Course overview

Step up to teaching scuba with the SSI Instructor Training Course at Kovalam on Kerala's Arabian Sea coast. Using the calm coastal shallows and the dive school's inland training quarry near Ernakulam, candidates rehearse academic, pool and open-water teaching ahead of the SSI Instructor Evaluation. You leave qualified to certify SSI divers and to work anywhere SSI is recognised.

What you’ll learn

• Present SSI academic, confined-water and open-water teaching sessions
• Apply the SSI training system, standards and dive science
• Demonstrate, assess and correct student skills to instructor level
• Plan and manage risk across student training dives
• Run effective student briefings and debriefings
• Prepare for the SSI Instructor Evaluation (IE)

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 requirements (typically 100 for evaluation)
• Current first aid and CPR provider rating
• 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
   Training-system orientation

   Introduction to the SSI training system and your first academic teaching presentations.
2. Day2
   Confined-water teaching

   Practise demonstrating and teaching skills in the calm training shallows near Ernakulam.
3. Day3
   Open-water teaching

   Deliver open-water teaching circuits on the Kovalam reef under instructor-trainer evaluation.
4. Day4
   Standards and risk

   Cover SSI standards, risk management and the business of being a dive professional.
5. Day5
   Theory and water-skills

   Sit the dive-science exams and complete water-skills assessments to instructor standard.
6. Day6
   IE preparation

   Mock evaluations and presentation polishing 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 Kovalam.

Frequently asked questions