PADI Assistant Instructor
As a PADI Assistant Instructor, you not only gain additional experience as a PADI Professional scuba diver, but you also start learning the PADI System of diver education. You can act as an instructional scuba assistant and assume limited teaching responsibilities. It’s a great way to gain experience in order to become a scuba instructor!
The Fun Part
Get mentored while gaining hands-on experience teaching students.
What You Learn
You build upon your abilities to organize and supervise scuba diving activities, while concentrating on developing teaching skills. You learn through:
- Knowledge development through self-study, quizzes, lectures and presentations
- Confined water skill review and assessment, workshops and presentations
- Open water workshops, rescue assessment and candidate presentations
The PADI Assistant Instructor Course consists of these sections:
- Module 1: Academic Training

· PADI Discover Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Programs
· Developing Knowledge Development Presentations
· Teaching Project AWARE and PPB Specialties
· Teaching in Confined Water
· Conducting Open Water Training Presentations - Module 2: Independent Study
· Knowledge Development - Module 3: Practical Application
· Confined Water and Open Water Teaching Presentations
· Standards Exam
· Dive Rescue Skills Assessment
What You Can Teach
In addition to the responsibilities and duties you already have as a PADI Divemaster, as a PADI Assistant Instructor you can:
- Teach academic presentations under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor
- During confined water dives, present initial skills training under the direct
- supervision of a PADI Instructor
- Evaluate Open Water Diver surface skills under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor
- Teach and certify PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Divers under the direction of a PADI Instructor
- Teach Project AWARE Specialty courses
- Teach the AWARE Coral Reef Conservation specialty course
- Conduct PADI Discover Scuba Diving experiences in a pool or confined water
- Conduct PADI Seal Team AquaMissions
- Teach PADI Digital Underwater Photographer specialty courses under the direction of a PADI Instructor after earning the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty Instructor rating
At a glance, compare what you can teach when you continue your professional diver education.
Prerequisites
You must
- Be a PADI Divemaster or qualifying certification from another certification organization
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have 60 logged dives, including night, deep, and navigation dives
- Have been a certified diver for at least 6 months
- Have CPR and First Aid Training within the last 24 months
- Be fit for diving and submit a Medical Statement (PDF) signed by a physician within the last 12 months
- Want a fun and exciting career!












