY LEVEL virtually any time. You can create a custom training package, using our Fast Track or Island Time schedules, or create your own path and schedule and train as fast or as far as you want to go.

  • WORLD-CLASS INSTRUCTION

    Our TEAM of PADI Platinum Course Directors ensure each candidate gets personalized attention. Our staff teaches fluently in English, Spanish, French, Dutch and German.

  • THE PROFESSIONAL CHOICE

    Thousands of dive professionals started their careers at Rainbow Reef. There is no better place to train than our state of the art IDC campus which features a dedicated scuba pool, modern accommodations, and dedicated staff ready to leverage their experience to help you become a confident and successful PADI dive professional.

  • EXOTIC BUT NOT TOO EXOTIC

    We are located on the island of Key Largo, part of the Florida Keys, just south of Miami. We are a tropical exotic island, and our Air conditioning, high speed internet, are always on but we don't need mosquito nets or have political uprisings. The only thing you need protection from here is the sun, bring your sunblock!

  • ONGOING SUPPORT

    Tap into our massive alumni network to find the scuba diving job of your dreams and if you have an questions later, your IDC team is only a phone call or text away. We are the most chosen IDC in North America.

  • EXPERIENCE IS THE KEY

    When you successfully complete your Instructor Exam, we have MSDT prep courses and our FREE Resort Operations Specialty program designed to help you gain some valuable experience, work and train along side our team of professionals to get real world experience and do so much more than simply build a resume.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROCESS

Things that set us apart:

To be sure, there is more than 1 place in the world that can help you achieve the goal of becoming a PADI Dive Instructor. Below are just a few of the things we feel are important to your success and set us apart from other IDCs.

  • YOUR courses on YOUR Schedule

  • PADI Career Development Center (CDC)

  • Start your professional training at ANY LEVEL at virtually ANY TIME.

  • Most Chosen PADI IDC in North America

  • FREE ON-CAMPUS HOUSING
    (with any IDC training package, on first come first serve basis)

  • 4 Platinum Course Directors teaching in English, Spanish, French, Dutch and German.

  • Veterans Association Approved

  • Exotic but not too exotic...

  • Premiere DiveHeart Training Center

  • 8 Custom Dive Boats

Featured areas of our PADI Career Development Center:

Each month we like to showcase 4 dimensions of what makes us an award winning PADI Career Development Center. We have carefully selected the following four to help you get to know us better and share more detailed information on the things that are important to us.

  • Meet Your Instructors

    Allow us to introduce you to some of PADI’s most award winning Course Directors, IDC Staff, and key members of the Rainbow Reef Instructor training team.

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  • Veterans PADI Instructor Programs

    Since we work with the Florida Department of Veteran Affairs, you can easily get all of your professional training covered under your veterans benefits.

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  • Diving Instruction Package Builder

    Our easy to use tool that walks you through what courses and training you’ll need to become a PADI Professional, where we will lay out your path and price it all for you.

    Diving Instruction Package Builder image
  • Not looking for Professional Courses?

    So many things separates Rainbow Reef Dive Center from the many other dive operations location in the Florida Keys. Click above to find out more!

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  • IDC Course Schedule

    We run PADI IDC's about once a month throughout the year, so you are never more than a few days away from our next class cycle!

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  • Career Package Builder

    Use our package wizard to walk you through creating your own custom IDC package of courses, complete with pricing breakdown.

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  • PADI IDC Report

    What is the experience like? Follow all of the days and weeks activities with our IDC staff and candidates.

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  • Featured Specialty Course

    See what our featured specialty of the month is, and learn why it's important to your professional diving career.

    Featured Instructor Specialty inset image
  • Our Next IDC Course:

    ...

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  • Testimonial: Clarence Stringer

    I completed the IDC and IE in May. I did the IDC at Rainbow Reef in Key Largo with Ross Neil and Bill Findley....

    Photograph of Clarence Stringer at Rainbow Reef IDC in Key Largo, FL
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