Texas Dive Center, Inc., John Miller, Instructor Trainer

This is our dive training weekend for the month for training for new divers through instructor. Please check with us well in advance for the location - either Balmorhea or "Blue Hole." Any required training in preparation for the open water dives must be completed a week or more prior and reviewed by the Director of Training at the shop. Please be sure to coordinate with us.

In the SSI Shark Ecology program, you will learn how to interpret shark behaviours, why they are often misunderstood and how dive with sharks. This is a perfect course for shark fans and for divers who are nervous about sharks but want to overcome their fear. Upon completion of this program, you will earn your SSI Shark Ecology Specialty certification and no doubt become an avid shark diver. Start today!

Do you see underwater images and wish you could be there? Do you want to travel and have new adventures? Becoming a certified scuba diver is the first step in a journey that will forever change the way you experience the world. You will explore the wonders of a weightlessness underwater world, interact with incredible marine life and discover ecosystems hidden beneath the surface.Our Open Water Diver Course is just $600 and we provide you up to 6 months dive insurance FREE while training. Who else does that? Purchase a entry level Total Dive System from us and your course is FREE!. We will even offer you 6 months interest free financing.Yes, others may charge less but what else do they want you to buy for the course – find out before making the commitment.The Open Water Diver Certification Course with TEXAS DIVE CENTER is just $300.00 to start with your digital course and your pool sessions. We will also include the Computer Diver Specialty Course when you purchase a dive computer for your training from our store. The required open water training dives can be completed on your vacation (we issue a referral and assist in coordinating it with your vacation dive shop - you pay their fee for the required dives and certification). If you continue your training with us you will pay the balance due for the required open water training sessions when you are ready to finalize your training. That is a total training cost of just $600 for the Open Water Diver certification if you own your own mask, snorkel, fins, boots and dive computer that are acceptable for your training. Otherwise you can purchase them in our store and get take your 10% off credit. We provide the rest of your required equipment.

In the SSI Freshwater Ecology specialty program, you will explore how aquatic species interact with each other and their freshwater environments. You will learn about freshwater ecosystems, food chains, predator-prey relationships, and the delicate balance that sustains life beneath the surface. This program deepens your understanding of biodiversity, species adaptations, and habitat protection — giving you the knowledge to recognize and identify aquatic wildlife with confidence. With your new ecological insight, every dive becomes a discovery. Start online today and earn your SSI Freshwater Ecology certification.

This course is for people with a disability that desires to learn how to scuba dive.

The SSI Diver Stress and Rescue specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers. You will learn how to identify stress, how to prevent accidents and be taught practical techniques to conduct rescues and provide emergency care. With a combination of pool and open water practice sessions, you will become well prepared and confident at handling emergency and rescue situations. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification.

You spent valuable resources to learn to get a learning permit to scuba. Now it's time to step it up a bit by enrolling in the SSI Advance Open Water Diver course with Texas Dive Center, Inc.

Earn your dry suit specialty

Become a FFM Specialty Instructor.

This course is available anytime for those Dive Master Instructors meeting the course requirements. Registering is your first step, then we will coordinate dates for your training. Some of it is conducted by Zoom with the rest requiring 3-4 days in Lubbock, TX for classroom and pool presentations. Enroll any time and knock out the digital course work and then schedule the rest. The open water portions are conducted at Balmorhea State Park which is approximately 3.5 hours southwest of Lubbock - South of Pecos, TX. We often will conduct all of the training there to save on your need for travel. In which case you can fly into Midland Int'l Airport. It all will depend on logistics as they are different at various parts of the year. Assistant Instructor Trainers prepare Assistant Instructors to teach academics and conduct in-water training. As an Assistant Instructor Trainer, you are also qualified to assist Instructor Trainers, giving you valuable experience along your scuba diving instructor pathway. When ready, you can attend the Instructor Training Seminar, allowing you to become an SSI Instructor Trainer. Start your journey to create scuba diving instructors today.

Assistant Instructor Trainers prepare Assistant Instructors to teach academics and conduct in-water training. As an Assistant Instructor Trainer, you are also qualified to assist Instructor Trainers, giving you valuable experience along your scuba diving instructor pathway. When ready, you can finish the Instructor Training Seminar, allowing you to become an SSI Instructor Trainer. Start your journey to create scuba diving instructors today.

Assistant Instructor Trainers prepare Assistant Instructors to teach academics and conduct in-water training. As an Assistant Instructor Trainer, you are also qualified to assist Instructor Trainers, giving you valuable experience along your scuba diving instructor pathway. When ready, you can finish the Instructor Training Seminar, allowing you to become an SSI Instructor Trainer. Start your journey to create scuba diving instructors today.

Dive Master Recognition starts you on your road to being a professional diver. Do you have a deep and abiding passion for diving? Or, do you merely love it with all of your heart? If so, you should consider doing what you love for a part-time living; that's right, be paid to do what you love: become a SSI Dive Master.

