DIVE THE DREAM - LIVE THE LIFE

Have you dreamt of leaving it all behind? Are you fed up with the daily routine, the commute to work and the cold rainy days? Have you often thought of travelling the world, living in tropical places and diving every day with new people in exciting locations? Become a PADI Instructor and you can have it all.  It’s never too late

Exotic Dive Resort is the only 5* National Geographic Instructor Development Centre (IDC) on Malapascua Island.  We promise small, exclusive courses with hands on individualized service to guarantee your success. Our friendly experienced staff is dedicated to helping you prepare and succeed in both the instructor development course (IDC) and the instructor exam (IE). Our aim is not only to supply you with the necessary skills and knowledge to become a PADI instructor, but to ensure you become a confident and competent one. 

Teaching people to dive is a rewarding and enjoyable experience and we want to help you reach your dream

We understand that choosing a place to take your IDC is not an easy decision. There are many different locations and facilities all offering a wide variety of packages for you to choose from. Here at Exotic we want to keep the process as simple as possible, we do not want to confuse with amazing special offers, instead we will outline exactly what you need to do to accomplish your IDC dream.

We can offer it all to your here at Exotic, whether you are looking for a place to complete a 6 month internship or a 2 week IDC, our highly experienced IDC team will ensure you have the best success in the Instructor Development Course and Instructor Exam. Our customized packages cannot be beaten. We understand that not every candidate can be placed into a particular bracket which is why we have a few basic options and will create specific packages based upon each individual’s requirements.

Living within a 5* resort will give you the benefit of witnessing how one of the most successful dive resorts in the Philippines functions. Exotic Resort was the first dive resort to open on Malapascua and continues to be the leading dive resort. Learn from the experts as to what makes a successful business. Listen to and talk with the customers and resort staff after hours, over lunch or breakfast or just hang out on our private beach.

We offer all our IDC candidates the option to complete a 6 week internship – for free! We want to give our candidates the best head start in a competitive industry. During your 6 week internship you will work with our team of already expereinced Exotic instructors. Starting with team teaching this will give you a valuable insight as to the real world of instructing, receive feed back from our experienced team, learn the ‘tricks of the trade’ and gain the confidence to be able to work anywhere. These 6 weeks are aimed towards giving you the chance to certify your own students in an nurturing environment, and are also a good time for you to consider completing some speciality instructor courses, and start gaining credits for your MSDT rating.

FREE dives! Yet another great reason to choose Exotic as your IDC destination. The original dive shop on Malapascua we were the first to dive with the thresher sharks and wrote the original thresher shark speciatly course that has been endorsed by PADI as a distinctive specialty. As the shark experts we feel it is only fair to offer free shark dives to all our IDC candidates during their IDC, after all we are the only place in the world where you can see these wonderful creatures, so why not make the most of it!!

We guarantee the best facilities on the island, the nicest private beach, dedicated boats and instructors, highly experienced course directors and small classes to ensure the personal service that only we can offer in a 5 * establishment. We should be your first choice when considering an IDC on Malapascua.

Exotic Dive Resort was the first dive shop established on Malapascua in 1998.  We pride ourselves on being the best in customer service and continue to set the standard with our PADI courses, IDC’s, divemaster internships and general knowledge of local dive sites. 

Set on a secluded section of Bounty Beach, Exotic Resort is the ideal place for conducting Instructor Development Courses.  Our quiet tranquil setting, away from the crowds and touts of the public beach, will ensure that all our candidates can find the necessary peace and quiet required to be able to focus and enjoy the course.

Our brand new custom built multimedia center was designed specifically for Instructor Development Courses and is the only one of its kind on the island. We guarantee a peaceful studying environment with all modern facilities and stunning panoramic views of Bounty Beach.  The classroom is available at all times for our candidates to utilize its quiet facilities, internet service, dive library and PADI materials to help study throughout their IDC.

As the largest dive resort on Malapascua we have a fleet of 4 large dive bankas, 2 flat boats and the only speed boat on the island which allows us to have a dedicated IDC boat and crew available at all times.  There are a number of different dive sites that are suitable for conducting the in water sessions of the course and our experienced captains and crews will ensure the best locations at all times.

We are the only dive resort that can offer in house, budget accommodation at the best prices. Our specially designed Instructor and divemaster rooms are situated in the middle of the resort, about 100mts from the beach, in a tranquil setting.  The rooms were built with the budget traveller in mind, simple, private, quiet, individual fan styled bungalows, with shared bath that are only available to our Exotic IDC or DM candidates. We can guarantee you will not find nicer or more economical accommodation anywhere on the island. The rooms have guaranteed 24 hour power, clean facilities, security and a wonderfully relaxing environment.

