It was a tough time, ~2 weeks learning and studying - but it's totally worth it. The time will pass by soo fast and suddenly everything is over. Then you think back and realize, Matt prepared you perfectly for everything. You will see, the final exams/test are pretty easy if you understand everything during the classroom.
It was a great time, i really enjoyed it. Matt is a great "teacher" and he will explain and repeat everything until everyone understands it.
Thanks for everything Matt, you did a great job :)

Diving in Komodo is amazing. This is where i decided to participate in the IDC Padi Instructor course at Blue Marlin Dive Center.
The IDC and IE was tough, you have to put 100 percent effort and I suggest learning the theory before you do the course which will help.
Thanks to Matt for his passion, energy and support to get me through the course and PASS!
A truly life time memory.

I had an amazing time doing my IDC with Matt and with Blue Marlin :) Although I didn't pass with my fellow candidates due to some equalizing issues Matt was there for me pushing me to continue on the next IE even when I was a little hesitant. He made me believe in my capabilities as a future instructor which was awesome. He is an amazing course director and Im so glad I did it with him and BM, I wouldn't redo if I got the chance :) It was challenging and definitely a rollercoaster and he definitely kicked our asses but I think we can all agree it was worth the huge smiles and celebration in the end :) Im continuing doing my IE in Gilli Air with him and I know I'll go above and beyond thanks to his prep work and the IDC itself. If you get the chance to work and study under him you're career in diving is set, you'll feel so prepared beyond what you thought!!

Such a good time doing my idc with Matt at Blue Marlin! Highly recommend it for other Divemasters out there !

My IDC with Matt was challenging, interesting and fun. I was fully prepared for the IE afterwards, but more than that I am now practicing as an instructor immediately after the course and feel confident and prepared to do so. I really appreciated Matt’s supportive approach, his high expectations and his organisation which was all underpinned with dedication to all of his students getting the best possible results for themselves. Thanks so much Matt!

I have attended the IDC with Matt.. in August 2018 on Komodo, and can say its been tough for me and him. Compared to other people, who jumped straight from the DMI to the IDC I did my divemaster a year ago in Costa Rica, and there wasnt (much) theory left. But somehow Matt managed to squeeze all the important Informations into my head, which wasnt always easy for both of us. During the IDC, you gonna be busy replying to Matts messaged, if you have compleded your homework exams, studying, or more studying. haha. So basically Matt is your best friend and enemy at the same time. I do not think there is another IDC out there like the one with Blue Marlin Diving in Komodo. This is because the groups are small and the athmosphere in Labuan Bajo is amazing and also ive heard there is good diving in Komodo national park... yeah apparently you can see Mantas there. I also did the speciality Instructor with matt, which involved a 4 day Liveabroad trip on a sick boat with a lot of good food and good banter and a Parrot, which called Gustoo i think. I really can recommand doing the specialty instructor as there is not as much diving involved in the IDC as you expect. I do not want to say too much but if you want to do your IDC somwhere special and not witha tons of people in Mexico, Hunduras, Bali or the Gilis, come to Komdo, its definitely worth it. Baaam Junge !

Hello to you reading this. If you thinking about doing your IDC, I would strongly recommend you MATT, he is a very professional and organized Course Director. You will go trough all the stuff which is really important for the final exam and if you have any problem on some topic Matt will not rest till you have fully understood it (Don´t try to act like you have understood if you haven´t, he will recognize it. :-D).This makes the course with Matt failsafe. For sure you will have a lot of homework and the IDC will be taff but I prefer this way than going to the IE with without the sureness that you will pass the exam.
But besides from all that I see in Matt a friend, a good chess player and somebody who will help me during my diving career.
I also recommend the MSDT, It´s a really good deal. Matt, Paul and Sarah do also a great job on this one. I´ll not explain too much because you should just do it, it´s amazing.
PS: You should not put your mask on your forehead otherwise it´s costs you a Beer.
GRAZIE! CIAO!