Start today - You need to be a Divemaster or equivalent to join SSI´s 3-Step Instructor Training Approach. The training process starts with joining the Assistant Instructor / Instructor Training Course combination accompanied with Digital Learning. After successful completion of the Instructor Training Course (ITC) you will enroll in an Instructor Evaluation (IE) to qualify as an SSI Open Water Instructor. This 10 training program entitles you to teach various key SSI programs independently like Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox, Diver Stress & Rescue and Dive Guide. For those who want to take more time to learn and to gain valuable teaching experience between the training programs the 3 parts can also be taken as single steps - Assistant Instructor, Instructor Training Course (ITC) and Instructor Evaluation (IE) one after the other at own pace and with a flexible schedule.

Join the ranks of dive professionals and pass along your experience to new divers. Our ITC is VA approved for veteran benefits.

Start today - You need to be a Divemaster or equivalent to join SSI´s 3-Step Instructor Training Approach. The training process starts with joining the Assistant Instructor / Instructor Training Course combination accompanied with Digital Learning. After successful completion of the Instructor Training Course (ITC) you will enroll in an Instructor Evaluation (IE) to qualify as an SSI Open Water Instructor. This 10 day training program entitles you to teach various key SSI programs independently like Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox, Diver Stress & Rescue and Dive Guide. For those who want to take more time to learn and to gain valuable teaching experience between the training programs the 3 parts can also be taken as single steps - Assistant Instructor, Instructor Training Course (ITC) and Instructor Evaluation (IE) one after the other at own pace and with a flexible schedule.

Looking for the first step in working with scuba as a career? Your adventure into the professional levels of recreational scuba diving begins with the Dive Guide program. The Dive Master relationship at Texas Dive Center is one of both apprentice and mentoring. Working closely with your Instructor you should reach a culmination of skills, dedication, experience, knowledge and professionalism. You will come to us with most of those attributes and then we will help you expand your dive knowledge and hone your dive skills to the professional level. The course further develops your leadership abilities, qualifying you to lead certified divers on dive tours in both a non-professional or professional status. Dive Guides that complete Science of Diving and have 60 logged dives earn recognition as a SSI Dive Master - which is then a prerequisite for attending a Instructor Training Course (ITC) to become an Assistant Instructor or Open Water Instructor. At Texas Dive Center, Inc. your preparation as a outstanding Dive Master will be planned and developed over a couple of months so when you are ready for that next step your will have the confidence to move upward as a dive professional. Excellent Dive Masters need to be adaptive, attentive, customer centered, helpful, moldable and much more. As a Certified Assistant, you are an extension of the Instructor you are assisting to teach divers.

The Assistant Instructor rating is the next step after becoming a Divemaster along the scuba instructor pathway. It allows you to collect valuable teaching experience, practice briefings, teach academics, and conduct in-water training. If you want to further your career as a dive professional, you can finish the Instructor Training Course, pass the Instructor Evaluation, and become an Open Water Diving Instructor.

The SSI Assistant Instructor Trainer Seminar provides candidates with the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to certify Assistant Instructors, and to assist in teaching the Instructor Training Course. Candidate Prerequisites Minimum age | 18 years old. Have the following SSI certifications or an equivalent from a recognized training agency: Divemaster Instructor Have issued at least 50 certifications including: 30 Open Water Diver 3 Diver Stress & Rescue 2 Dive Guide/Divemaster 15 Advanced Adventurer and/or specialty programs The candidate may also apply completed Try Scuba, Basic Diver, Referral Diver, and Scuba Diver programs toward the minimum requirements for Open Water Diver certifications. Twelve (12) Try Scuba recognition cards are equivalent to one (1) Open Water Diver certification. Six (6) Basic Diver certifications are equivalent to one (1) Open Water Diver certification. Two (2) Referral Diver or Scuba Diver certifications are equivalent to one (1) Open Water Diver certification. Duration Recommended hours for completion | 30–45. Requirements For Completion Complete all academics sessions as outlined in the instructor manual for the Assistant Instructor Trainer Seminar. Complete the program’s final exam. Complete and pass all requirements and evaluations listed in the instructor manual for the Assistant Instructor Trainer Seminar. Completion Requirements Before beginning training, each candidate must have a current dive medical, and: Hold the equivalent certifications from their current training agency as outlined in the SSI Training Standards. See SSI Training Standards > Equivalency Charts. Register for the applicable professional certifications. Have or purchase the applicable current physical materials needed for the program. Upload digital copies of all required documentation and existing certifications into MySSI. Assistant Instructor Trainer Read and complete all sections, including reviews and assessments, from the Instructor Training Course digital learning. Complete and pass the Instructor Training Course final exam. Complete all Open Water Instructor requirements. Score within ± 3 points of the Instructor Trainer’s score on an Academic Teaching Evaluation. Score within ± 3 points of the Instructor Trainer’s score on a In-Water Teaching Evaluation. Active Status Requirements Attend all applicable mandatory updates scheduled by SSI International. Active Status Qualifications In addition to the programs taught by active status Divemaster Instructors, active status Assistant Instructor Trainers may teach, supervise and issue certifications for the following programs: Assistant Instructor Specialty Instructor Seminar (if they have the applicable Specialty Instructor certification) Active status Assistant Instructor Trainers may also: Assist an Instructor Trainer in conducting all SSI Instructor-level programs.

Join the ranks of SSI Dive Professionals, start your road to success as a SSI Dive Master

Become a FFM Specialty Instructor.