PADI Platinum Course Director
Meet Toni Plaza
From Barcelona to Malapascua. 6,000+ dives. 100% IE pass rate. The Course Director who tells you straight if you are not ready — and exactly what to fix.
15+
Years professional
6,000+
Dives logged
Platinum
PADI CD rating
100%
IE pass rate
WHO IS TONI?
A Spanish dive professional who quietly built one of the most respected IDCs in the Philippines.
Toni Plaza is a Spanish dive professional from Barcelona with over 15 years of experience across recreational diving, technical diving, instructor training, and dive operations. He previously owned his own dive school in Barcelona, taught in the Maldives and Mexico, and now runs IDC courses and specialty training at Thresher Shark Divers on Malapascua Island.
“He is not a salesman. He does not oversell. If you are not ready for the IDC, he will tell you. If you need prep work first, he will recommend it. That directness is rare in the dive industry — and why his students respect him.”
Toni came to the Philippines for the diving and stayed because the community at Thresher Shark Divers matched the standard he was looking for. He has been at TSD ever since — drawn by the thresher sharks, the dive team, and the fact that Malapascua has not been swallowed by mass tourism.
He is a quiet professional who lets his work speak for him. Former students contact him years later to say his training made the difference in their careers.
CERTIFICATIONS & QUALIFICATIONS
Credentials, in plain English.
The qualifications behind the IDC programme at Thresher Shark Divers.
PADI Professional
- Platinum Course Director — the highest PADI instructor rating
- Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)
- Rescue Diver Instructor
- Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT)
- Divemaster
Specialty Instructor
- Wreck Diver Specialty
- Deep Diver Specialty
- Enriched Air (Nitrox) Specialty
- Technical Diver Instructor
- Multiple additional specialties
Other Qualifications
- Emergency First Response Instructor (EFRI)
- Suunto Dive Computer Specialist
- 6,000+ logged dives
- Taught in Spain, Maldives, Mexico, Philippines
- Former dive school owner (Barcelona)
WHY TRAIN HERE
World-class diving and a small island that keeps you focused.
Malapascua offers something rare in instructor training: world-class diving that is also genuinely diverse. During your IDC you will see thresher sharks at 20m (nowhere else on earth at this depth), wreck diving, macro diving, and night dives. That variety produces better instructors.
Plus, Malapascua keeps things focused. Small island, no distractions. The diving community is professional and tight-knit. IDC candidates train seriously because the entire environment supports it.
PADI 5-STAR CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
Thresher Shark Divers
Thresher Shark Divers is the parent dive operation on Malapascua and a PADI 5-Star CDC — the highest tier of PADI store rating, awarded for sustained excellence in professional training. When you do your IDC at TSD, you are training at an established centre with a professional team around you.
- Multiple boats and regular daily departures
- Full range of professional courses (Divemaster, IDC, Specialties, Technical)
- International clientele and a solid global reputation
- Teaching practice via LTT — Limited Teaching Tasks — structured, realistic scenarios that prepare you thoroughly for the IE
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Toni is approachable, but no-nonsense.
He does not do corporate speak. Ask him a direct question and you get a straight answer. That is why some people love training with him — they always know where they stand — and why some don’t. Some people want cheerleading; Toni gives feedback.
If you value directness, personal attention, and world-class diving during your IDC, he is your guy.
Ready to train with Toni?
Start a conversation. Ask the questions you cannot find answers to online. See if it feels like the right fit before you commit.
The centre behind your IDC
Toni leads instructor training at Thresher Shark Divers (TSD) — a PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre on Malapascua, founded in 2004 by Andrea Agarwal and home to more than 1,000 trained dive professionals. You’re supported by an experienced team throughout, with Toni as your dedicated Course Director from start to finish.
Toni holds PADI Platinum Course Director status (awarded March 2026) — fewer than 10% of CDs worldwide reach this tier. With 20+ years of teaching, 6,000+ dives and a 100% first-time IE pass rate, she is the only sole instructor in the Philippines with this record. She previously ran her own dive school in Barcelona and teaches using Limited Teaching Tasks (LTT).
Train with a Platinum Course Director
Tell us your level and goal — we’ll send a clear plan with dates, costs and the best package for you.
Meet the instructor team