Matt is an extremely organized and professional course director who will push you to attain a level of quality that is well above industry standards. It involves a lot of focus, a lot of homework but also a lot of fun! Labuan Bajo is a nice little town with everything you need and a lot of not-so-secret roof tops to eat amazing food and watch even more amazing sunsets.
I will not elaborate too much on the reason why doing the IDC in the KomodoNational Park is an excellent choice of venue for diving as the challenge and awesomeness of the dive sites is common knowledge in the diving industry, but just picture this... You are focused presenting to your "students" how to use a lift bag and suddenly they point at a manta casually passing by right behind you. She probably wanted to watch the skill too :)
Come the day of the Instructor Examination, you will be extremely well prepared thanks to all of the homework and advice Matt will give you (I managed to finish the written exams one hour ahead of time). Your presenting skills will be so polished and ready due to Matt's perfectionism, that you will surely pass with top marks. For all of these reasons, I couldn't recommend the IDC with Matt enough and will definitely keep very fond memories of the IDC. I would also like to finish with a word on the MSDT on Blue Marlin's Liveaboard Ikan Biru - this was the cherry at the top of the cake and extremely good value, as you get to become a specialties instructor while diving in the Komodo National Park, all for the price of a liveaboard trip, including wonderful food and incredible diving as part of very small groups. Thank you Matt for an experience I will never forget !

Finally got to make my mind and chose dive education with Matt to do my IDC in komodo!

Getting in contact with Matt was pretty easy, he managed to be clear about all the details I wanted to know before starting the course.

I had done my dive master not so long ago before so I had everything pretty much in mind except a few thing I had to go over again. Matt sent me all the theory I had to know before the course which made it even easier to get prepared.

During the course if there were still things I didn't get clearly, matt would hop to one of the other many languages he knows to get around the problems and to make sure I got it properly. It is clear that he want's you to have everything clear in mind and will use all his skills and patience to get you there in time.

The IDC was something intense with "up's and downs", it hasn't been without pressure and sometimes you may wonder if this was a good idea to do.
But once you get to the final IE after matt's course you realise he had put the level pretty high making the exam almost taste like a piece of cake!

The examinator from padi, who came to give us the exam, was really surprised as well as it was the first time in her career that all the students got 5/5 on the skills to demonstrate!

Clearly, If you have money to spend, and want a good course, this is the man to contact!

And what better location than komodo to get to practise skills in open water? (quote matt: "okay guys, I know there is a Manta turning around us but... Let try to stay focus on the skills hey?!")

A great experience, thanks Matt!

Matt is a good and professional teacher, he knows exactly what he's talking about. The course is intense, a lot of informations, a one way to follow but all of this make the course really complete from preparation to examination. If you take your course with Matt, you will maybe be sweating a bit but you gonna be FULLY PREPARE to SUCESS on your IE and to start with your new professional teaching status, It will be a bonus to find a job because of you specialities.
Thanks Matt.
ps: Hey Darkness my old friend, Peanut sauce should disappear from the IDC Lunch

Becoming a scuba diving instructor seems a tough mission, which for many parts it definitely is and can almost seem unreachable.

I had the luck to attend my IDC at Blue Marlin Komodo with Matt, not only Komodo national park is one of the best diving spots in the entire world and Labuan Bajo is full of dive centres and divers (which makes it an exciting place to hang around), on top of that Matt will make sure (in any possible way) his students will go through a really thoroughly preparation.

It starts with a nice two days refresh about all the theories from the DM course, explaining with real life examples all the exercise required, provides you with LOTS of digital material and a nice easy_theory file for quick reference.

The course then develops into constant preparation for the academic and water presentations giving the students lots of opportunities to test and rehearse their verbal and water skills.

Don’t get me wrong, this won’t be a holiday, ALMOST every day will be full with plenty of exams, tests and presentations to perform plus daily homework.

