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I want to take the DiveCon course here in the next few months but I am trying to find out what I must do to teach open water. I know that an SSI instructor must be affiliated with an SSI Dive Shop but what is considered an SSI Dive Shop. My brother and I got our OW certs about ten years ago and the SSI Instructor who did our class had his own shop out of his garage. I know that probably sounds bad but it was a pretty nice shop. He had rental gear, he sold gear and he had a compressor. Is this considered a dive shop to SSI. I have done most of my certs through SSI so far and I would like to keep it that way but I am wondering if I should switch it up now that I am considering going pro. I believe with most other agencies you can teach freelance. Anyone have any opinions? Thanks for your time.
PADI has independent Instructors. SDI does not. I'm sure someone will chime in on SSI. Locally we have only one SSI shop.
Obviously to become an instructor you're first going to have to become an SSI Divecon or a DM of some other agency. DM is a prerequisite of OWSI for PADI and SDI. To get your DM you need to have your Advanced Rating with some specific specialties. I believe they are Night & Limited Vis, Navigation, and Deep. You also need to have your First AID/CPR current. You need to be a rescue diver. You also need to have a certain number of logged dives.
PADI is on of the largest agencies out there. You'll likely be able to find a PADI shop if you move around. Also it is harder to transfer into PADI vs. other agencies. It is not a simply matter of paperwork like it is with other agencies.
I like the academic portions of SDI. I've seen the academic aspects of SSI and I like them as well. I don't like the academic portion of PADI.
I would find a local teacher first and make my decision upon the quality of your teacher.
Think of it as a frachise. There are requirements: pump gas, rent gear, for example. Each SSI shop has a territory which is protected from other SSI shops being established. You can be affiliated with a shop without physical presence, but that is at the discression of the shop.
Originally Posted by DUI_Diver
I want to take the DiveCon course here in the next few months but I am trying to find out what I must do to teach open water. I know that an SSI instructor must be affiliated with an SSI Dive Shop but what is considered an SSI Dive Shop. My brother and I got our OW certs about ten years ago and the SSI Instructor who did our class had his own shop out of his garage. I know that probably sounds bad but it was a pretty nice shop. He had rental gear, he sold gear and he had a compressor. Is this considered a dive shop to SSI. I have done most of my certs through SSI so far and I would like to keep it that way but I am wondering if I should switch it up now that I am considering going pro. I believe with most other agencies you can teach freelance. Anyone have any opinions? Thanks for your time.
Pre-reqs
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Own a Total Diving System of professional type and
quality.
• Have a current medical exam for scuba diving not
older than 1 year and signed by a licensed medical
practitioner.
• Be certified as an active Dive Control Specialist or
equivalent.
• Logged no less then 75 open water dives totaling 50
hours or more.
Training Requirements for Active Status
• Logged a minimum of 100 open water dives which
accumulate a total dive time of 65 hours or more.
• Maintain proof of current training in First Aid &
CPR.
• Maintain proof of being competent in emergency
administration of oxygen. This shall include
knowledge of the medical principles involved and
practical use of an emergency oxygen unit.
• Display leadership behaviours as well as passing all
requirements as listed in the program curriculum.
• Pass a watermanship and skill evaluation.
• Pass all Mini Exams with a minimum score of 90%.
• Comply with all annual Renewal procedures.
• Maintain Professional Liability Insurance where
applicable.
• Work through an active SSI Dive Center or SSI Dive
Resort.
Not every SSI shop is set up to teach instructors by the way. You will have to affiliate with a shop. It is likely they will require you to dress in what they sell (gear-wise). Research the cost of the liability insurance (it will be more than DiveCon obviously). The instructor course may take several weekends. Expect to do a great deal of mentoring. Try to mentor with as many instructors as possible in classroom and pool and OW environments. It is possible to fast-track from Divecon to OWI. You can meet the Divecon pre-req with an equivalent rating from other agencies.
I want to take the DiveCon course here in the next few months but I am trying to find out what I must do to teach open water. I know that an SSI instructor must be affiliated with an SSI Dive Shop but what is considered an SSI Dive Shop. My brother and I got our OW certs about ten years ago and the SSI Instructor who did our class had his own shop out of his garage. I know that probably sounds bad but it was a pretty nice shop. He had rental gear, he sold gear and he had a compressor. Is this considered a dive shop to SSI. I have done most of my certs through SSI so far and I would like to keep it that way but I am wondering if I should switch it up now that I am considering going pro. I believe with most other agencies you can teach freelance. Anyone have any opinions? Thanks for your time.
There are PADI, TDI, SDI, SSI, etc. dive shops in Ontario that are run out of garages. Some of them are bigger and better than shops located in retail strip malls. So I would worry about whether the shop is in a garage or a traditional retail environment.
If you want to confirm a shop is a SSI dive shop, go to Dive SSI. In the upper right corner of the home page are two text fields. One is a general search box and the other is for locating SSI dive shops. If I enter just 'texas' I get 23 results. Most are around Houston but they have one as far north as Amarillo.
If you are going pro there are two things to consider. One where do you want to teach? If there are no SSI shops in the area you want to teach, switching to other agencies might not be easy. PADI is the most popular agency. To switch from anything to PADI, PADI requires you to complete the entire course again or they will take your current rating as prerequisite for upgrading. For example, if you are a SSI DiveCon and want to switch to PADI, you can either take the full PADI DiveMaster course or you can use your DiveCon as a prerequisite to enter the PADI OW Scuba Instructor program.
The other is who are the instructors in your area for each agency. I'd learn from a great instructor on a virtually unknown dive agency but I'd go to a PADI instructor who isn't very good. In other words, it is all about the instructor.
Ideally, you want a good instructor in an agency that is widely recognized in the area you want to teach.
What I am really trying to find out is can you teach SSI OW out of your home. If so what does SSI require you to do/have for you to be considered an SSI Dive Shop. For example do I need to have a compressor, do I have to sell gear, so on and so on. Can anyone answer this question or maybe point in the right direction.
What I am really trying to find out is can you teach SSI OW out of your home. If so what does SSI require you to do/have for you to be considered an SSI Dive Shop. For example do I need to have a compressor, do I have to sell gear, so on and so on. Can anyone answer this question or maybe point in the right direction.
I think what you're wanting to know is if SSI has Independent Instructors.
What I am really trying to find out is can you teach SSI OW out of your home. If so what does SSI require you to do/have for you to be considered an SSI Dive Shop. For example do I need to have a compressor, do I have to sell gear, so on and so on. Can anyone answer this question or maybe point in the right direction.
An SSI dive shop or " DiverTraining Facility" Provide everything a diver needs to become successful - training, equipment sales, service and repair, air fills, and equipment rentals.
Training supplies, C-Cards and other SSI products can only be purchased by authorized dealers. An authorized dealer may hold classed off site but the dealership is a retail LDS. The instructors are employees of the shop.
It sounds like what you want to do is be an independent instructor. You cannot do this with SSI.
So if I can't be an "Independent Instructor" can I run my own shop out of my garage.
Contact SSI. Tell them you want to be an SSI Instructor and shop owner. Ask them what will be required for your shop. Get it in writing. Once you have written requirements for being a recognized SSI Shop you should be able to determine for yourself if you can run the shop out of your garage.
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Originally Posted by DUI_Diver