For those who want something a little bit more luxurious it is also possible to arrange special accommodation packages in any of the Exotic Resort rooms, from standard fan rooms to the super deluxe air con rooms. All Exotic Resort rooms have private bath, balcony and 24 hour power.

We are very lucky to have 2 course directors available for instructor development.

Jonathan Vestil  has been running IDC’s for 10 years. He has been an active PADI member for 26 years and a PADI professional for 18years.  A wealth of experience has been gained from working with Coral Reef Hotel, Fun and Sun, Scuba World and PC divers. He now has his own PADI 5* IDC dive shop based in Mactan Cebu and is one of the most successful Course Directors in the Philippines having certified over 200 instructors. We are very proud to have him as a member of our IDC Team.

Raphael is a Swiss Course Director and the newest member of Exotic IDC. He has been living in the Philippines for many years. An avid PADI diver for over 15 years he became a PADI Course Director in 2007 and is now based in Zamboanguita where he manages a PADI 5* IDC. Raffi speaks 4 languages fluently and brings an international theme to our already highly experience IDC staff. We are very proud to have him as a member of our IDC team

Tim Latimer, dive shop manager and Master Instructor has been a PADI diver since 1995 and a PADI professional since 2000.  He has worked at and managed PADI 5* IDC centers in Canada, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cyprus, Thailand and the Philippines and has a wealth of experience and knowledge that can be useful for all our IDC candidates.  Having certified over 1000 students ranging from open water to assistant instructor Tim is now gaining experience alongside Jonathan  and Raphael in preparation for his Course Director exam in 2010. 

Zoe Latimer, a PADI STAFF instructor and dive professional since 2000 is our IDC liaison. She will be your initial contact and will help create the ideal Instructor Development package for you.  As an experienced dive instructor and hospitality manager Zoe has a lot of experience in logistics and ensuring that the needs of all candidates will be met and that all queries and concerns will be addressed prior to your arrival at Exotic.

COURSE OUTLINE & IDC CALENDER
PREPARATION DAYS
ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR COURSE
INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT COURSE
EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONDER INSTRUCTOR COURSE
INSTRUCTOR EXAM
LIFE AFTER THE IE – INSTRUCTOR INTERNSHIPS
PADI SPECIALTY INSTRUCTOR & MSDT
INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT PACKAGES
PADI FEES
PADI MATERIALS
DIVE EQUIPMENT
PADI STAFF INSTUCTOR
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Here at Exotic we offer a more relaxed, yet comprehensive schedule that has been designed by our experienced course directors exclusively for Exotic.  We focus on realistic objectives and understand the need for time to relax.

A typical day will start at 8.30am, allowing you the time to dive with the famous thresher sharks, have your inclusive breakfast and start the day with a clear head. Special Instructor lunch is served to all candidates in our beach front restaurant from 12-1.00pm. The days finish around 5.30pm allowing you plenty of time to prepare for your next assignment, have remedial study sessions with Jonathan, Raphael or Tim; go on a night dive or simply relax at Exotic Resort.

When you first arrive at Exotic Zoe, our IDC liaison, will greet you and give you the full tour of the facilities, your accommodation, the dive shop, classroom and resort. She will review your package with you and explain the dive schedule, internet and other special features that you are entitled to. She will also be able to answer any questions that you may have regarding your package, diving or the island in general. Tim will then greet you and hand over your Exotic Instructor Development Pack, which contains all the necessary paperwork, outlines and guidelines for your course.

Exotic Instructor Development Courses are scheduled to optimise your time over a 16 day period. Our aim is to offer you a relaxed IDC so that you can concentrate on the task at hand and not get stressed over the smaller things.

A more relaxed IDC gives you plenty of opportunity and time to focus on studying, preparation and gaining valuable insights from our Exotic IDC team.

EXOTIC IDC DATES FOR 2010

EXOTIC IDC DATES FOR 2011

** TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST EVER INSTRUCTOR EXAMS TO BE HELD ON MALAPASCUA WE ARE OFFERING A SPECIAL RATE FOR THE IDC BEING HELD PRIOR TO THESE TWO EXAMS. EMAIL FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The 6 P’s - Proper, Prior, Preparation, Prevents, Poor, Performance!!

