All together, we are IFDI: International Fun Diving Instructors.
You're not only an instructor within your current organization, you can also be an IFDI instructor.

No need anymore to buy books for your students. IFDI offers online theoretical courses for your students, free of charge.
Each registration of a diver's certification costs only $ 3 US. The plastic card is optional. Its price is: € 6 (shipping not included).

IFDI is a neutral organization and a free license community of diving instructors from various organizations.
IFDI is simply based on the international ISO standards which are recognized worldwide.
Get your independence. Free yourself from your costy organizations.

Click here to join us

In only 5 years, we are already present in over 50 countries.

IFDI is not a traditional organization. The tradition wants you to work within a supervising organization. Why that?
Could you not work well independently? At IFDI, we believe that you can and we support you to do so.

Created by an instructor for the instructors, IFDI is your online tool, at your service to register the certifications of your divers.

Toward a global harmonization, as an IFDI instructor, you simply follow the requirements of the international ISO standards when teaching the "classical" diving courses of IFDI. You may click here to view a summary of the IFDI courses and related ISO standards.

If you believe in the classical pyramidal structure made of hierarchy and supervision of the human being, please, do not join IFDI.
On the other hand, if you believe in a flat structure made of independence and responsibility of the human being, IFDI is for you.

No, not at all. You may remain an instructor within your organization.
By becoming an IFDI instructor, you simply obtain a second diploma of diving instructor that allows you to use the IFDI services.

No, not at all. Once validated, your IFDI instructor diploma is valid for ever, regardless of your status in the other organizations.
At IFDI, we consider that your instructor diploma should not depend on its annual payment... Like any school diploma.

Olivier Dauxais, born in 1970. Diver in apnea at 7 years old. Scuba diver at 14 years old. Professional instructor since 1990, Olivier became in 1993 the first instructor who has been awarded the PADI diploma of recognition for excellence. Having now more than 25 years of experience and over 10.000 dives.

A few words from Olivier:

I know that we tend to be proud of the organization that has trained us. Would this be the fruit of a clever strategy that has jailed our mind into our current organization? I think that we can be smarter and orient ourselves toward an independent and neutral world such as IFDI. Regardless of our "color". PADI, NAUI, SSI, CMAS... We all are scuba diving instructors. Furthermore, is it really necessary to register the divers' certifications under a brand? Why pay more when we can pay less? At IFDI, prices are simply as low as possible. You may use the traditional and expensive organizations, and therefore, support them to always be more expensive... Or, you use IFDI... Toward a smiling future.

You now have the choice. I wish you a wonderful career with IFDI.

I was voiceless the first time I heard this comment. Even today, I don't really know what to say...
I believe in evolution. I believe that the next generation should not encounter the difficulties of the previous generation.

Having personally spent far too much money in the traditional and expensive organizations, I decided to create IFDI:
A low cost organization that would spare the next generation. As simple as that.

In order to do so, the running expenses of IFDI are limited to their strict minimum: Domain fee and hosting fee. That's all. Zero investment in advertising. No expenses in the payment of professional developers. I studied the computer language and I have developed IFDI by myself. I am not only the owner, founder and manager of IFDI. I am also its technician and webmaster.

Now, if you discover tomorrow another diving organization that spends thousands of dollars in advertisement and that offers low cost services... This would definitely be too good to be true... H Olivier Dauxais.

Yes. Your divers may add their identity photo on their digital card before saving it in their phone or files. The identity photo is not required for the online certification but this is required for the plastic card. Please, note that IFDI does not store any identity photo.

Is it fine that the divers get their diving certifications on plastic cards?

The plastic is part of the pollution of our oceans. Let's stop the plastic cards.
Let's be ecological and modern with digital certifications. This is our future.

IFDI offers an online digital certification which is available anywhere at anytime.
Your divers could also download their digital certifications in their mobile phone.

For your divers who would still wish a palpable thing in their hands...
You could print the IFDI diploma on a A4 paper with any ordinary printer.

Then, if your divers really wish a plastic card, it's still possible...

Very similar to what you have always done... For example, if you want to teach the first diving course: "10m Diver". Simply invite your students to read the theoretical part of this course. Then, your students can test their knowledge with an online quiz.

Then, you do your "briefing" followed by your first lesson in the water. The quantity of confined water lessons is left at your discretion. As stated in this course, we invite you to let your students play with their lungs in 1 meter of water at the very beginning of the course. The required skills for your students are displayed under the presentation of the online courses: https://www.ifdi.info/?Learn

Even though you already know the theoretical part, we invite you to read the online course that your students will read. No worry, it's rather short. It won't take you long. This will allow you to know what else you need to explain by yourself to your students. For example: The divers learn that they need to equalize their ears but they don't know how to do. This will be explained by the instructor.

Simply fill out the registration form. Then, submit a copy of your ID document and a copy of your instructor diploma in reply to the welcome email from IFDI. Once your documents are reviewed, you may get your IFDI instructor diploma by equivalence at no cost.
As simple as that.

IFDI was created in 2015.

You may invite the other diving instructors to join IFDI. Your word of mouth is our only mode of promotion.

Well, we invite you to check the owner of those magazines... Or their main advertisers...
Nowadays and more particularly in the diving world, the freedom of speech of journalists has became a very rare value...

No. In fact, the word "member" would be more appropriate than the word "recognized". Despite our eventual beliefs, the WRSTC is not accredited by any international laws to supervise the recreational diving industry. The WRSTC is only a kind of private club that clearly states on page 5/11 in its internal rules: "Membership is granted at the sole discretion of WRSTC and may be revoked at any time..." When contacted by IFDI, they have replied anonymously by signing "Coordinator". Do you know who is at the head of the WRSTC? Why do they hide their identity? Would there be a potential conflict of interest?

No. The EUF is also not accredited by any european laws to supervise the recreational diving industry. The EUF is also a kind of club, but it seems to be more open and far more transparent than the WRSTC.

ISO: "ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 162 national standards bodies." The ISO standards have been the international references, in several fields, since several decades. All the biggest diving organizations that wish to be recognized all around the world refer to the ISO standards. Have a look at your diving certification cards: You will definitely see the ISO references somewhere on your cards.

Yes. The IFDI courses conform to the requirements of the ISO standards. The ISO reference number is displayed on the "classic" certification cards of IFDI. Click here to see a sample. Please, note that ISO is a registered trademark. IFDI has contacted the ISO organization and took advise from them on how to legally use the word ISO and its reference numbers.

No. IFDI hasn't requested the certification "ISO compliant" . We might do it in the future... But this cost might impact on the final cost of the registration of your divers' certifications at IFDI... Case that we want to avoid.

Yes. IFDI can refer to the ISO standards as long as IFDI uses the right terminology and as long as IFDI and its members respect the ISO standards. This engagement is clearly stated in the terms of use of IFDI when you become an IFDI instructor.

IFDI has zero office. IFDI is a 100% digital organization. This allows us to be far less expensive than all of the other organizations.

Neutral world. Free license for the instructors. Online learning for free. Low cost certifications. Diving log book that can be digitally signed. Secured connection. Suitable for tablets & mobiles. Available in 90 languages. Very ecological website: Ultra-light and very fast to load. Very simple to use. No useless features. Human contact at: okifdi.info

IFDI is a neutral world, where instructors from different organizations teach the same diving courses that meet the ISO standards. You may click here to view a summary of the underwater skills required at IFDI. IFDI offers theoretical courses that focus only on the essential. If your students wish more information, you're free to orient them to any diving books that you like in the other organizations.