PRO PATHWAY · SSI OWI

Qualify as an SSI
Open Water Instructor

Name: SSI Open Water Instructor Course
Price: 1550 EUR

The 12-day SSI Instructor Training Course at diveshack Malta prepares you to teach recreational diving. Train in Mediterranean conditions on wrecks and reefs used daily for student dives. Leave with your OWI certification, five specialty instructor ratings, and First Aid and CPR Instructor status.

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Certified by SSI

ITC Course Fee

^€1,550

10-day Instructor Training Course

✓Full 10-day ITC

✓Training materials and workbooks

✓All ITC exams included

✓ITC certification and registration fees

✓Use of diveshack training facilities

Reserve My Place

Instructor Evaluation (IE): The 2-day IE is a separate fee of €550, run by SSI Regional HQ. Total cost to full OWI certification: €2,100.

Call +356 9999 3483 to discuss course dates

Course Overview

From divemaster to working instructor

The SSI Open Water Instructor course is divided into two parts: a 10-day Instructor Training Course (ITC) run by diveshack, followed by a 2-day Instructor Evaluation (IE) conducted by an SSI Regional Evaluator. Both must be completed to earn the OWI certification.

During the ITC you study the SSI teaching system, practise academic and confined water presentations, and run supervised open water sessions on Malta's active dive sites. The IE tests your ability to teach independently across all three environments: classroom, confined water, and ocean.

Lead academic sessions from the SSI Teaching System
Teach confined water skills to Open Water student standard
Plan and conduct open water dives to 18m with student divers
Manage diver stress situations and conduct rescue procedures
Evaluate student performance against SSI standards
Teach five specialty courses independently from day one
Issue SSI digital certifications through the SSI platform
Hold First Aid and CPR Instructor status (React Right)

The ITC fee (€1,550) covers all diveshack-run training. The IE fee (€550) is paid separately to SSI and covers the 2-day evaluation run by an SSI Regional Evaluator. Specialty e-learning kits are not included but can be purchased through SSI directly.

Course Structure

Five modules across 10 days

The ITC is structured around the five SSI instructor competency areas. Each module builds toward the IE, where you present, demonstrate, and evaluate in all three teaching environments.

Module 01

SSI Teaching System and Standards

Understand how SSI structures its teaching materials, programmes, and quality management. The foundation for every session you will run as a working instructor.

SSI programme and materials overview
Student training records and certification procedures
SSI quality management and instructor responsibilities
Standards for student-to-instructor ratios
Legal and professional liability principles

Theory · Days 1-2

Module 02

Academic Teaching Techniques

Learn to plan and deliver effective classroom sessions. You will present SSI modules, facilitate discussions, and handle student questions using the SSI academic format.

Lesson planning using SSI academic presentation guides
Use of SSI digital and printed training materials
Questioning techniques and knowledge review facilitation
Presenting dive theory: physics, physiology, environment
Evaluating student academic performance

Theory · Presentations · Days 2-4

Module 03

Confined Water Training

Plan, brief, demonstrate, and debrief confined water sessions to Open Water standard. You will present skills to student-instructor performance criteria, not diver performance criteria.

Confined water session planning and set-up
Skill demonstrations: regulator and mask skills, buoyancy
Out-of-air and emergency ascent presentations
Student positioning, observation, and error correction
Debriefing techniques for confined water sessions

Pool / Sheltered water · Days 4-6

Module 04

Open Water Training

Lead diver training dives in real Mediterranean conditions. Malta's sites give you multiple entry types, varied depth profiles, and boat diving to work with from the start.

Open water dive planning and site assessment
Pre-dive briefings: format, content, safety information
In-water supervision and skill evaluation at depth
Emergency procedures and diver management underwater
Post-dive debrief and logbook sign-off procedures

Ocean dives · Days 7-9

Module 05

Professional Development

Covers the business, professional, and continuing education side of working as an SSI instructor. Includes marketing your courses, building a student base, and understanding your pathway to higher instructor ratings.

SSI Instructor app: managing students and certifications
Running your own SSI courses as an independent instructor
Specialty instructor programmes: how to add ratings
Risk management and incident reporting procedures
Career progression: Assistant Instructor Trainer and beyond
First Aid and CPR Instructor: React Right programme overview

Professional practice · Day 10 and ongoing

Teaching Authorisation

The courses you can run from day one

On completing your OWI and IE you are authorised by SSI to independently conduct and certify students in the following programmes. Your five specialty instructor ratings are chosen during the ITC.

