Course overview

Step up from guiding to teaching with the SSI Open Water Instructor programme based out of Ambon on the Banda Sea, a world-class critter and muck diving region. You build and rehearse teaching presentations in the calm, life-packed shallows of Ambon Bay before sitting the SSI Instructor Evaluation, finishing qualified to certify divers through the SSI digital training system.

What you’ll learn

• Teach SSI academic, confined-water and open-water training sessions
• Apply the SSI training standards and digital learning platform
• Demonstrate and evaluate student skills to professional standard
• Manage in-water risk and run sessions to centre safety procedures
• Use the SSI MySSI app and digital materials to deliver and track training
• Prepare fully for the SSI Instructor Evaluation

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 18
• SSI Divemaster (or equivalent leadership rating from another recognised agency)
• Certified diver for at least 6 months
• Logged dives per SSI requirements (typically 100 logged dives by the evaluation)
• Current SSI Dive Guide and React Right / first-aid provider credentials
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

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 first academic teaching presentations.
2. Day2
   Confined-water workshops

   Practise skill demonstration and teaching in the calm shallows of Ambon Bay.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Deliver open-water teaching circuits at local reef sites under trainer evaluation.
4. Day4
   Standards & risk management

   Work through SSI standards, the MySSI platform, risk management and dive-business modules.
5. Day5
   Theory & assessment

   Complete dive-theory exams and 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 Banda Sea.

Frequently asked questions