If becoming a scuba instructor is your dream, there are a number of dive instructor courses you must take before you can become a fully certified PADI dive instructor. If you’re already a diver, then chances are you’ve already taken a few of these courses and put in hours of diving that will count towards your final certification. The courses are intensive and take some time to complete, but for anyone who loves diving, they should be eye-opening and unforgettable experiences.
PADI Open Water Diver Certifications
The Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver certifications are the first courses you need on your path to becoming a dive instructor. The Open Water course is your entry into the world of diving as it allows you to dive up to 18 metres (60 feet) anywhere in the world. The Advanced Open Water course teaches you about deep diving up to 30 metres (80 feet) and it requires five dives that could include wreck dives and night dives.
Emergency First Response (EFR) and Rescue Diver Courses
The next steps in your dive instructor courses journey are the Emergency First Response and Rescue Diver courses. These will teach you how to assist people underwater, how to provide oxygen in an emergency situation, and basic first aid techniques. You do not have to take the EFR course if you can prove that you have taken CPR and equivalent first aid training in the two years before you take the Divemaster course.
Divemaster Course
The Divemaster course is where you really begin to learn the teaching side of things. This course allows you to lead dives, map dive sites, and assist other divemasters and instructors with teaching courses. To take the course you must be over 18 years old, a certified diver for at least six months, have 60 logged dives including deep dives, navigation, and night dives, and have taken the Rescue Diver course and the EFR course (or have CPR and first aid training completed in the previous two years).
Instructor Development Course
The last course you will need to take to become a fully certified instructor is the PADI Instructor Development course. To take the course you will need to be a certified diver for at least six months and have 100 logged dives. You will learn theory, rules, and regulations, and have to demonstrate open water skills. At the end of it you can take the Instructor Examination (IE), and if you pass, you will be qualified to teach anywhere in the world.
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