Need we say more, our highly recommended yet not required, free preparation course takes 3 days and helps strengthen and review your knowledge of divemaster theory including physics, physiology, equipment, skills and the environment and the recreational dive planner, which are the 5 required exams to be sat during the Instructor Exam. 

A water day will give all candidates the chance to get wet!! It is important for you to acclimatize to the local waters, possibly test out new equipment and just do a relaxing fun dive to get to know the other candidates and instructors.  We will take you to Monad Shoal where you can witness the famous thresher sharks and possibly even encounter a giant manta ray.  A second dive at our private house reef where you can encounter mating squid, tiger shrimps, flamboyant octopus and more nudibranchs than you can imagine is the perfect dive to iron out those kinks and get fully relaxed.

These days will also give you ample time to practice your open water and confined water skill presentations and allow you the chance to gain hands on experience through our in house instructors.  There will also be a rescue clinic to ensure your rescue water skills are honed and fine tuned to perfection.  The preparation days will also introduce you to the layout of the instructor manual and give you time to ensure all 16 knowledge reviews are complete and that you are fully prepared to start the IDC.

We urge all candidates, especially those who have not recently completed their divemaster course with us at Exotic to partake in this course.  The right preparation will significantly reduce your work load during the IDC, giving you more time to focus on the task at hand and less time to stress about theory exams and water work.

We will tailor our prep course to suit each individual candidate’s needs and requirements, ensuring full confidence prior to the start of the Instructor Development Course.

The actual Instructor Development Course consists of 2 components. The AI – Assistant Instructor course and the OWSI – Open Water Scuba Instructor course. 

The Assistant Instructor Course is a 4-day course that begins the PADI instructor development process.  The course builds on divemaster training and introduces you to the PADI system of instruction. Through a number of different presentations, lectures and workshops you learn how to deliver knowledge development classroom sessions; to evaluate open water diver surface skills; to teach Project Aware, AWARE coral reef and peak performance buoyancy specialty courses and how to conduct discover scuba diver experience programs.

As a PADI Assistant Instructor you can teach limited PADI courses and also assist PADI Open Water Instructors with their courses.  Being an Assistant Instructor is a great way to gain valuable work experience before embarking on the full Open Water Instructor Rating.

Pre-requisites

• Be certified as a PADI divemaster or hold a leadership level certification with another diving organization
• Be 18 years or older
• Submit a current medical statement taken with the last 12months stating you are fit to dive
• Have been a certified diver for at least 6months and have a minimum of 60 logged dives with experience in deep diving, night diving and navigation diving
• Submit proof of current CPR and first training taken with the last 12months
• Submit proof of all PADI diving certifications from beginner to rescue diver or corresponding certifications from other diving organizations

Required PADI materials
Required diving equipment

The Open Water Scuba Instructor course is a 6-day course that follows on from the Assistant Instructor course.  It teaches candidates the ability to prepare academics; confined and open water teaching presentations; learn about business principles, teaching children, risk management, diving industry standards and how to successfully utilize PADI media, promote and advertise PADI and be able to teach the entire range of PADI programs efficiently and effectively.

Upon completion of the IDC each candidate will have an individual consultation with Jonathan, Raphael and Tim to discuss strengths and weaknesses and discuss any of your concerns.

To further ensure you are completely confident and ready for the actual Instructor Exam, we will hold a mock exam after successful completion of the IDC.  This mock exam will include all the components of the IE, from the 5 theory exams, the standards and procedure exam, a knowledge development prescriptive teaching presentation, a confined water teaching presentation, an open water teaching presentation with 2 skills, skill circuit and rescue assessment.

Pre-requisites

• Be certified as a PADI Assistant Instructor or hold a leadership level certification with another diving organization
• Be 18 years or older
• Submit a current medical statement taken with the last 12months stating you are fit to dive
• Have been a certified diver for at least 6months and have a minimum of 60 logged dives with experience in deep diving, night diving and navigation diving
• Submit proof of current CPR and first training taken with the last 12months
• Submit proof of all PADI diving certifications from beginner to rescue diver or corresponding certifications from other diving organizations

Required PADI materials
Required diving equipment

It is now mandatory for all PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors to be certified as an Emergency First Response Instructor.  We have incorporated this 1-2 day course into our IDC schedule, but can conduct it at any time depending upon the needs of our candidates.

As a divemaster you already have the knowledge and skills to be able to administer CPR and first aid. The Emergency First Responder Instructor course teaches you how to teach those valuable skills to a student.  There is also the option of completing the Care for Children course which is a separate course teaching instructors how to handle emergency and non emergency accidents with infants and minors including infant CPR.  This is a valuable course for anyone who has contact with children whether it be through work, friends or family.

