Open Water Instructor (Instructor Training Course)

This world-renowned certification program is the best way to start your adventures of a lifetime as a certified diver. Customized training is combined with in-water practice sessions to give you the skills and experience you need to be truly comfortable underwater. You'll earn the Open Water Diver SSI certification.

If you're not sure which specialty programs are right for you, take the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program! You'll learn about deep diving, navigation and three other specialties before deciding on a full course in one of them. It's a great way to understand what Advanced Open Water Diver training is all about and how it can enrich your underwater adventures. During the Advanced Open Water Diver program, you'll experience five different specialties. After a detailed briefing with your SSI instructor, you'll make a training dive in open water for each specialty. This program gives you plenty of freedom to explore different areas of diving, and you'll be able to take the full training courses for your chosen specialties at any time, which will be credited towards your Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

The SSI Deep Diving Specialty will teach you everything you need to dive to depths between 18 and 40 meters, through a mix of theory sessions and open water dives. You'll learn how to safely plan and execute your deep diving adventures, and how to use computers and gas consumption calculations to get the most out of your deep dives. On completion of this course, you'll receive your Deep Diving SSI Specialty certification and be able to explore magnificent deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI Specialty is also a prerequisite for certain additional training courses, making it the next logical step in your diver training.

In this specialty program, you'll develop the advanced skills and knowledge you need to navigate safely and confidently underwater. You'll learn how to use a compass and natural navigation techniques, estimate distance, leave and return to a designated point, as well as basic navigation patterns. You'll also learn how to combine navigation techniques to enhance your diving experience. All this sharpens your underwater observation skills, improves your diving safety and helps you get the most out of every dive. On completion of this course, you'll be awarded the SSI Navigation specialty certification.

Night diving requires different skills from day diving. The Night Diving and Limited Visibility SSI Specialty is the best way to learn night diving and practice the techniques you'll need to become a safe and confident night diver. In this program, you'll receive all the knowledge and skills you need to dive safely and comfortably at night or in conditions of limited visibility. Through a combination of e-learning and open water training dives, you'll learn to enter and exit the water, use specialized equipment and communicate easily with your buddy at night or in limited visibility. At the end of the course, you'll receive Night Diving and Limited Visibility SSI specialty certification, and be ready to dive at night with confidence.

Most of the best dive sites in the sea are wrecks. These structures attract unusually high densities of marine life and give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in history. The Wreck Diving SSI specialty will enable you to become a safe and confident wreck diver. Through a combination of theory classes and protected environment sessions, you'll learn to safely perform non-penetration dives around wrecks and artificial reefs, to a depth of 30 meters. You'll also be able to put your wreck diving skills into practice on training dives in the wild. All this will enable you to enjoy wreck diving with confidence and get the most out of every dive. Upon completion of this program, you'll earn your Wreck Diving SSI specialty. Continue your adventures and become a wreck diver. Start online today!

The Diver Stress and Rescue SSI specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers. You'll learn to identify stress, prevent accidents and receive practical techniques for performing rescues and providing emergency care. Through a combination of practical pool and open water sessions, you'll become well prepared and confident in handling emergency and rescue situations. At the end of the course, you'll receive Diver Stress and Rescue SSI specialty certification.

React Right is the SSI Emergency First Response course, providing you with the training and knowledge you need to act as a first responder in a medical emergency. In this flexible program, you can choose the topics you want to cover, including initial assessment, first aid, CPR and key stabilization techniques. You can also learn how to administer oxygen in a diving emergency and the basics of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Through theoretical sessions and practical scenarios, this program will give you the confidence you need to intervene in an emergency. Once certified, you'll be able to act as a first responder, providing first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administering oxygen and providing AED assistance in medical emergencies. Get your React Right SSI specialty certification. Get started today!

The Divemaster program is the first step on an exciting journey. Earn the respect of your dive buddies and become a true ambassador for diving by completing the Divemaster program. To start, you'll need at least 40 logged and validated dives, as well as certifications in Deep Diving, Navigation, Night Diving & Limited Visibility, or a minimum of 5 logged/validated dives in each of these areas, plus the Diver Stress & Rescue specialty. Upon successful completion of the Divemaster program, you'll be certified as a Dive Guide. If you'd like to turn your passion into a profession - guiding certified divers, teaching ecology programs, assisting instructors or even becoming an instructor yourself - the next step is the Divemaster Upgrade, with a minimum of 60 logged/validated dives. You can upgrade to Divemaster level immediately or later by independently studying the Science of Diving module and passing the digital final exam. This will enable you to become an SSI professional.

Get started today—You must be a Divemaster or equivalent to participate in SSI’s 3-step instructor training. The training begins with participation in the Assistant Instructor / Instructor Training Course, accompanied by Digital Learning. After successfully completing the Instructor Training Course (ITC), you will participate in an Instructor Evaluation (IE) to qualify as an SSI Open Water Instructor. This 16-day course enables you to independently teach various key SSI programs such as Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox, Diver Stress & Rescue, and Dive Guide. For those who wish to take more time to learn and gain valuable teaching experience between training sessions, it is possible to take the three parts separately—Assistant Instructor, Instructor Training Course (ITC), and Instructor Evaluation (IE)—one after the other, at your own pace and with a flexible schedule.

The Perfect Buoyancy SSI specialty is the best way to improve your buoyancy and get the most out of every dive. Buoyancy is an essential diving skill, but any diver will tell you that it takes time to perfect. The Perfect Buoyancy Specialty will teach you advanced buoyancy skills and techniques, so you can master your buoyancy faster and enjoy more relaxed diving adventures. In this fascinating program, you'll also learn new skills that protect the environment and work in all diving situations. Upon completion of this course, you'll earn the Perfect Buoyancy SSI specialty certification. With improved buoyancy skills, you'll soon be able to glide with ease and take the underwater photos you've been dreaming of!