Course overview

Become a certified scuba teacher with the SSI Open Water Instructor programme in Port Blair, the gateway to the Andamans. Training in the calm, high-visibility waters off Chidiyatapu and around the Andaman Sea, you build and rehearse the teaching presentations and assessments you need to certify divers, working through SSI's digital training system before evaluation at an Instructor Training Course and Instructor Evaluation. You emerge ready to teach SSI programmes anywhere in the world.

What you’ll learn

• Conduct academic, pool and open-water teaching presentations to SSI standards
• Apply the SSI Total Teaching System and current training standards
• Demonstrate and evaluate student skills at instructor level
• Plan and manage dive training while controlling diver risk
• Use SSI digital tools to brief, track and certify students
• Prepare for the SSI Instructor Evaluation

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• SSI Dive Guide / Divemaster or equivalent leadership rating from a recognised agency
• Certified diver for at least 6 months
• Logged dives meeting SSI professional standards (typically 100 for full instructor certification)
• Valid first-aid and CPR provider 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 system orientation

   Introduction to the SSI Total Teaching System and your first academic teaching presentations.
2. Day2
   Pool teaching workshops

   Demonstrate and teach core skills in calm, shallow water to SSI standards.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Run open-water teaching sessions and skill circuits at sheltered Chidiyatapu sites under evaluation.
4. Day4
   Standards & risk management

   Cover SSI training standards, risk management and the professional side of dive instruction.
5. Day5
   Theory & skills assessment

   Complete dive-theory exams and demonstrate the rescue and dive-skill circuits to instructor level.
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 Port Blair.

Frequently asked questions