If you like people, have a passion for scuba diving and want an extraordinary life - become a PADI Instructor. Teaching scuba diving allows you to share your love of the aquatic world with others while doing what you enjoy - being in, around and under water. PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors and PADI Assistant Instructors are the most sought-after dive professionals around the world because they've completed the program that sets the standard for training dive professionals. You earn a PADI Instructor rating through hard work and commitment, but you're rewarded with a job that lets you share incredible underwater adventures with others - transforming their lives for the better and enriching yours.
Become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor
Are you ready to join the ranks of the dedicated professionals who teach the world's most progressive and popular scuba diver education programs? Then Go PRO with an Instructor Development Course.
The Instructor Development Course (IDC) is made up of two parts - the Assistant Instructor (AI) course and the Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) program. Most dive professionals complete the entire IDC and go on to attend an Instructor Examination (IE), which is the final step to earn a PADI Instructor certification.
Successfully completing just the AI course results in a PADI Assistant Instructor qualification. When an AI is ready to progress, attending an OWSI program allows entry into an IE to earn a full PADI Instructor rating.
Dive professionals who hold an instructor rating with another diver training organization may be eligible to enroll directly in the OWSI program. This recognizes prior instructor training and provides a path to become a PADI Instructor.
The IDC teaches you to conduct all PADI core courses. You'll be able to organize and present information, conduct skill development sessions and control open water dives. Basically, you become a better public speaker and get really good at demonstrating skills while watching out for student diver safety. Key topics include:
- PADI Standards and Procedures for courses you can teach with in water workshops
- Learning, Instruction and the PADI System
- Risk Management and Diver Safety
- The Business of Diving and your role as an instructor
- Marketing Diving and Sales Counseling
Prerequisites:
A PADI Divemaster who has been a certified diver for six months may enroll in the PADI Instructor Development Course. You also need:
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- At least 60 logged dives and 100 dives to attend an IE.
- Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and First Aid) training within the past 24 months.
- A medical statement signed by a physician within the last 12 months
Emergency First Response Instructor:
CPR and first aid are key skills that are important to everyone, not just scuba divers. As an Emergency First Response Instructor, you teach skills based on internationally recognized emergency care guidelines, and you can offer courses to anyone. The great thing about EFR courses is they make learning easy by providing a comfortable environment to practice emergency care skills. Your students finish the course feeling confident with their new skills and ready to help someone in need.
The only requirements are that you're at least 18 years old and have Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and First Aid) training within the past 24 months. An EFR Instructor rating is required to become a PADI Instructor, but you don't have to wait until you're ready to go pro. You can complete or refresh this training during your PADI Instructor training.
Your role as an EFR Instructor is to be a coach that creates a positive learning environment. Along with learning how to structure and organize EFR courses, you practice:
- Presenting course content.
- Encouraging self-discovery in students.
- Evaluating student understanding and skill mastery during hands-on skills practice.
- Managing effective scenario-based learning experiences.
Instructor Exam:
The Instructor Exam is the final part of your journey to becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. Here in the Keys our Instructor Exams take place over two full days and one evening. While the extra evening may seem like a bad thing since it's "longer," its actually a great thing for you! On the first evening the Orientation takes place. This is where you will get all of your assignments for the weekend! This means you have extra time to prepare compared to other IE's that are only two full days.
During the IE you will be evaluated on:
- Dive Theory (Physics, Physiology, Equipment, RDP, and Skills and Environment) 12 questions per section with a passing score of 75% per section.
- General Standards and Procedures - Exam based on the Instructor Manual and Guide to Teaching (OPEN BOOK!!) passing score of a 75%
- General Dive Skills 5 Skills chosen from the 24 basic skills, each scored out of 5 points. 17 points required out of 25 with no score below a 3.
- Confined Water Teaching - A confined water teaching presentation scoring at least a 3.4
- Knowledge Development Teaching - A Knowledge Development Teaching presentation scoring at least a 3.5
- Open Water Teaching - An Open Water Teaching Presentation consisting of 2 skills scoring at least a 3.4 average
- Rescue Exercise #7 - A demonstration quality Rescue Exercise #7 scored on a pass / fail basis
Time Requirement:
This program is a total of 12 days. 9 days for the IDC, 1 day for the EFR-I program, and 2 days for the Instructor Exam.