Scuba Instructor

This is where you want to be, a certified PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor,does the thought of doing what you love, and helping others do what you love sound a bit more appealing that what you are currently doing? I guess so as you have found this page and this website that is dedicated to giving you every hint and tip on how to train to become a scuba instructor.

The prerequisites, requirements and details are included elsewhere on this site but the OWSI course forms part of the PADI IDC which is normally taken with the Assistant Instructor course. Its more common to go from divemaster to instructor without specifically taking the Assistant Instructor course and that path is the one IDC Guide would generally recommend, if you want to pursue a career in dive education.

Ok so once you pass the OWSI you want to make yourself more employable and should aim for the next step on the dive education ladder which is PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) to get there you need to certify 25 divers and hold 5 Specialty Instructor Certifications.

Specialty Instructor Courses Faqs

In order to do specialty instructor courses do you need to have that specialty to do the specialty instructor for MSDT?

With the exception of the following Specialty Instructor ratings, you don’t need any prerequisites to take a Specialty Instructor course
EANx (you must be an EANx certified diver first)
Rebreather (must be PADI EANx Instructor and certified as a diver with that rebreather)
Equipment (need to have done a technician’s course)

Course Directors offer a MSDT Preparation course what does that mean? Do you come out as an MSDT or do you still need to do more things?

You would NOT become a MSDT immediately, to become a MSDT you need the following:

1. PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certification.

2. Five PADI Specialty Instructor ratings

3. Have Certified 25 PADI Divers (Discover Scuba Diving or DSDs count for only 1/5th of a cert so 5 DSDs is 1 cert)

No more than five out of the total 25 certification can come from courses without dives (like 02 Administration – EFR courses do not count as its not a PADI course)

The MSDT Prep courses that are sometimes offered by Course Directors gives you the Specialty Instructor ratings, there is no need for you to only take 5, some people take 6 or 7 as the MSDT gives you the Specialty Instructor ratings that allows you to apply for the MSDT, but you still have certify 25 students first. The fact that you can teach specialties will possibly allow you to get to the the 25 certs faster, as you have more to offer your students and any prospective dive center employer.