Course overview

Move into teaching scuba with the SSI Open Water Instructor programme, based at Khao Lak near the Similan Islands. You complete the Instructor Training Course on the calm local reefs, rehearsing teaching presentations and skill demonstrations before the SSI Instructor Evaluation. You graduate ready to certify your own students across the Andaman's leading dive sites.

What you’ll learn

• Teach SSI academic, pool and open-water training sessions
• Apply the SSI Total Diving System and digital learning tools
• Demonstrate and evaluate core scuba skills to instructor standard
• Manage student-diver risk and run programmes to centre standards
• Brief, supervise and debrief students effectively
• Prepare for the SSI Instructor Evaluation

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• SSI Divemaster or equivalent leadership rating from a recognised agency
• Certified diver for at least 6 months
• Logged dives meeting SSI Instructor prerequisites (commonly 100)
• Valid first-aid and CPR (React Right) provider rating
• 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 Total Diving System and your first academic teaching presentations.
2. Day2
   Pool teaching workshops

   Demonstrate and teach core skills to SSI demonstration standard in confined water near Khao Lak.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Run open-water teaching presentations on the local reefs under trainer evaluation.
4. Day4
   Standards & risk management

   Cover SSI standards, risk management and the business of diving.
5. Day5
   Theory & skill assessment

   Sit dive-theory exams and complete demonstration-quality skill circuits.
6. Day6
   Evaluation preparation

   Mock evaluations and a final briefing for 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 Similan Islands.

Frequently asked questions