SSI Professional Courses

Dive Guide

DESCRIPTION
This program gives you the skills and experience required to safely lead groups of certified divers, and is the first step towards an exciting career as an SSI Dive Professional without requiring you to complete an instructor program. Professional Dive Guides can work for SSI Dive Centers, guiding dives in a variety of environments and conditions. You will earn the SSI Dive Guide certification after completing this program.





FACTS
Minimum Age: 18 with active status
Certification Prerequisites: Advanced Adventurer or AOWD
Prerequisites: Diver Stress & Rescue certification, 40 logged dives,
certification or equivalent experience: Navigation,
Night & Limited Visibility, Deep Diving
Academic Sessions: Varies
Pool/Confined Water Sessions: Varies
Open Water Dives: 10 or at least 50 total
Maximum Training Depth: 40 meters / 130 feet
Suggested Duration: 35 - 45 hours
Specialized Equipment: Knowledge Program

Assistant Instructor

The Gateway to Instruction
This program provides the skills, concepts, and teaching experience required to become a successful SSI Instructor. You will learn the SSI Teaching System and philosophy, how to assist Instructors in training and how to independently teach a variety of SSI training programs. Candidates who complete this program can earn the SSI Assistant Instructor rating or work all the way through to the SSI Open Water Instructor after having successfully passed the Instructor Evaluation in addition.

What do I require to start my SSI Assistant Instructor course?
Be at least 18 years old and have at least 60 logged dives to start the course – you need finally 80 dives to get the AI certification. You must already be certified as an SSI / PADI Divemaster. If not yet certified you should refer to the Assistant Instructor program. Current First Aid & CPR certification is also required; can be renewed by completing the React Right program.

How long will it take to complete my SSI Assistant Instructor course?
You require 80 dives to complete your Assistant Instructor course so the length of your course will depend on your diving experience. If you are already certified as an SSI / PADI Divemaster, the Assistant Instructor Upgrade with intensive pool sessions takes around one week.

What am I qualified to do once I’m a certified Assistant Instructor?
Perform in the same role as a Divemaster meeting the criteria to act as a Certified Assistant. A certified Assistant Instructor may also teach the Open Water Diver academic and pool under the indirect supervision of an active SSI Instructor but may not conduct exercises involving self-aid or emergency skills such as Air Sharing, Emergency Swimming- and Emergency Buoyant Ascents unless directly supervised or they have successfully completed an SSI Instructor Training course. Take students, no more than two at a time, on underwater tours after the students have successfully completed the required skills with an Instructor. Conduct the Resort Dive Program in Pool Only & the Scuba Skills Update program for certified divers.

After certification you may also enrol in the SSI Instructor Training course.

Open Water Instructor

Get hands-on experience for your Instructor career.

For SSI, the most important step in a Dive Professional's career is becoming a person who can train new divers - the SSI Open Water Instructor.

In life there are always choices to be made and there are choices of certification agency.

So why choose SSI - Top 10 Pro

“Flexibility” of the SSI Total Teaching System
From a teaching point of view, there is nothing more important than your student’s safety and enjoyment. Let’s face it, would you dive if you didn’t enjoy it or feel safe?
As an SSI Instructor you have the flexibility to change the sequence of training following our 80/20 rule. 80% - The 80% is the required part of the rule. It must follow 100% of diver training materials, the Classroom, Pool and Open Water sessions described in the SSI Instructor Manuals as well as the current SSI Training Standards.

20% - The 20% is left up to the Dive Professional to develop their personal teaching style.
This may include the order in which the classroom and pool presentations take place, the number of in-water training sessions, the amount of repetition required to create a safe and confident divers and what information to supplement on equipment and the local environment.


“AcceSSIbility” of Student and Instructor materials
Unlimited access online and offline to all student materials at your fingertips.
Digital student materials appear on your profile online and on the new SSI APP “Dive SSI”.
As an added bonus, when you are completing your Dive professional training; SSI gives you free access to the next level material. For example: When you are taking your Dive Control Specialist course, you receive free access to the ITC materials.

Dive professional equivalencies
Following ISO standards the SSI Dive Guide course is the equivalent of other agencies Dive Master rating. By adding the Science of Diving specialty course to Dive Guide training you will be a quality dive leader with excellent diving skills combined with in-depth diving knowledge. A #REAL DIVING, SSI Dive Master.

Dive Guide, Science of Diving and Dive Control Specialist Internships
Don’t stop your candidate’s pro training at Dive Master, offer a little more. By taking them to the next level of being a Dive Control Specialist (assistant instructor), the Dive Center has a true certified assistant whose knowledge and experience allows them to teach parts of the Open Water Diver course and also become a training specialist. #REAL DIVING assets to a Dive Center, not just an underwater tour guide. Finish the internship with a higher level of certification.

SSI Dive Professional packages - DG to Instructor career bundles
Brand new for 2015. SSI now offers an unrivalled “career bundle”. With huge demand for SSI Dive professionals we are offering an amazing deal for the Dive professional. All of the SSI materials and fees all in one package; everything you need from Dive Guide through to AOWI at an amazing price.

