The Confined Open Water Presentation: Building Confidence from Dry Land to Pool

The Confined Open Water Presentation

PADI IDC Gili Islands | Oceans 5 Gili Air

One of the essential building blocks of the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) at Oceans 5 Gili Air is the confined open water presentation. This is more than just practicing a skill in the pool — it’s a structured, step-by-step process designed to transform dive professionals into confident instructors who can teach effectively, solve problems, and deliver safe, high-quality training.

Starting with the Standards

The session begins with Course Director Waz guiding the IDC candidates through the PADI Instructor Manual. Together, they locate and discuss the performance requirements for each skill that needs to be taught. This step is vital: every instructor must know exactly what PADI expects for student performance, how to recognise mastery, and how to evaluate it in real life.

Preparing the Skill

Once the standards are clear, each IDC candidate selects a skill and begins the preparation phase. This is where the future instructors break down the skill into easy-to-explain steps and get familiar with the exact sequence PADI wants them to follow. By doing this groundwork thoroughly, the candidates ensure they can deliver a clear, simple explanation to real students later.

Practicing the Briefing

Next comes the briefing practice. The IDC candidates stand in front of their peers and run through their entire skill briefing — not once, but several times. This repeated practice helps candidates understand the PADI teaching sequence by heart: what the skill is, why it is important, where it fits into the dive, how it will be done, what hand signals they will use, and what to watch out for.

Course Director Waz carefully observes these briefings, making sure every candidate masters the structure and delivery. Clear, simple communication is a mark of a great instructor — and this is where it starts.

The Dry Run: Rehearsing for the Real Thing

When Waz is confident the briefings meet PADI’s standards, the entire group moves on to a full “dry” presentation. This is where things get fun — and realistic. Each candidate plays the role of instructor, while other candidates act as students and a divemaster.

During this dry session, Course Director Waz adds scenarios and small “problems” for the student-actors to simulate — for example, a student who forgets a hand signal, or does a step incorrectly. This helps the IDC candidates think on their feet, learn how to correct mistakes gently, and manage a group underwater — all without even getting wet yet.

After each dry presentation, Waz gives detailed feedback to each candidate: what went well, what can be improved, and how to adjust their teaching style to keep students safe and confident.

Into the Pool: Bringing It All Together

Finally, the moment comes to take all the preparation, practice, and feedback into the water. The confined open water presentation moves to the pool. Here, the IDC candidates put their dry practice into action — briefing their “students,” demonstrating the skill underwater, observing performance, correcting mistakes if needed, and debriefing afterward.

Course Director Waz continues to observe closely, offering real-time guidance and support. This hands-on pool session is where IDC candidates gain true confidence — learning that they are not just divers, but instructors capable of creating safe, enjoyable training experiences for their future students.

From Candidate to Instructor

At Oceans 5 Gili Air, this carefully structured confined open water presentation is just one of many ways that IDC candidates grow from divemasters into professional instructors. By repeating, refining, and reflecting, they build a solid foundation in teaching skills that will serve them wherever they work in the world.

And when the IDC candidates finally stand at the edge of the pool, ready to brief, demonstrate, and solve problems underwater — they know they are ready, because they’ve done it right: step by step, the PADI way.