It can be perceived as a tough mission at first but it turns out being a very clever method to absorb the theory and feel way more confident, although a student can easily feel very timid at the beginning, but Matt is very good in understanding individual behaviours and requirements and has a great ability to make a bespoke course for everyone.

On top of the IDC there is the great opportunity to get specialties during a 4 days live-aboard around Komodo national park which has amazing diving spots for almost all available skills.

Be ready to literally and fully submerge yourself into a diving world, it’s gonna be a very tough but satisfactory month and I promise you won’t regret it.

Well done Matt

I did my June IDC at Blue Marlin Gili Air with Matt. Awesome experience! Although since I did my divemaster recently I was super prepared but Matt knows how to make someone an Instructor. With his really intensive and effective schedule you get more than ready to tackle the IE and live your dream of being a Scuba Instructor. Make sure to take use of the specialities offered so you can become MSDT and give your diving CV the right punch.
Its definitely the right choice guys!

Matt is a great instructor! Very patient and able to popularise the explanations, which helps a lot!
The IDC is very hard, but then the IE seemed to be a piece of cake!
Thank you Matt for your time and organisation!

There is no one quite like Matt Fieschi but I couldn’t imagine my IDC with anyone else. As we were told from the beginning, the Instructor Development Course is a PADI rollercoaster, filled with ups, downs, fives, a few one’s, presentations, late nights and paper eardrum demonstrations - sprinkled with a bit of sarcasm.

Matt brought his great Swiss-Italian enthusiasm to the classroom and pool sessions everyday. Humour to theory, energy to knowledge reviews and lots of “nasty problems” in confined sessions. More than anything however, Matt is professional, patient and big-hearted. He really excelled in PPB! All course material was covered and half-times was explained multiple times with minimal head banging.

In all seriousness though, anytime there was a hint of a problem or a question, Matt was capable of answering and explaining in pretty much any language you could imagine. Except Zulu, despite a South African candidates best attempt to teach it. He lives into each one of his candidates, finding teaching styles best suited for every individual, creating a personable experience and an open and comfortable atmosphere. A safe space where we all could learn, try and experiment with teaching styles… and bad contact stories. The best part, is the transition from tough-love Mr Course Director to father bringing children to their first day of school at the IE, making sure everyone had their lunch boxes for the exams. Touching.

His meticulous and pedantic methods may scare you at first, with theory and GSP exams 1 through to 4, long hours and strict grading but walking into the IE, you are so over prepared you ask yourself what all the fuss was about. You may even catch yourself wanting to try the ride all over again!

I took my IDC with Matt in April in Komodo. He is a super nice person, always in good mood and with positive attitude, very patient and comprehensive, and always there to help his students with any issue (... In PADI language: he offered a solution to every problem, and doing the IDC with Matt was of great value!). Learning gets so much easier in a stress-free and friendly setting, and of course with a lot of laughs!
The 2-day free pre-IDC preparation course was extremely helpful to repeat and consolidate the Diving Theory and the skill circuit. For the IDC itself I found the schedule very well planned - even when we had to work really hard sometimes with homeworks etc. - towards the end of the course I felt really well prepared for the IE, and indeed all candidates passed it well.
The cherry on the cake was the 4-day MSDT preparation course on Blue Marlin Komodo´s liveaboard Ikan Biru. So within 3 weeks I could become an OWSI, EFRI, and Instructor for 7 specialties, AND have some amazing fundives in Komodo National Park!

Matt is a nice guy, patient, funny and helpful. During those fifteen days of training, we learned everything in a good mood and with a lot of laugh. The four days on the liveaboard, Ikan Biru were incredible. It is the perfect way to end an intense training! Thank you again for everything Matt!

I did my IDC with Matt this January in Komodo and it was one of the best experiences that I've ever made. After finishing my DM with Blue Marlin in Komodo, I decided to stay in this awesome diving environment and to do my IDC with Matt. A decision that I don't regret at all.

