PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)

The Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) program portion of the PADI IDC further hones your leadership and teaching skills to prepare you for life as a PADI Instructor.


PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Program Course Prerequisites:

  • PADI Assistant Instructor certification.
  • Certified diver for at least six months.
  • 60 logged dives (with experience in night, deep, and navigation)
  • Proof of CPR and first aid training within the last 24 months.

What it takes:

  • Self-study – Knowledge reviews, quizzes, lectures, presentations.
  • Confined Water – Skills review and assessment, workshops and presentations.
  • Open Water – Workshops, rescue assessment and presentations.

You must have a minimum of 100 logged dives to become a PADI Instructor (though you can begin training as one with 60 logged dives).


Instructor Examination

After you complete your IDC, you demonstrate what you’ve learned in the Instructor Examination (IE). Here a PADI Instructor Examiner independently and objectively assesses your knowledge and skills, testing everything from dive theory to PADI training standards. PADI is the only certification organization that requires an objective, independent examination to qualify as a professional instructor. This balanced and consistent evaluation process is one of the hallmarks that makes PADI professionals the most demanded and respected instructors in the dive industry.


Instructor Examination Prerequisites:

  • Successful completion of PADI IDC.

What it takes:

  • Dive theory and standards and procedures exams.
  • Waterskills and diver rescue assessment.
  • Teaching presentations in classroom, confined and open water.