Few underwater encounters compare to meeting a whale, and this instructor course lets you turn that awe into real, lasting protection. It qualifies experienced PADI instructors to teach both the science of whale conservation and a genuine sense of urgency about the pressures these animals face from human activity. Write and submit your own specialty course outline to PADI, tailored to your experience, and once approved you can start issuing certifications.

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In detail

About This Course

Whales are among the most awe-inspiring animals a diver can ever encounter, and they are also under serious and growing pressure from human activity. This instructor course qualifies PADI or PADI Freediving Instructors to teach the Whale Defender Specialty, giving you the tools to pass on both the science of whale conservation and a genuine sense of urgency about protecting them.

As part of the course, you will write and submit a specialty course outline along with a Specialty Instructor Application to PADI's Customer Relations Department, tailoring the programme to reflect your own experience and the way you want to teach it. This process is a core part of the qualification, ensuring the course you go on to run is properly structured and approved before you start certifying students.

To join, you will need to hold a PADI Instructor or PADI Freediving Instructor rating and have certified a minimum of twenty five divers, reflecting the level of teaching experience this specialty calls for.

Once your outline has been approved, you are able to issue certifications in the Whale Defender Specialty to your own students, adding a meaningful, conservation-focused course to your teaching portfolio. It is a natural fit for instructors who want their work in the water to contribute directly to protecting the animals divers care about most.

The process

How The Course Works

Step 1
Whale Science & History Teaching Practice
You work through how to present whale biology and evolution alongside the shared history of whales and people, building a land-based session that works for divers and non-divers alike. There's no diving requirement here, so you learn to run a session anyone can join and follow.
PADI's Whale Defender programme is a land-based, half-day course open to non-divers as well as divers
Step 2
Threats, Action Plans & Certification
The second half covers the real threats whales face today and how to guide students through building their own whale defender action plan, the practical step that closes out the course. Finish it and you're certified to teach this conservation-focused specialty yourself.

Course curriculum

What You'll Learn

Learning Outcomes

how to define course philosophy and goals, standards (instructor level, age/certification requirements, dive count, depth limits, ratios, equipment), knowledge objectives, and open water training dive structure for a distinctive specialty

Getting ready

Before You Start & What's Next

What's Included

writing and submitting a specialty course outline and Specialty Instructor Application to PADI's Customer Relations Department

Prerequisites

PADI Instructor or PADI Freediving Instructor
certified a minimum of 25 divers

Next Steps

issue certifications in the specialty once the outline is approved

Upcoming training

Dates & Booking

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Quick facts

Duration

1 day of structured training

Location

Unit 4, Bellman Court, Great Knollys Street, Reading, RG1 7HD

Certification

Recognised PADI qualification on completion

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Whale Defender Instructor

What to expect