Dive Instructor Drew: Certified to Train the Trainers!

Diving Sports is proud to share that our very own Drew Beattie has officially earned his Instructor Trainer qualification!

After a rigorous combination of online sessions and in-person assessments at SDI Headquarters in Florida, Drew is now certified to run Instructor Development Courses (IDCs) and help train the next generation of professional scuba instructors. We asked him how it went, what the course involved, and what instructors-to-be can expect.

Q: How did you first get into diving?

A: I got my Open Water Diver certification in the summer of 2009 in a small lake in BC. My family had been planning a spring break trip to Mexico, and my dad wanted to have a dive buddy! My sister, cousin, and I all spent a full week at the lake learning to dive. I think I saw a grand total of three fish the whole time, and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world!

Since then, I've tried to dive any way I can, so it only made sense to work my way up to becoming a Divemaster, then Instructor. Now I’ve been teaching full-time in Vancouver for over a decade! They say time flies when you’re having fun—and that’s definitely true when your hobby becomes your passion, and then your career. I’ve loved it the whole way.

Q: What inspired you to take on the challenge of the SDI Instructor Trainer qualification?

A: I think about how diving and the dive industry completely changed the direction of my life and gave me incredible opportunities I never would have even thought possible. I love the idea of being able to give someone else that opportunity.

I'm very proud to be able to train SDI Instructors who will go on to teach their own divers and support the industry. The diving community around the world has amazing people in it, and I’m looking forward to contributing in a meaningful way—and hopefully giving someone the same chance I had when I entered the industry.

Q: What does earning the qualification involve, and what skills did you need to show?

A: As an SDI Instructor Trainer, I’m now able to teach full Instructor Development Courses, and also evaluate and certify instructor candidates trained by other Course Directors or Instructor Trainers. Just to apply for the Instructor Trainer Workshop (ITW), you need to have been an active instructor for several years and have certified a few hundred students across different levels. So in a way, I’ve been training for this course for ten years!

During the ITW, we spent three weeks preparing and delivering academic presentations of increasing length. The goal was to ensure everyone met SDI’s high standards for instructors, Course Directors, and ITs. We were evaluating evaluations, giving feedback, critiquing—and that was before we even went to Florida! There, we spent a full week completing the final presentations and in-water skill assessments. Every skill had to be performed at instructor-level quality with no mistakes, and then we had to evaluate each other’s performance and feedback.

Q: What was the most challenging part? Any surprises along the way?

A: I think the part we were all dreading a bit were the swim tests. SDI believes that everything we ask of our students, we should be able to do ourselves. So we had to complete a 400m swim, 800m snorkel swim, and a 10-minute tread.

While I haven’t swum laps in a while, making it tiring, the hardest part for me was doing things I’ve done for years—but this time in front of a group of peers. We've all been instructors for a long time and have different teaching styles, so it was definitely nerve-racking to be under constant evaluation for three weeks.

Honestly, I was surprised at how different it feels to teach someone who already knows the material as well as you do. Pretending to teach a “student” who’s also been instructing for years brings a strange kind of pressure—I’ll admit I had moments of imposter syndrome here and there.

Q: What can divers expect in your first IDC?

A: I’m hoping to run my first IDC by the end of this year. It’ll be around 10 days of non-stop training—both classroom and in-water—followed by a two-day evaluation. Candidates need to be prepared to work hard, but also come in with the mindset that diving is something we do because we love it. Becoming an instructor is serious business—people’s lives depend on you underwater—but it should also be fun and fulfilling.

Aside from the essential skills like communication and dive technique, I hope new instructors walk away knowing that they’re now an important part of the dive community. As representatives of the industry, they have a real opportunity to shape how diving continues to evolve.

As long as you promote safe diving, respect the environment, and hold yourself and your students to a high standard, it doesn’t matter where or who you teach for—you’re making a real difference by doing your best every day.