Pre-requisites

• Have completed a sanctioned course in adult and child/infant CPR within the past 24 months.
• Have completed a sanctioned course in basic first aid within the past 24 months.

Required PADI materials

Once the Instructor Development Course has been successfully completed the Instructor Exam is a 2 day exam conducted by a PADI instructor examiner sent through PADI Asia Pacific Office. The exam will be conducted at Malapascua, Cebu City or Dumaguete depending upon numbers of candidates. Our Exotic IDC team will help with all the logistics and planning for your IE, regardless of the location.

   

Performance requirements needed to successfully pass the IE will have been met and exceeded throughout the course of your IDC and mock IE. 

Pre-requisites

• Successfully complete an OWSI program or full IDC within 12 months of the start date of the IE
• Have documentation of at least 100 logged dives including experience in deep, night and navigation diving
• Present the necessary certificates from the OWSI/IDC signed by your Course Director (given upon successful completion of IDC)

Once you successfully pass your Instructor Exam your PADI instructor card will be issued by PADI Asia Pacific along with your automatic PADI membership. You will also be informed via the internet of you official PADI instructor number. The release of your number can take from 1 -3 weeks and your official instructor card anywhere from 3-5 weeks depending upon your postal address.

Upon the successful completion of your Instructor Exam we offer all candidates the chance to gain valuable work experience here at Exotic.  Enroll in our free 6 week instructor internship and work alongside our instructor team. Gain hands on experience under the direct supervision of our experienced instructors. Learn how to juggle multiple students and courses at once, learn the tricks and skills that our instructors have gained over years of teaching.

Once you have successfully completed your Instructor Exam and are an official PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor you can begin teaching the PADI core courses. Most instructors will want to continue their diving education and will want to be able to teach more experienced level courses.

Welcome to the world of specialties.

Being a specialty instructor gives you that added boost within the diving industry and makes you more employable in a lot of areas. Purchasing the Specialty Instructor Manual will give you the outlines necessary to teach different specialty courses. Here at Exotic we can offer you specialty instructor courses in the following –

• AWARE Fish ID
• Boat
• Deep
• Digial Underwater Photography
• Drift
• Drysuit
• Enriched Air Nitrox
• Multilevel
• Naturalist
• Night
• Search and Recovery
• Wreck

For those candidates who want a bit extra we also offer the Master Scuba Diver Trainer Prep course.  This course is based on 5 different specialty instructor courses and can take from 1 week to 6 weeks depending. The course is aimed to train instructors how to market, conduct and organize the chosen specialty courses. 

The Exotic MSDT Prep course includes all required PADI materials and application fees; numerous academic sessions and open water dives, the number of which will vary depending upon the specialties you are interested in taking. Candidates are taught how to conduct training dives, briefings and scenarios.

We understand the needs and requirements of specialty courses vary from region to region so it is important to choose the options that both interest you and will be a benefit in your intended work area. The most popular specialty courses include Enriched Air Nitrox, Deep, Wreck, Digital Photography and Night.

As soon as you have certified your 25th student as an OWSI you can then apply direct to PADI for your MSD Trainer rating. Having 5 specialty instructor ratings gives you a jump start in your diving career and will make you more attractive as a prospective employee.
Pre-requisites

• Must be PADI Assistant Instructor, PADI instructor or have completed a PADI IDC/OWSI within the last 12months
• Must be certified as PADI enriched air diver or hold a qualifying certification from another training agency (if choosing EANX option)
• Minimum age 18
• Proof of 10 logged dives in each specialty rating applied for

Required diving equipment

Upon completion of the Open Water Scuba Instructor course we offer a free CV and career counseling session. This session is aimed at helping you create your first professional diving CV and cover letter, choosing the ideal location for you to aim for and helping you navigate the PADI pros employment board. Learn from our experienced staff how to read between the lines of job applications and how to sell yourself to the diving community.  Exotic management team have had many years of experience in employing dive instructors in many different areas of the world, we will be able to offer you a valuable insight into the diving industry and what is required, wanted and expected from instructors in different diving regions.

Time is also available to just chat and gain knowledge from our staff about their experiences in the diving community and how to find the best job for you.