Try Scuba and Scuba Diver

Introductory programmes run in confined water and limited open water. High volume, beginner-facing. Core commercial revenue for resort dive centres.

Supervised OW · up to 12m

Open Water Diver

The SSI flagship entry-level certification. Academic sessions, confined water, and four open water dives to 18m. Full certification with digital card on completion.

Certified OW · 18m max

Advanced Open Water Diver

SSI's advanced-level recreational course. Deep Diving and Navigation are core dives, plus three further specialty dives to 30m.

Certified OW · 30m max

Diver Stress and Rescue

Teaches divers to recognise, manage, and respond to stress and accidents in the water. Includes surface and submerged rescue scenarios. Required for Divemaster entry.

Certified AOW · Rescue skills

Five Specialty Programmes

Chosen during your ITC from the SSI specialty catalogue. Common combinations for Malta instructors: Enriched Air Nitrox, Deep Diver, Night and Limited Visibility, Wreck Diver, Perfect Buoyancy.

Your choice · 5 ratings

First Aid and CPR Instructor

React Right certification allows you to independently run SSI first aid and CPR courses. Included in the OWI programme and required for maintaining instructor status annually.

React Right · Annual renewal

Common specialty combinations for Malta instructors:

Enriched Air Nitrox Deep Diver Night and Limited Visibility Wreck Diver Perfect Buoyancy Navigation Diver Search and Recovery Underwater Photography

Training Environment

Why Malta produces better instructors

40m

Avg visibility

300+

Dive days/yr

15+

Training sites

Malta puts ITC candidates in real teaching conditions from the start. The sites used for instructor training are the same sites used for student and fun dives year-round. You brief real scenarios on real structures, not training pools.

Multiple entry types in one location. Cirkewwa gives you shore entry, boat entry, and two wreck options within a 5-minute boat ride. Your confined water scenarios sit alongside real open water training dives.
Wrecks at teaching depths. HMS Maori sits at 14m in Valletta Grand Harbour. The X127 lighter is 2-12m at Cirkewwa. Both are within Open Water certification depth limits and work perfectly for student navigation and wreck orientation sessions.
Year-round water temperature. 15-17°C in winter, 26-28°C in summer. No seasonal shutdown. Candidates can complete an ITC in any month without adapting to extreme cold water conditions unfamiliar to most European students.
SSI Training Centre status. diveshack holds SSI Training Centre authorisation, giving candidates access to the full SSI programme library, current teaching materials, and direct support from SSI Regional staff during the IE process.

Requirements

What you need before the ITC

Prerequisites apply at two points: ITC entry and IE participation. The dive log requirements are different for each, so plan your dive activity accordingly if you are close to the minimum thresholds.

RequiredSSI Divemaster certification or recognised equivalent from another agency
RequiredMinimum age 18 at the time of the ITC start date
RequiredSSI Enriched Air Nitrox 40 certification (or equivalent)
RequiredValid medical certificate issued within the past 12 months
RequiredMinimum 60 logged dives totalling 40 hours to begin the ITC
RequiredMinimum 6 months of certified diving experience
IE onlyMinimum 100 logged dives totalling 65 hours to sit the 2-day Instructor Evaluation
NoteCandidates from other training agencies must demonstrate equivalent knowledge; additional bridging may be required

Not yet at Divemaster level?

The SSI Divemaster programme at diveshack typically takes 5-7 days for candidates who hold Advanced Open Water and Stress and Rescue certifications with 40+ logged dives. Stress and Rescue Diver is a prerequisite for the Divemaster course. Contact us to plan your full pathway from current level to OWI.

Prerequisites checklist

CheckDivemaster cert card (digital or physical)
CheckDive log with 60+ dives and 40+ hours
CheckMedical certificate (within 12 months)
CheckNitrox 40 cert card
PlanBuild log to 100 dives before IE date

2026 Course Dates

Upcoming ITC start dates

Each ITC runs for 10 consecutive days. The Instructor Evaluation (2 days, separate) is scheduled approximately 4-6 weeks after ITC completion in coordination with SSI Regional. Dates are limited to small groups.

