Latest Reviews

  Taking the Instructor Development Course with Gili IDC is easily the best decision I’ve made in my professional diving career.
We were provided excellent facilities, a great source for... read more us to practice and be prepared for instructing once we finish our training. Holly the Course Director, along with Justin and the other Staff Instructors were a great help all the time –making sure us, the candidates are more than ready for the Instructor Examination.

Before the IDC, I was more than nervous about not being able to keep up because of the language barrier –but turns out the class consisted of people from different parts of the world with English as their second language! Amazing how Holly & team made this easy for all of us.

Having the IDC during the pandemic, we had quite a huge time gap between the training and the exam itself. Within this gap, Holly & team made it possible for us to keep our practical skills and theories sharp, all the time being there and offering assistance to make sure all of our training needs are met.

Thank you so much team for the great experience!

  “Don’t eat the Marshmallow”! Trust me, it will make sense by the end of it.

It is very rare that any company or individual inspires... read more me to pen an in depth review. But In this case, it seemed almost karmically blasphemous not to.

If you are here, it means you are either toying with the idea or have already made the decision to move up as a Padi Professional. The Open Water Scuba Instructor. It means something different for each of us. That’s not just an important decision, it’s a next step that’s both monetary and momentous. I don’t need to delve into the Philosophical ramblings behind it all, but for each of us it’s an ‘investment in ourselves’.

There is a reason Holly’s name reverberates throughout the Industry as one of the best Course Directors in the World. If you are like me, you’ve researched this exhaustively: The programs, the durations, the ‘add-ons’, the one on one instruction time, the pass rates, the facilities, the curriculum, the follow-up, the etc. etc. etc. etc. I can tell you now, that even though I had her name recommended many times over the years, I did my own due diligence, and after completing the Program with Holly, I was not prepared for how much more-than accurate the reviews were.

This is equivalent to having access to an Ivy League Uni education without having the application process.

Holly’s program embodies passion, standard, professionalism, family, empathy, authenticity, diligence, organization, high levels of comprehension, expectation, and sets a platinum example of excellence for her students and peers alike. If that’s not enough, then read on:

The I.E. ( Instructor Exam) is, honestly in my opinion, secondary. (It’s a forgone conclusion that you will pass the objective PADI examiner’s standards when you pass this course. We were all so overprepared it seemed unfair at times. It’s Also why she has a 99.99% pass rate. I never believe in perfect records, so I took .01% margin for error)

What you take with you cannot be taught by just anyone. Aside from her decades of experience in all environments and situations of diving, you leave with those deep ‘why’s’ and ‘How’s’ for how all things ‘Instructing’ are meant to be performed. SAFELY.

But, for those who like lists.
5 Stars for literally everything she created with her IDC Program.
Content. Training. Pre and Post Course diving. Physics and Theory Prep. Facilities. Teaching Aids . Food.(yes it was amazing). Location. Standards. Empathy. Teaching style. Group involvement. Methods to anchor learning. Skills. Skills. Skills. Preparation. Integrity. Relevance. Did I talk about the curriculum yet?!. And not to forget- The Staff Instructors that also assist. ( Justin and Ed are amazing and at the top of their game)

You should know there is no “9 to 5” with this program. They don’t clock out at the end of their day. They stay with you every step of the way. Do You need further learning, presentation ideas, skill work, or understanding of any concept?, Done. I’ve rarely seen a teacher this proud to develop and embolden their students. For me, she became more than a teacher by the end of it. She became a friend. An integral part of a journey that was mine, and became much more clear by the end of it.

As an update: I’ve since moved on to accept an Instructor position in some of the most beautiful and challenging diving in the World. Komodo. I have no doubt ( Mostly, because the shop manager told me), that I received the interview and consideration based on where I received my IDC training. FYI- If you are planning to make this a career for any length of time, It’s common for shops to look at your IDC Course Director as a bearing for your skill level.