One certification for First Aid/CPR and O2 at student and instructor level
SSI standards insist on SSI Dive Professionals being Oxygen provider certified as well as First Aid/CPR. Rightly so! The first aid for any suspected DCI is Oxygen; so you would expect a dive professional to be safe and proficient in the use of Oxygen.
The SSI React Right course is one certification that covers First Aid/CPR, 02 provision + AED.
At Instructor level this certification is considered a Specialty Course and as such is included in annual fees.

No hidden fees!
Everything you need to work with is included in your SSI Dive professional annual fee.
Free updates of instructor materials, exams and PEG’s.
Pay the same annual fee from Open Water Instructor to Dive Control Specialist Instructor.
SSI does not penalize you financially for wanting to develop and grow as an instructor.

Growing demand for SSI Dive Professionals
SSI is the fastest growing agency globally with more than 700 new Dive Centers and 2000 new Dive Professionals since January 2014.
With 55 Service Centers globally, SSI is rapidly expanding in regions previously dominated by other agencies. Spain, The Maldives, plus Central and Southern America have seen huge growth. Which means the demand for an SSI Dive Professional is growing as well.
You can look on www.divessi.com/jobs to find locations all around the world looking to employ you.

Realistic and achievable career pathways
Continue your adventure with SSI from Dive Guide all the way to Instructor Trainer. Once you have become a registered Dive Professional with SSI, your progress to the next level is an achievable process. With more Instructor Trainers in the region than ever before; taking you to the next level has never been easier as your skills and training experience grow.

3 Local Service Centers with a fulltime team of staff available to assist 7 days a week
Have any questions to ask SSI? You can email thailand@divessi.com and one of our team will respond to you.
Usually the same day!

Prerequisites
minimum age 18 years
minimum 100 logged dives; at least 24 dives in the last 12 month
certified as Rescue Diver or equivalent
submit proof of CPR & First Aid training within the last 24 months
valid certification
current diving medical statement
own equipment

Content of the course
10-day program.
Small personal groups.
Air-conditioned classrooms with multimedia equipment.
Access to the complete range of all SSI teaching materials.
Additional theoretical and practical workshops.
Tanks and weights during all courses.
Complete training program directly after graduation, eg Specialty Instructor, AOWI.
Assistance with job search.
20% discount on our day trips and 10% discount for diving safaris.
20% discount when buying diving equipment in our shops.

What am I qualified to do once I’m a certified Instructor ?
After completion of the ITC & passing the IE you’ll be qualified to teach the following courses:
SSI Open Water Diver
SSI Advanced Adventurer
SSI Diver Stress & Rescue
SSI Resort Diver/Try Scuba Experience
SSI Scuba Diver
SSI Junior Open Water Diver
SSI Junior Advanced Adventurer
SSI Experienced Diver Tests
SSI Referral Program
SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty
SSI Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty
SSI Naturalist Specialty

Instructor Upgrade seminars are also available - contact us for further details.

Instructor Crossover

The purpose of the SSI Instructor Crossover course is to prepare a current & active Scuba Instructor from another diving agency to teach their first SSI course, covering the history & philosophy of SSI & the teaching methodology of the SSI Total Teaching System.

Academic & In water presentations ready the candidate for using the integrated teaching system that truly sets SSI apart. With workshops on scheduling a decision making rounding the program out, each new SSI Instructor, whatever their level will have the skills to enable them to teach. Giving them everything they need to know. When crossing over into the SSI system you will automatically crossover from your current Instructor level to the SSI equivalent.

When crossing over into the SSI system you will automatically crossover from your current Instructor level to the SSI equivalent

The SSI Open Water & Advanced Open Water Instructor Crossover Course is conducted over 2 days after completion of the home preparation kit. Including all materials, content & requirements of the SSI Open Water Instructor rating; allowing the graduate to be able to conduct & certify all entry level SSI programs, core continuing education programs & limited specialty programs dependent on current Instructor certification, with the addition of skills & knowledge required to teach SSI Specialties including the Science of Diving Specialty.

SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor is the first level within the SSI system with the ability to teach the SSI Dive Guide & SSI Dive master, workshops on teaching SSI professionals & evaluation techniques are also included in this program.

Prerequisites
- Minimum age 18 years.
- 100 logged dives; min. 24 dives in the last 12 month.
- Active Open Water Instructor or higher with another scuba training organization.
- No ethics action taken or currently pending with any other scuba training organization.
- Certified as Rescue Diver or equivalent.
- Submit proof of CPR & First Aid training within the last 24 months.
- Valid certification.
- Current diving medical statement.
- Own equipment.

Before the crossover program starts, we will sit down and look at your current experience and decide on which level we will be able to cross you over for SSI. Remember we need written proof of your experience and rating, like a list of your professional credentials and course breakdowns.

Any specialties that you already hold with another organization will be automatically crossed over as well.