PADI MSDT on Koh Tao. The Next Step After Your Instructor Rating
Becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor is a huge achievement.
It represents years of training, experience and commitment. For many, it is the moment that turns a passion into a profession. Passing your Instructor Examination means you are now able to teach new divers, guide them through their first underwater experiences, and introduce them to the world you already love.
For some instructors, that is the goal in itself.
For others, it is the beginning of something more.
Continuing your education through the Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) rating allows you to build on your Instructor training, increase your teaching confidence, and expand your career opportunities in the dive industry.
Completing your PADI MSDT on Koh Tao, with the Scuba Dive Online team of PADI Course Directors, is one of the most effective ways to do this early in your professional journey.
Building on Your OWSI Rating
As a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, you are qualified to teach the core PADI courses. from the PADI Open Water course up to PADI Divemaster, these are the foundation of diver training worldwide.
However, dive centres also run a wide range of specialty programmes for certified divers. Many divers want to improve their skills after certification, prepare for dive travel, or experience new environments.
Specialty courses are a regular part of the weekly schedule in most busy dive centres.
This is why many employers look for instructors who already hold the MSDT rating. Employment listings, including those on the PADI Job Board, often highlight MSDT as a preferred qualification.
Holding MSDT means you are ready to teach beyond the core courses from the start.
It is called MSDT because you can teach at least five PADI Specialty courses and train divers towards the recreational MSD (Master Scuba Diver) rating, awarded to Rescue Divers with 50 logged dives and five PADI Specialty certifications. Plus, the MSDT rating is a prerequisite for the PADI IDC Staff Instructor course.
Keeping Teaching Fresh and Enjoyable
Introducing students to wreck diving, planning a Nitrox course before a deep dive trip, or guiding a Night Diver programme brings variety into your working week. These courses involve different environments, skills and teaching approaches.
Teaching only the same core programmes can become repetitive over time. However, adding a Wreck specialty with Enriched Air Nitrox, for example, creates a completely different learning experience for both you and your students.
Being able to teach PADI specialties makes your role as an instructor more interesting, more dynamic, and more enjoyable.
Learning With Your Course Director
You can complete five PADI Instructor Specialties with your Course Director during or after your PADI IDC course. Many candidates choose to do this as part of their PADI MSDT on Koh Tao. In the long term, this is usually more economical.
More importantly, you will learn how to teach each specialty effectively. This includes demonstrating the required skills, structuring knowledge development presentations, and adapting your approach to suit different student needs.
You will also receive recommendations on how to market each course, and which divers are most likely to take them.
Understanding how to deliver the course is essential.
Understanding how to promote it is equally valuable.
Choosing Specialties That Suit Your Future
At our Koh Tao partner centres, Assava Diving Resort and Davy Jones Locker, several specialties are consistently popular with certified divers.
Enriched Air Nitrox is by far the most requested course worldwide.
Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Night Diver and Sidemount are also regularly booked.
We also teach Adaptive Teaching Techniques on every IDC at our Koh Tao partner centres.
Which specialties you choose may depend on where you work in the future. Infinity2Diving in Tulum focuses on Cavern and Cave training, while Roatan Divers specialises in Coral Reef Conservation. In Egypt, where some of our Scuba Dive Online team worked for many years, Drift Diver was extremely popular due to strong currents.
You can continue adding specialties as your career develops.
Completing your PADI MSDT on Koh Tao helps you grow as an instructor.
It also prepares you for a wider range of teaching opportunities worldwide.
Become more versatile, employable, and ready to teach specialty courses worldwide.
Price for the PADI MSDT on Koh Tao at either of our PADI 5 Star CDC parter centres, Assava Diving Resort, or Davy Jones Locker:
MSDT prep course. 5 PADI Instructor specialties only = 15,000 THB
MSDT internship. 5 PADI Instructor specialties, plus team teaching to gain the minimum 25 certification required to apply for the MSDT rating = 22,000 THB
PADI application fees. 145 AUD per instructor specialty application. PADI offer 5 for the price of 4 = 580 AUD for 5 applications