More importantly, even with over 400 dives and a prior season of guiding under my belt, I was far more prepared to handle situations in difficult diving environments after this. And this is an understatement.

So, what about that Marshmallow? I didn’t forget about it.
The marshmallow test is one of the most famous and landmark pieces of social-science research completed:

Put a marshmallow in front of a child, tell them that they can have a second one if they can go 15 minutes without eating the first one, and then leave the room. Whether they are patient enough to double the sweet reward became indicative of a willpower that showed dividends down the line, at school, work, and overall in life.

Now, I don’t have a time machine, nor a marshmallow to test you with, but I’d assume you know where I’m going with this. Don’t settle on the instant gratification of choosing a Course Director or IDC that’s most convenient.

It’s easy to read a bunch of copy on a website for any ole’ IDC and get excited to just ‘get it done’, but listen… if you’ve gotten this far, than you know it’s important to have waited and researched and read thoroughly to feel what Program is right for you.

You’ll find that Holly’s program is the reward that materializes because you put in the effort and went through all the steps to get that ‘Second Marshmallow.’

It’s also much, much sweeter in the end. Cheers & “Welcome to the Instructor” family everyone. - Jason

  Really cool Idc, you on't learn from anyone better than Holly!! even with such a large group, 18 in total, you felt like you had as much help... read more as you needed. The staff instructors Justin and Ed will stay as long as you need them too after the day has ended to help you with anything you need! Glad I chose Holly's IDC !

  I did my IDC with Course Director Holly, I had great experience during my IDC, she was a great teacher and Justin was so helpfull, thanks a lot Holly &... read more Justin, you guys the best.

  So happy I did my IDC here! - Holly, Justin, and Firman prepared us well for our instructor exam, and everything I learned from them has really benefited me as a diver and an instructor after the course.... read more />
I definitely appreciated Holly’s extensive experience as a course director - she explained the theory so well (and has multiple sets of her own (optional ) practice exams) I thought her feedback was consistently constructive and specific - she’s able to target your specific areas to improve even in a large group.

My IDC was a very fulfilling and enjoyable few weeks (everyone at blue marlin are great too). Highly recommend! Sometimes I wish I could do it all over again !

  My IDC with Holly at Blue Marlin was simply the best experience of my life.
I was dreaming to become a dive instructor for years, but because in the... read more past I had some bad experiences with diving, I grew up being terrified of going underwater.
Thanks to Holly and the professionalism of Blue Marlin staff I felt finally safe, and I gained confidence again. The thing that I liked the most was Holly's support always toward all the IDC candidates, no differences, no preferences. This helped to make my group the nicest group of people I've ever learned with and I miss them so much! I would do it again.

  Can't even begin to explain what a fantastic experience it was. Doing my IDC with Holly along with Justin, Doug, Caroline and of course Ed acting as excellent mentors was... read more simply unreal. Very professional and thoughtful staff, great facilities and an exciting environment. Our small group of Instructors to be enjoyed breathtaking underwater scenery, good banter and positive education in all aspects of scuba diving. Very thorough teaching, no questions left unanswered.
Holly in unbelievable. Period.
If anyone is looking for an ideal place to become an OWSI, TDC is the place to make it happen.

  IDC with holly - i did my instructor course with holly in july and it was probably one of the best experiences of my life. as we all know holly is one of the... read more best in the world's and her standards of teaching really show you why that is. everything from the time you arrive until you are done with the course is taken well care off and taught till you master it. i would highly recommend anyone wanting to do their course to head over to the gili's and do the IDC with holly. firman assisted our course and was brilliant. the humour and laughter was a common constant 😀

  I did my IDC in October! It was a great experience and really helped me build my confidence as a dive pro. Holly was extremely supportive, both in the water... read more and out. If you needed extra support or help she would happily give you more time to run through things with her. Everything was extremely clear and the wider team at Blue Marlin made you feel very welcome!