Course overview

Step up to teaching with the SSI Open Water Instructor programme on Maafushi, a value-focused local island in the Maldives' South Malé Atoll. The warm 27-30°C water and a calm island house reef give instructor candidates an accessible, low-stress base to build teaching presentations and master SSI standards before the Instructor Evaluation. You graduate ready to certify your own students and work as an SSI professional anywhere in the world.

What you’ll learn

• Plan and deliver academic, pool and open-water teaching presentations
• Apply the SSI training system and current standards
• Demonstrate, assess and correct student skills to professional level
• Manage risk and conduct training to dive-centre standards
• Use the SSI digital platform to track student progress
• Prepare for the SSI Instructor Training and Evaluation

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• SSI Divemaster or a qualifying leadership rating from another recognised agency
• Certified diver for at least 6 months
• Logged dives meeting SSI professional requirements (typically 100+)
• Current SSI Diver Stress & Rescue and a recognised first-aid / CPR rating
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

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 and your first academic teaching presentations.
2. Day2
   Pool workshops

   Practise demonstrating and teaching core skills in the calm shallows of the island house reef.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Deliver open-water teaching circuits on atoll sites under Instructor Trainer evaluation.
4. Day4
   Standards & dive business

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

   Sit dive-theory exams and complete skill-circuit assessments to instructor standard.
6. Day6
   Evaluation preparation

   Mock presentations and a full 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 Maafushi.

Frequently asked questions