Sat. Apr 27th, 2024

 

Dive Professional Programs

Here are the criteria for the various SSI Dive Professional Programs offered at Southern Indiana Scuba. To achieve any professional level with us, you are expected to own your own full Total Dive System*, along with any necessary accessories for the type of diving you are doing, leading, or instructing.

Dive Guide (non-professional)

Dive Guide is the first step in the process of becoming a professional. “Dive Guide” is considered a specialty course. As a Dive Guide, you are not yet a certified professional, but you are introduced to diving leadership skills.

Divemaster

As a Divemaster, you have completed the following:

  • Dive Guide, Science of Diving, and Diver Stress & Rescue specialties
  • You are certified and current in React Right (or equivalent skills in CPR, First Aid, O2, and AED).
  • You have 40 logged open water dives to begin, and 60 logged open water dives to finish.
  • You have demonstrated, at expert quality, the skills outlined in the Open Water manual to a certified Divemaster Instructor or above.
  • You have completed Southern Indiana Scuba’s Divemaster Checklist, which introduces you to common roles in our dive operation, and requires roughly 48 hours of learning and volunteering.
  • You are at least 18.
  • You maintain Active Status as a Scuba Schools International dive professional.

As a Divemaster, you may:

  • Act as a Certified Assistant for all SSI Recreational Scuba courses.
  • Qualify as a Training Specialist for SSI Ecology specialties.
  • Enroll in an SSI Instructor Training Course.

Assistant Instructor

As an Assistant Instructor, you have completed the following:

  • You have completed all your Divemaster objectives, and you are certified as an Active Status SSI Divemaster (or agency equivalent).
  • You have 60 logged open water dives to begin, and 75 logged open water dives to finish.
  • You have completed the Candidate Water Fitness Evaluation as outlined in the SSI Training Standards.
  • You have read and completed Sections 1-6 as outlined in the instructor manual for the Instructor Training Course, including the associated Academic Sessions.
  • You have completed the requirements and evaluations for Practical Application Sessions 1-7 as outlined in the instructor manual for the Instructor Training Course.
  • You have completed and passed an Assistant Instructor final exam with a score of at least 90%.
  • You are at least 18.
  • You maintain Active Status as a Scuba Schools International dive professional.

As an Assistant Instructor, you may:

  • Teach, in accordance with the SSI Recreational Scuba Training Standards, parts of the Open Water Diver course.
  • Qualify to teach SSI Ecology specialties and the SSI Perfect Buoyancy specialty.
  • Conduct the Try Scuba program.
  • Enroll in an SSI Instructor Training Course.

Open Water Instructor

As an Open Water Instructor, you have completed the following:

  • You have completed your Divemaster or Assistant Instructor rating, and you hold Active Status.
  • You have 100 logged open water dives.
  • You have completed the Candidate Water Fitness Evaluation as outlined in the SSI Training Standards.
  • You have completed an Instructor Training Course.
  • You are at least 18.
  • You maintain Active Status as a Scuba Schools International dive professional.

As an Open Water Instructor, you may:

  • Teach the SSI Open Water Diver course.
  • Teach Enriched Air Nitrox (up to 40%), Perfect Buoyancy, Stress & Rescue, and Dive Guide specialties.
  • Undergo training to teach Recreational Scuba specialties.
  • Achieve further professional recognition ratings.

Specialty Instructor

A Specialty Instructor is an Open Water Instructor who is qualified to teach certain SSI Specialties. An instructor must first achieve the qualifications to teach the desired specialty. For a full list of specialties taught at Southern Indiana Scuba, refer to this list here.

Advanced Open Water Instructor

An Advanced Open Water Instructor is an instructor who can create Advanced Open Water Divers independently of co-instructors. They can teach several specialties, and have certified so many divers. This is a professional recognition rating that shows the instructor’s dedication.

*We expect that your Total Dive System mirrors the equipment that we sell at Southern Indiana Scuba, and that it is kept clean and serviced. We value our brands and what they stand for. It is your duty as a Dive Professional to support your SSI Dive Center, as your equipment is your uniform.