The whole course was very very good. The two offered free preparation days helped a lot to refresh the dive theory and to gain a solid knowledge for the IDC. The structure and schedule of the IDC was intense, but prepared us excellently for the IE. The IE itself was in the end super easy (Yes Matt, you were right ;-)) and we all passed with top grades. Even if the IDC was demanding, we had a great group, a very good team spirit and also a lot of fun which made the whole course a great experience. Matt himself was always very motivating and highly patient with us. He helped us to gain teaching confidence and equipped us with the necessary knowledge to start our professional careers as instructors. In addition, we all become good friends and will definitely stay in touch!

To sum up, I highly recommend to do your IDC with Matt. He's a lovely and funny person, a passionate teacher and a highly professional Course Director. Thank you very much Matt!

Are you looking for a good place to become instructor? Well, I recommend to reach out for a good Course Director, too! I felt in love with Komodo during a trip and accidentally bumped into Matt. After a few Emails and months I decided to do my IDC in Komodo with Matt and it turned out to be a lucky punch! First of all, the two day pre preparation course that is included was very helpful to refresh my 3 years old and rusty DM knowledge. The course itself was very structured and intense, but prepared all off the candidates to pass the IE with ease. Even the Examiner was impressed how well we did! That said, I can more than recommend Matt for your IDC, his natural educational approach makes it really easy to become a good instructor. And besides that, he is just a lovely, positiv and funny dude outside the classroom! Thank you Matt...

I did my IDC with Matt in January 2018. It was a great experienced. He prepared us not only perfect for the IE but also supported us with is expertise and experience. I had an amazing time! If you are thinking to do your IDC do it here!!

Hi everyone,
I've just passed my IDC in Komodo with my course director Matt, such a great experience ! The course was complete and he always manage to make it clear and fun. I've learned so much during those two weeks, i'm now ready for the dive pro world !
Thanks for your work & and to take on your time to translate some stuff in french.
Want to become a pro? It's simple: Contact him!

Our IDC class was amazing! I was quite nervous about doing my IDC at the first place but our Course directors was very informative and have a heaps of tips and tricks to help us with the IE and more importantly when we teach in real life. And I also leave with new lifelong friends!

I just finished my IDC and IE @BlueMarlinGiliAir with Matt. He is a solid CD thats inspires Instructors to be the best and put them through a thorough preparation with materials/course that he has curated are prepared. His personal involment and motivation is inspirational. I highly recommend this IDC to all aspiring Instructors.

Even if there are many things to learn during an IDC, Matt helped us to understand all these things and to improve our knowledge and our skills.
He is a reallly good course director, patient, and friendly and has been able to answer to all the question we asked.

I would like to thank to Matt and i was so lucky to do my MSDT with him. As a local guy which my language is bahasa would be so difficult to digest the words used in the theory but Matt explained to me so easy were i can understand it very well. I highly recommend him especially for local (indonesian)instructor to take the course with him because i know he is special. Thanks again Matt, i appreciate your hard work in teaching me such in save and fun way.

Jedem der sich überlegt den IDC in Indonesien zu machen, kann ich Matt als Course Director zu 100% empfehlen. Hatte mich sehr kurzfristig für den IDC entschlossen, was für Matt kein Problem war. Von Anfang an hatte ich bei Matt das Gefühl, dass er sich zu 100% auf mich und auf den IDC konzentriert hat. Dabei hatte er nicht vergessen mir eine ordentliche Portion Spaß während der gesamten Zeit zu servieren. Die Vorbereitung zum IE war zum Teil hart aber vor allem erstklassig, so dass der IE selbst fast schon ein Kinderspiel war. Danke dafür Matt!
Da mich der IDC mit Matt völlig überzeugt hat, hatte ich mich zusätzlich für das MSDT-Training mit ihm auf der Ikan Biru entschlossen. Die gemeinsame Zeit auf dem Boot war einfach super – das Training und die damit verbundenen Tauchgänge ebenfalls!
Mit Matt habe ich über die Zeit nicht nur einen kompetenten Course Director kennengelernt, sondern auch einen Freund gewonnen.