Go Pro · Become a PADI Instructor
The complete path to becoming a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, from your first teaching presentations to the Instructor Examination.
Get more infoReading this page could be one of the biggest turning points of your life. Becoming a PADI Instructor can lead you onto a path of new discoveries and adventures, or simply ignite a new passion.
We invite you to take that journey with us. Scubaversity is a passionate bunch of divers who love teaching diving. Our team are professional business owners who do this because diving is their way out of the normalcy of life.
In the PADI System, PADI Divemasters train to become PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors in the Instructor Development Course (IDC) and qualify by successfully completing the PADI Instructor Examination (IE). Beyond the IDC and IE, instructor development continues through programmes ranging from Specialty Instructor training to IDC Staff Instructor courses.
There are three basic paths to instructor level, and all of them use the same IDC instructional system and performance requirements:
You build your instructor-level knowledge and skills through independent study, plus live presentations and workshops run or supervised by a PADI Course Director and IDC Staff Instructors.
The IDC emphasises development, not testing. That makes it a low-stress environment where you can learn from your mistakes and concentrate on building knowledge and skill. You continue until you can reliably meet the minimum performance requirements to progress beyond the IDC.
When you finish the IDC you attend the PADI Instructor Examination. The IE evaluates your teaching ability, dive knowledge, skill level, understanding of the PADI System, attitude, professionalism and the other attributes required of a PADI Instructor.
The IE runs over at least two days, conducted by a PADI Instructor Examiner using standardised, objective criteria. When you meet those criteria you earn the PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor rating.
Together, the development phase (the IDC, run by a PADI Course Director and instructor development staff) and the evaluation phase (the IE, run by PADI staff) make up one of the most comprehensive and demanding programmes in the dive industry.
Scubaversity is run by a dedicated team of instructors committed to helping you become the best dive professional you can be. Our Course Director and Staff Instructors are passionate about diving and committed to the highest standards of training. We are a PADI Career Development Centre, and our multi award-winning dive centre has all the facilities you need for professional-level PADI courses.
The centre is designed for teaching, with areas for classroom sessions, practical training workshops, an on-site training pool and space to relax after a dive. Professional programmes use up-to-date materials, digital products and interactive teaching aids, and we have everything needed to run Divemaster training, IDC presentations and workshops.
| Theory (knowledge development) | Classroom sessions and workshops cover teaching methods, PADI Standards, risk management and how to present knowledge development to students. |
| Pool / confined water | You practise teaching and evaluating confined water skills in the pool with feedback, and demonstrate skills to a high standard. |
| Open water | You practise teaching open water skills and supervising dives, building toward the in-water assessments used in the Instructor Examination. |
Minimum age: 18. Confirm current requirements with Scubaversity.
Hard gear rental is included in the course if you do not own a full set.
| Item | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Course materials | Assistant Instructor, Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor materials (bought once) | R 23 450 |
| Tuition | Assistant Instructor | R 7 500 |
| Tuition | Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor | R 12 000 |
| Total | Full IDC | R 42 950 |
Course materials: every candidate buys the official course materials for the Assistant Instructor (AI), Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) and EFR Instructor (EFRI) programmes. You only buy the instructor course materials once.
These are charged by PADI in pounds sterling and are separate from your Scubaversity fees:
Prices are our 2026 rates. Rand amounts for the PADI fees depend on the exchange rate, so confirm the current figures when you enquire.
With the OWSI rating you can teach and certify:
Preparing before you arrive is a vital part of the process and helps you get the most out of the course. Start as soon as you can, because there is more to cover than most people expect.
Once you have redeemed your access code you need to complete all 17 IDC eLearning presentations and their quizzes, and all 7 Diving Knowledge Workbook eLearning sections. This is where you focus your theory study, and it is time-consuming, so it must be finished before the IDC begins.
You receive practice exams with answer sheets and answer keys, plus a score sheet to track your progress. There is no time during the IDC to study or review theory, and if you cannot pass the entrance exam you cannot proceed to the Instructor Examination. For the RDP, practise with the electronic eRDPml rather than the traditional table or slate.
Get familiar with your Instructor Manual and Guide to Teaching (tab a printed copy for quick reference). For each course, know who can enrol, the required theory sessions, the confined water sessions and the number of open water dives, and keep practising the mock standards exams.
Download the relevant PADI and AWARE apps from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, create accounts if needed, and look through the AWARE programmes online.
You must be able to demonstrate every PADI Divemaster skill slowly and clearly, highlighting the critical attributes, as if teaching someone for the first time. The IDC is not the time to practise hovering, so master it beforehand. Review your skill slates to check whether each skill is done in deep or shallow water and whether it has a time or distance requirement.
Review and practise all Rescue Diver skills, and be comfortable with:
Be able to demonstrate, explain and correct problems with:
It can feel like a lot, but the IDC is about development, and our staff team is here to guide you at every step. Ask us anything before you start.
“Diving has been my life for more than 30 years, and I am proof of how profoundly it can change your life. I love that I can take the first steps of this journey with you and see you become a confident, competent dive professional who in turn changes other people’s lives.”
Our Course Director co-founded a dive business in 1992, still runs it as one of the most successful in South Africa, and became a PADI Course Director in 2020. They are a firm believer in mentorship and a supportive learning environment, and still teach courses from Open Water level, which keeps the training relevant, up to date and shaped by hundreds of students.
The aim is not only to get you through your Instructor Examination, but to have you leave feeling confident and competent to start teaching straight away. The course also covers the business side of the industry, because a successful diving career needs a solid business foundation as well as passion. Expect an active, engaging course built on discussion, hands-on exercises and realistic scenarios, and a fun one you will not forget. Meet the team →
Typically around 10 to 14 days when done in one block, or spread over a longer period on a part-time schedule, followed by the Instructor Examination. Confirm timing with Scubaversity.
Divemasters who enjoy coaching, want to make diving their profession or a serious part-time role and are ready to commit to the standards and preparation the course requires.
It is a two-day exam run by a PADI Examiner after you complete the IDC. You are assessed on classroom and in-water teaching presentations, in-water rescue skills and written exams.
You need current Emergency First Response (or equivalent CPR and First Aid) training to start. EFR Instructor status is a separate course, needed before you can teach EFR, and is often completed alongside the IDC.
The full IDC is R42 950 in 2026: R23 450 for course materials (Assistant Instructor, Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor, bought once), R7 500 tuition for the Assistant Instructor and R12 000 tuition for the Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor courses. PADI also charges its own application (£199), Instructor Examination (£695) and EFR registration (£131) fees in pounds.
You need to be a PADI Divemaster (or hold a leadership rating with another agency), be 18 or older, have 60 logged dives including documented night, deep and navigation experience, hold medical clearance signed by a physician within the last 12 months, and have completed EFR Primary and Secondary Care within the last 24 months.
Complete all 17 IDC eLearning presentations and quizzes and the 7 Diving Knowledge Workbook sections, practise the theory exams we send you, learn your Instructor Manual and Guide to Teaching, and get your Divemaster confined water skills, rescue skills, compass navigation, knots and underwater lifting sharp. There is no time to study theory during the course.
You can teach Discover Scuba Diving, Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver, Adventure Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Emergency First Response, Rescue Diver, Divemaster, Bubblemaker, Seal Team, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Project AWARE courses, Skin Diver and Discover Snorkelling.
Yes, hard gear rental is included in the course, and IDC candidates get a 15% discount on all equipment purchases.