Dive education -- Continuing your adventure

Specialty Instructor & Advanced Open Water Instructor

Teaching specialty courses is a perfect way to continue growing as an SSI Instructor. Specialty courses offer variety and are convenient and easy to learn. Also, you get to teach the activities you love most!

Instructors may qualify to teach specialty courses by attending one of SSI's seminars, co-teaching with an Advanced Open Water Instructor or by documenting significant experience. Instructors must also purchase the course teaching materials for the particular specialty they wish to teach. And when an Instructor is qualified to teach four or more specialties, they earn the Advanced Open Water Instructor rating.

SSI Specialty Courses:

  • Boat Diving
  • Computer Diving
  • Deep Diving
  • Diver Stress and Rescue
  • Dry Suit Diving
  • Enriched Air Nitrox
  • Equipment Techniques
  • Navigation
  • Night and Limited-Visibility Diving
  • Search and Recovery
  • Underwater Photography
  • Waves, Tides and Currents
  • Wreck Diving
  • Unique Specialties (written by SSI Instructors)
Dive Leaders -- Advanced Open Water Instructor

Course Details

Prerequisites
Before applying, candidates must have an SSI Open Water Instructor rating or equivalent.

Requirements
To receive their AOWI rating, candidates must have experience or training in at least four SSI Specialty courses.

Training Program
The program consists of three options for instructor training.

  • Co-teaching: Instructors may co-teach with an already-qualified, active AOWI to learn to teach specialties.
  • Seminar: Instructors may attend a seminar conducted by an active Instructor Trainer, Evaluator or Certifier.
  • Application: Instructors who can document extensive experience in four specialty areas may apply to become an AOWI.

Program Materials
The program requires a minimum of four SSI diver and instructor specialty manuals, videos and the Teaching Continuing Education study guide.

After Graduation
Upon graduation, SSI AOWIs are authorized to conduct the four SSI Specialty courses which they are qualified to teach.

Active Status
To maintain active status, AOWIs must be affiliated with an SSI Dealer and have current insurance.

Program Cost
Due to variances in content, duration and training needed, you should contact the Training Facility for the cost of your program.

Dive education -- Continuing your adventure

Description
Unique Specialties are courses developed by Advanced Instructors or higher, not by SSI. They meet training requirements for Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver and Master Diver certifications. An individual Unique Specialties certification card is also issued.

Intent
The intent of the Unique Specialties program is to provide a method for SSI Dealers to broaden the specialties they can offer. Numerous parts of the country have unique types of diving requiring specialized training. Many Dealers have unique areas of expertise they teach to divers. The program also offers a way for Dealers in resort areas to make every dive they conduct a specialty dive. This makes each dive a training opportunity, which increases sales of specialties.

Procedures
To register a Unique Specialty course, an Advanced Open Water or higher level Instructor simply provides an original course outline to SSI, or co-teaches the course with an already approved Instructor. To teach the course and issue certifications for it, Instructors must have the specialty registered at SSI.

Creating a new Unique Specialty

  1. The Instructor creating the outline must be rated as an SSI Advanced Open Water Instructor or above.
  2. Develop a course outline meeting the following requirements:
    1. Meet all SSI Training Standards for Specialty Diving Courses.
    2. Meet the intent of other SSI Specialty Courses, which is to introduce and familiarize students with diving activities and provide limited experience.
    3. Include at least two open water training dives and one lecture. It may have optional pool sessions.
    4. Limit required equipment to recreational scuba diving equipment.
    5. Lecture sessions should have provisions for objectives, materials, outline and summary.
    6. Water sessions should have provisions for objectives, materials, orientation, exercises and evaluation.
  3. Develop a resume of practical experience in the specialty area. List previous experience and certifications you have in each specialty area. Also include any additonal formal training you may have in each specialty, how many dives you have in each area and why you feel qualified to teach this specialty.
  4. Submit the outline and resume to the Instructor Services department.
  5. If the outline is approved, the outline will be retained in the Dealer affiliate's file, and the Instructor is approved to teach the course, issue Unique Specialty certifications, and co-teach the specialty to another Advanced Open Water Instructor.
  6. If the outline is not approved, it will be returned with an explanation of what to change. It can be resubmitted.

Learning a Unique Specialty from a Qualified Instructor

  1. Be rated as an SSI Open Water Instructor or higher.
  2. Co-teach the specialty with an Advanced Open Water Instructor, or above, qualified to teach that specialty.
  3. Submit a Specialty & Advanced Open Water Instructor Verification Form to the Instructor Services department.