Course overview

Step up from leading dives to teaching them with the SSI Open Water Instructor programme in Hikkaduwa, on Sri Lanka's south coast. The calm, warm reefs of this established dive town give instructor candidates a controlled, forgiving classroom to build and assess their teaching skills before the Instructor Evaluation. You complete the training certified to teach SSI programmes and join a global network of dive professionals.

What you’ll learn

• Present academic, confined-water and open-water teaching sessions
• Apply the SSI training system and current standards
• Demonstrate, assess and correct student skills
• Manage diver risk and conduct sessions professionally
• Brief, supervise and debrief students effectively
• Prepare for the SSI Instructor Evaluation

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• SSI Dive Guide / Divemaster or a qualifying leadership rating from another recognised agency
• Certified diver for at least 6 months
• Logged-dive experience meeting SSI professional requirements (typically 100 dives by certification)
• Current CPR, first aid and oxygen-provider training
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Teaching foundations

   Orientation to the SSI training system, then your first academic teaching presentations.
2. Day2
   Confined-water workshops

   Rehearse demonstrating and teaching core skills in Hikkaduwa's calm shallows.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Deliver open-water teaching sessions on the house reef under trainer evaluation.
4. Day4
   Standards & risk management

   Cover SSI standards, risk management and the business of running dive programmes.
5. Day5
   Theory & rescue assessment

   Complete dive-theory exams and the rescue assessment to instructor standard.
6. Day6
   Evaluation preparation

   Mock presentations and a full briefing ahead of the SSI Instructor Evaluation.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Hikkaduwa.

Frequently asked questions