How to Become a Scuba Instructor
If you love sharing your passion for the underwater world and want to live an extraordinary life, why not become a scuba instructor? It’s one of the most rewarding full-time or part-time jobs you can have.
Quite honestly, I’m a bit upset ‘scuba instructor’ does not commonly appear on the list of things you can be when you grow up. With all due respect to doctors, lawyers and firefighters, scuba instructors transform lives and play a vital role in environmental conservation.
Read on to learn how you can have a meaningful career, travel the world and make the most of your time on this ocean planet – as a PADI Scuba Instructor.
Courses Required Before Becoming a PADI Instructor
To become a PADI Instructor is no easy feat. However, if you love diving and are committed, it can be a breeze and a ton of fun as well. Of course, you can’t just start teaching other divers how to dive right after your Open Water Diver certification course. Instead you need to complete a task list of courses and pre-requisites, so every diving candidate is safe and cared for by a properly trained PADI Professional.
Required Courses
- Open Water Diver
- Advanced Open Water Diver
- Rescue Diver
- Emergency First Response (EFR)
- Divemaster
- Instructor Developement Course (IDC)
Although this may look like a lot, each one of these courses plays a crucial part in your development to becoming an instructor. Once you’ve completed these courses, you’re on your way to getting your first PADI Instructor position anywhere in the world! Listed below, we have a step-by-step guide to completing your IDC and where it can take you.
Steps to Becoming a PADI Instructor
The PADI IDC (Instructor Development Course) is the most recognized scuba diving instructor course in the world. The majority of the world’s most successful dive instructors gained the knowledge, skills and confidence required to start teaching scuba during their PADI Instructor Development Course. In post-course surveys, 95% of student divers say they would highly recommend their PADI Instructor.
Step One: Meet the IDC Prerequisites
The first step to becoming a scuba instructor is enrolling in an IDC. To start your dive instructor training, you must be at least 18 years old and meet the following requirements:
- Be a certified diver for at least six months
- Hold a PADI Divemaster certification (or qualifying certification from a different scuba diving organization)
- Have at least 60 logged dives
- Hold a current CPR and First Aid certification*
- Have an in-date medical approval to scuba dive
*IDC candidates must have a current (within the last 24 months) Emergency First Response (EFR®) certification or hold another qualifying CPr and First Aid certification. The EFR Instructor certification is required before you can start teaching.
How many dives do you need to become an instructor?
You only need 60 logged dives to enroll in a PADI IDC. 100 logged dives are required to receive your Instructor credential.
