PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

The PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor is the second part of the PADI Instructor Development Course.

How do I get started?

Self-study is a major part of the Instructor learning process. The course follows directly on from the Assistant Instructor course, using the same PADI materials (the IDC Crew Pack and eLearning you used on the AI course). These are available to purchase from Aquasport if you do not already have them from your previous course.

Once you have paid your course fees and enrolled on our OWSI programme you have use of the pool and classroom facilities available at Aquasport to prepare yourself for this course.

What will I do?

The Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) course expands your knowledge during your PADI Assistant Instructor course. You will learn to teach the whole spectrum of the PADI system of education. Once you have successfully completed the OWSI course you can attend a PADI Instructor Examination (IE), which is the final step to earn a PADI Instructor rating.

During the OWSI course you will learn: 

• PADI Standards and Procedures for the PADI courses you can teach as an OWSI
• Continuing education and leadership workshops
• Dive Theory for dive leaders
• The Business of Diving and your role as a PADI Instructor
• IE preparation and your career development

The course will consist of classroom workshops and presentations, confined water dives in our onsite heated training pool and open water dives at one of the local dive sites.

How long will it take?

The PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor programme takes place over a minimum of four days, generally held over two weekends. These weekends start on a Friday at 6.30pm and continue over the Saturday and Sunday from 8am until 6pm.

To certify as an PADI Open Water Instructor you will need to attend a PADI Instructor Examination (IE).  This is a two-day evaluative program that tests an instructor candidate’s teaching ability, dive theory knowledge, skill level, understanding of the PADI System, and attitude and professionalism. PADI IEs are standardised and conducted by specially trained PADI Instructor Examiners. The IE location, testing environment and examination sessions are organised to be as objective as possible to fairly and consistently evaluate a candidate’s abilities. Only those who meet the IE performance requirements earn the respected PADI Instructor certification. There is an additional fee for attending an IE paid directly to PADI.

What will I need?

• PADI Assistant Instructor or have an instructor qualification from another training agency Divers certified through other agencies should contact the centre as there may be additional requirements to your certification
• A minimum of  60 logged dives, including experience in night diving, deep diving and underwater navigation  
• Before attending an IE, you must have a minimum of 100 logged dives
• A valid certification in First Aid and CPR (within the last two years) is also required. The EFR programme is ideal for this
• A Diving Medical signed by a physician, dated from within one year of your programme dates. We recommend the HSE medical if you wish to work as a PADI Instructor in the UK.

To complete your OWSI certifcation you will need to be a certified EFR Instructor. These courses run both in conjunction with and independently of our IDCs.

You will also need the standard PADI materials from your previous core courses. Equipment rental is not included in the cost, so you will need to rent from us or bring your own. A full list of equipment and PADI material requirements is available at the centre on request.

Price

PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Course £425.00

Upon successful completion of the course, there is a PADI IDC application fee and IE fee (if you wish to attend any future IE) which are paid directly to PADI. Current prices are available on request.

Open water dive site entry and air fills while away from the centre are not included. This is approximately £30 a day.

Where can I go from here?

The PADI OWSI completes the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC). When you are ready to progress, you will need to pass the PADI IE to earn a full PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor rating.

You may also consider adding PADI Specialty Instructor ratings to your instructor profile. The PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) Prep will allow you to learn how to teach five PADI Specialties under the guidance of our experienced PADI Course Director and Instructor Development Team

Aquasport also offers you the chance to learn more about the day to day running of a busy dive centre. This is ideal for divers wishing to take more of an active involvement at their local centre or for divers looking to use their certification whilst travelling. The programme involves modules such as compressor operations and cylinder filling, retail training, equipment servicing and dive centre operations. All these are aimed at making you more attractive to future employers in the industry. More information about these programmes are available on request.