At Exotic we want to keep it as simply as possible for you. We understand there are many different options to choose from when considering a place to complete your IDC so we have kept it as easy as possible we have 3 different pre-arranged Instructor Development packages, each to suit the needs of different candidates. We also understand that not everyone fits nicely into a certain niche, therefore we are also able to create custom made IDC packages to suit individual needs. Please email us if the following packages do not suit your requirements and our experienced team will help create a unique package just for you

INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE GOLD

Instructor Development Course
Emergency First Response Instructor Course
MSDT prep course
IDC Breakfast and lunch for 16 days

COMPLIMENTARY  thresher shark dives each morning (scheduled boats only)
COMPLIMENTARY  wireless internet access
COMPLIMENTARY  tea and coffee
COMPLIMENTARY  Exotic IDC t-shirt

INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE SILVER

Instructor Development Course
Emergency First Response Instructor Course
Enriched Air Nitrox Instructor Course
IDC Breakfast and lunch for 16 days

COMPLIMENTARY  thresher shark dives each morning (scheduled boats only)
COMPLIMENTARY  wireless internet access
COMPLIMENTARY  tea and coffee
COMPLIMENTARY  Exotic IDC t-shirt

INSTRUCTOR DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE BRONZE

Instructor Development Course
Emergency First Response Instructor Course
IDC Breakfast and lunch for 16 days

COMPLIMENTARY  thresher shark dives each morning (scheduled boats only)
COMPLIMENTARY  wireless internet access
COMPLIMENTARY  tea and coffee
COMPLIMENTARY  Exotic IDC t-shirt

There are certain fees that need to be paid directly to PADI for the Instructor Development Course, Emergency First Response Instructor Course and Instructor Exam. As exchange rates are constantly changing we have decided it is better for you, if we do not include these fees in any of our packages. We will provide you with all the necessary paperwork and assist you to make your payments to PADI.

As we are based within PADI Asia Pacific all PADI fees are based in Australian Dollars.

To participate in a PADI Instructor Development Course, for either the AI portion or the OWSI portion or the entire course there are certain PADI materials that are mandatory. Each candidate must have their own complete set of these materials.

We can help you purchase your own PADI IDC crew pack at a special discounted rate. (less 35% regular sales price) This pack includes the following items –

PADI CREW PACK BASIC

• Instructor application
• Brochures and other course documentation
• Confined and open water less planning slates
• Confined and open water cue cards
• Advanced open water instructor cure cards
• Rescue diver instructor cue cards
• Law and diving professional book w/CD containing best of the undersea journal

• Children and scuba diving
• Business of diving (3 pdf manuals)
• Open water diver quizzes & exams booklet
• Rescue diver final exams booklet
• Divemaster final exams booklet
• Positive approach to selling DVD
• PADI’s guide to teaching manual with instructor hologram
• Specialty course instructor manual (digital multilingual version)
• PADI backpack

You will also need a copy of the recent edition of the Open Water Manual, Adventures in Diving Manual, Rescue Diver Manual, Encyclopaedia of Recreational Diving, Knowledge Review Workbook and Divemaster Manual, RDP and eMLRDP most of which you will probably already have from your DM course. If you do not have access to these other materials, we can help you acquire them.

• All PADI professional and diver DVD’s
• All PADI specialty diver manuals
• Discover Scuba Diving flip chart
• The Law and the Diving Professional
• The Best of the Undersea Journal
• The Business of Diving
• A.W.A.R.E. – Our World, Our Water manual

There are also mandatory materials for the Emergency First Response Instructor Course. We can again help you purchase these items at special discounted IDC price.

• Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care Instructor Guide & Care for Children
• Emergency First Response DVD
• Emergency Care at a Glance
• Pocket Mask (if you do not have already)
  

As a PADI dive professional it is important for you to have your own personal set of complete dive equipment. There is a wide variety of dive equipment available on the market, some very basic and some with all the latest bells and whistles! The price varies greatly from one product to the next. If you are confused by the choice or just unsure what is the best option for you, then ask our experienced IDC team for their help. If you would rather purchase all your equipment prior to arrival we can still advice you on your equipment choices. If you would like to purchase your own personal set of dive equipment through Exotic Dive Resort then we can of course help arrange this at very reasonable discounted rates.      

This is the list of required diving equipment needed to attend an Instructor Development Course

• BCD with Low Pressure Inflator
• Regulator with Alternate Air Source
• Fins, mask & snorkel
• Air gauge
• Depth gauge
• Timing device
• Compass
• Exposure suit
• Diving tool/knife
• 2 surface signals, 1 visual & 1 audible

It is also recommended to have either your own personal dive computer or RDP, blank slate and fish identification slate or book.

