Open Water Diver

If you cannot decide which specialty programs are the best choice for you, join the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program! You will try Deep Diving and Navigation plus a variety of 3 more specialty areas of choice before committing to full specialty training. It is a great way to experience what advanced diver training is all about and how valuable it can be to your diving adventures. During the Advanced Open Water Diver Program, you will experience 5 different specialties by completing one open water training dive per specialty after a comprehensive briefing with your SSI Instructor. By taking this program you will have total freedom to explore. You can complete the full Specialty trainings any time in the future and credit your Advanced Open Water Diver training towards them.

Enroll in SSI's Science of Diving specialty to gain a thorough understanding of the underwater world and its effects on the human body. This specialty, which is required for completion of most SSI Professional programs as well as some Extended Range programs, is an excellent opportunity to expand your diving knowledge. It's available online, so you can earn your SSI Science of Diving specialty certification from home and prepare to start your career. Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Science of Diving specialty certification and be halfway to completing the desired SSI Divemaster rating.

As a Nitrox diver, you can increase your bottom times and safety margins, plus shorten your surface intervals - so you can spend more time diving and less time waiting! In this program, you will learn new skills and increase your diving knowledge whilst learning how to safely plan and dive with enriched air mixtures of up to 40% oxygen. Upon completion, you will earn an SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 32% or 40% certification.

The Divemaster program is the first step on an exciting journey. Earn the respect of your dive buddies and become an ambassador for diving by taking the Divemaster program. All you need to get started is 40 logged/verified dives and certifications in Deep Diving, Navigation, Night & Limited Visibility or at least 5 logged/verified dives of experience in each area plus Diver Stress & Rescue. You will receive the Dive Guide certification upon successful completion of the Divemaster program. When your interest is to turn your passion into a profession by guiding certified divers, teaching Ecology programs, assisting instructors or even becoming an instructor yourself, your next step is the Divemaster upgrade with a minimum of 60 logged/verified dives. Upgrade to Divemaster immediately or at any time thereafter by studying the Science of Diving materials on your own and passing the Digital Final Exam that makes you an SSI professional. There are thousands of job opportunities worldwide for the next generation of highly qualified divers.

After becoming a Divemaster, the Assistant Instructor qualification is the next step in a dive instructor's career path. This program allows you to gain teaching experience, practice briefings and provide in-water and classroom training. If you want to advance your career as a dive professional, you can take the Instructor Training Course, pass the Instructor Evaluation and become an Open Water Diving Instructor.

Start today - You need to be a Divemaster or equivalent to join SSI's 3-Step Instructor Training Approach. The training process begins with enrollment in the combined Assistant Instructor / Instructor Training Course accompanied by digital learning. Upon 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 qualifies you to independently teach several key SSI programs, such as 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 gain valuable teaching experience between training programs, the 3 parts can also be completed as individual steps: Assistant Instructor, Instructor Training Course (ITC) and Instructor Evaluation (IE), one after the other, at your own pace and flexible schedule.