March 2026

8 March 2026

10-day ITC / Concludes 19 March

IE: April 2026 (TBC with SSI Regional)

Next available

12 April 2026

10-day ITC / Concludes 23 April

IE: May/June 2026 (TBC with SSI Regional)

May 2026

17 May 2026

10-day ITC / Concludes 28 May

IE: June/July 2026 (TBC with SSI Regional)

September 2026

6 September 2026

10-day ITC / Concludes 17 September

IE: October 2026 (TBC with SSI Regional)

October 2026

3 October 2026

10-day ITC / Concludes 14 October

IE: November 2026 (TBC with SSI Regional)

November 2026

1 November 2026

10-day ITC / Concludes 12 November

IE: December 2026 (TBC with SSI Regional)

All ITC dates are subject to minimum group size of 2 candidates. If your preferred date is full or does not suit your schedule, contact diveshack to discuss a custom ITC start date outside of the published schedule.

Fees

Course fees and what they cover

ITC Course Only

^€1,550

Instructor Training Course run by diveshack

✓Full 10-day ITC with diveshack instructors
✓All SSI ITC training materials and workbooks
✓ITC exams and knowledge reviews
✓ITC certification and SSI registration fees
✓Use of training facilities, pool, and boat
–Instructor Evaluation (separate fee)
–Specialty e-learning kits

Enquire via WhatsApp

Most common

ITC + Instructor Evaluation

^€2,100

Full pathway to OWI certification

✓Everything in ITC Course Only
✓2-day SSI Instructor Evaluation (IE fee)
✓SSI Open Water Instructor certification
✓Five specialty instructor ratings
✓First Aid and CPR Instructor (React Right)
✓ISO 24802-2 certified upon passing IE
–Specialty e-learning kits (SSI direct)

Reserve My Place

Group / Centre Discount

Contact

Two or more candidates booking together

✓Discounted rate for groups of 2 or more
✓Custom ITC dates outside published schedule
✓Option to add Divemaster as a combined pathway
✓Tailored specialty mix for your teaching context
✓Priority booking for future IE dates
–Standard individual pricing applies solo
–Group rates confirmed on enquiry

Get Group Rate

The IE fee (€550) is paid to SSI and scheduled by SSI Regional independently from the ITC booking. diveshack coordinates IE timing on your behalf. Specialty e-learning kits are purchased directly through your SSI account.

Certification Standard

SSI: one of the largest dive training agencies globally

FAQ

Common questions

Can I take the ITC with a PADI or BSAC Divemaster? ▼

Yes. SSI accepts Divemaster or equivalent professional certifications from other recognised agencies. Depending on your agency background, additional standards bridging may be required before you sit the IE. diveshack will assess your current certifications and advise on any additional preparation needed.

I have 65 logged dives. Can I start the ITC? ▼

You need 60 logged dives and 40 total hours to begin the ITC. With 65 dives you may qualify, depending on your total dive time. However, you need 100+ dives and 65+ hours to sit the 2-day Instructor Evaluation. If you are close to the IE threshold, diveshack can schedule additional dives in Malta during or after the ITC to bring your log to the required level before your IE date.

Do I need to book the ITC and IE at the same time? ▼

No. You book and pay for the ITC with diveshack. The IE is coordinated separately with SSI Regional and typically runs 4-6 weeks after ITC completion, subject to SSI scheduling. diveshack liaises with SSI Regional on your behalf to identify the nearest available IE date following your ITC.

Which five specialty instructor ratings should I choose? ▼

The most commercially useful specialties for Malta-based instructors are Enriched Air Nitrox, Deep Diver, Night and Limited Visibility, Wreck Diver, and Perfect Buoyancy. This combination covers the courses most frequently requested by visiting divers and fits Malta's dive profile well. Navigation, Search and Recovery, and Underwater Photography are also strong options depending on your intended work context. diveshack will advise based on your career plans during the ITC.

What happens if I do not pass the IE on the first attempt? ▼

If you do not pass the IE, SSI allows a repeat of the failed components. diveshack provides additional preparation support and coordinates a second IE date with SSI Regional. IE re-sit fees apply, set by SSI. The ITC fee covers your preparation and is not affected by an IE re-sit.

Can I work at diveshack after qualifying? ▼

diveshack actively supports instructors trained through our centre. Seasonal positions are available subject to operational demand, and we maintain a network of contacts at dive centres across Malta and Gozo. Many of our ITC graduates have gone on to work full seasons at Malta-based centres. Contact us during or after your ITC to discuss availability.

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Qualify as an SSI
Open Water Instructor

From divemaster to working instructor

SSI Open Water Instructor

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