This course is aimed at already certified Master Scuba Diver Trainer’s to take you to the next level. As a certified PADI STAFF instructor you can teach all PADI core courses up to PADI Assistant Instructor. This 2 part course is designed to provide you with additional training so you can comfortably and professionally staff PADI IDC’s, act as a mentor and be a fountain of knowledge to Instructor Development Candidates. Holding the PADI Staff rating will also further your employability within the diving industry, a sought out professional, who will uphold all PADI standards and understands and agrees with the PADI philosophy.

Part 1 is a 2-3 day course conducted by our course director and covers dive theory including the 5 theory and standards and procedures exams, classroom presentations and in water presentations covering both confined and open water skills.  This portion of the course is conducted a few days prior to our scheduled IDC’s.

Part 2 is the practical application of the skills and knowledge gained in part 1, through staffing one of our current IDC’s. During this section of the course each candidate learns valuable hands on teaching experience and gets to see an IDC from a totally different perspective.

Pre-requisites

• Be renewed and in teaching status as a PADI instructor for the current year
• Hold a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating
• Agree to conduct all levels of diver training consistent with the standards and philosophy outlined in the PADI instructor manual
• Agree to use the PADI system and components entirely
• Minimum age 18

:: Malapascua is a gem of an island that is relatively unknown.  For this reason the diving community is small, the dive sites plentiful and the standards generally very high. Exotic was the first dive shop to open on Malapascua. We were the first to dive with the thresher sharks and discovered most of the popular dive sites around the island. Over the years Exotic has grown in size from a small PADI dive shop to an award winning 5* National Geographic Instructor Development Resort. We are proud to offer the best service and facilities on the best beach at the best prices.

:: Malapascua Island is not like Koh Tao, Puerta Gallera or Roatan. It is a small island with a small social scene. If it is the partying atmosphere that you are after then maybe this is not the right place for you. There is always something happening somewhere, but the island is not overrun by Irish Pubs, beach front bars or full moon parties!! Because of this it is a great place to complete your Instructor Development Course. Guaranteed small classes will give you the study and social group you need to help you through the course without being side tracked by all those parties.

:: As a dive professional it is important to have your own personal set of full diving equipment, as outlined in our equipment section.  As Malapascua is a small island, there are not many boutique dive shops offering an array of dive gear.  We can of course help you purchase you own personal set of dive gear at discounted prices.  We have a limited product range and may not always have your exact size, which means ordering from Cebu City which could take time. If you know what you want, or would like a copy of our product list email well in advance so that we can pre-order all the items for you, reducing the chance of disappointment.

:: It is possible to acquire all PADI materials in any language. If you would like for us to order you IDC materials in a different language than English, please give us plenty of notice. All our PADI materials are ordered from Cebu City, where in turn they are ordered from Australia. It takes a minimum of 12 days to receive materials from Australia but who knows how long to clear customs in Manila. The earlier you order your PADI materials the better.

:: There is not a plethora of shops on the island, so for all those specialized pieces of equipment, parts, computer batteries, camera accessories or personal items it would make a lot of sense to bring a couple of spares with you so you are not frantically trying to replace that computer battery a day or two before your 3 dive day trip to Camotes!! You can of course make the 4 hour bus journey to Cebu and if you get the early bus a roundtrip is possible in one day!!!!

:: Upon arrival into the Philippines you are automatically granted a 21 day tourist visa. If you plan on staying over this time you will need to get a visa extension.  We can of course help arrange this for you when you are here at Exotic, or if you prefer you can organize this before you arrive. It is possible to get a Visa extension at any time during your initial 21 days, you do not have to wait till your time has expired. If you decide you would like us to organize your Visa extension for you, please make sure we have your passport at least a week prior to the expiration date.

:: Malapascua is a small island, with a large local population but not much in the way of development. At this time there is no doctor or hospital on the island. You will need to have a current medical certificate for your instructor course, we advise you to acquire this prior to your arrival on the island. If you are in need of medical attention during your stay, the closest doctor is in Daan Bantayan, 45minutes from Exotic Resort. Being a remote location it is advisable to stock up on a basic medical kit before you arrive. It is possible to buy certain medications on the island and of course Exotic has a large medical supply, however stocking up on sea sickness tablets, basic antibiotics, antibiotic ear drops, iodine and hydrocortisone or bactroban cream is recommended. Also do not forget your medical insurance. As a dive professional the best insurance you can get is through Divers Alert Network (DAN) www.diversalertnetwork.org We can also help you arrange this when you are here.