Dive Instructor

A professional certified to teach and certify divers, earned through an instructor development course and examination after the divemaster level.

A dive instructor is a professional authorized to teach scuba courses and certify students, from first pool sessions through advanced and specialty training, depending on their rating. Where a divemaster guides certified divers, an instructor can take a complete beginner and issue them a certification card in the name of their agency. Instructor ratings are agency specific, though crossover programs let experienced instructors add a second agency relatively quickly.

The path runs through the professional ladder: divemaster first, then an instructor development program, such as the PADI IDC followed by a two day Instructor Examination conducted by the agency itself, or SSI's Instructor Training Course and evaluation. Candidates are assessed on teaching theory, classroom presentations, confined water and open water teaching, demonstration quality skills, and rescue standards. Higher ratings follow, such as Master Instructor or Course Director at PADI, the level that trains new instructors.

Standards, renewals, and liability insurance keep instructors in active teaching status, and agencies audit courses and investigate incident reports to protect the quality of their certifications. If your instructor card lapses, you keep the rating but cannot certify students until reinstated, and most agencies require refresher seminars after longer gaps. When choosing a course as a student, an instructor's teaching style and experience matter more than their number of ratings.