PADI Assistant Instructor Course

Florida Down Under PADI AI Course

Tuition is $599.00

Internship is required.

Overview:

The PADI Assistant Instructor Course is designed to provide PADI Divemasters and those certified to leadership levels with other diver training organizations with additional training as instructional assistants and dive educators. This course builds upon the Divemaster's abilities to organize and supervise dive activities while concentrating on developing teaching skills. Through independent study, classroom sessions and practical application, candidates learn to construct effective teaching presentations and conduct PADI programs.

Goals

The PADI Assistant Instructor course goals are to:

Further develop the candidate's skills as an instructional assistant

Provide the candidate with practical experience in teaching academic portions of various PADI courses.

Provide the candidate with practical experience in conducting skill development sessions for the PADI Skin Diver and Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Diver courses.

Provide the candidate with practical experience in conducting open water training dives for the PADI Skin Diver and Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty courses.

Provide the candidate with practical experience in conducting PADI Discover and Experience programs

Familiarize the candidate with PADI Standards, administrative requirements and certification procedures used in conducting PADI courses.

Familiarize the candidate with the structure of the dive industry and provide basic marketing ideas, sales philosophy, and legal responsibility and risk management techniques.

Prepare the candidate for PADI Instructor training.

Duties of the PADI Assistant Instructor:

Beyond the duties and responsibilities they already have as a PADI Divemaster, certified PADI AI's ( in teaching status with insurance )are authorized to:

Present the academic elaboration for any PADI diver course under the indirect supervision of a PADI Instructor. The PADI Instructor must review Knowledge Reviews and administer and review Quizzes and Final Exams with students.

Teach and certify Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty divers under the direction of a PADI Instructor. A teaching Status PADI Instructor must be available for consultation during the course, although not necessarily present during training sessions. The Instructor must co-sign the student log book and Training Record sheets after verification that all performance requirements are met. The Instructor must sign both the Advanced Open Water Training Record sheet and Specialty Training Records.

Independently conduct the Discover SCUBA experience

Teach and certify students in PADI Medic First Aid after successful completion of a PADI MFA Instructor Course.

Teach and certify students in a non-diving specialty, such as Equipment Specialist or distinctive oxygen administration after successful completion of a Specialty Instructor Training course for that specialty.

Standards:

Course Prerequisites:

To qualify for the PADI Assistant Instructor course, an individual must:

Be certified as a PADI DM or leadership level with another recreational diver training organization. To meet the leadership-level certification requirement, the candidate must be a current instructor member in good standing with another recreational diver training organization OR how proof of certification beyond entry level documenting experience in night, deep, and navigation dives; show proof of certification in diving rescue; and show proof of certification in diver supervision and management with another recreational diver training organization, proof of CPR and first aid training within the past 36 months is required.

Be at least 18 years old.

Be fit for diving and submit a Medical Statement signed by a licensed physician.

Have logged at least 60 dives.

Successfully complete a knowledge and skill preassesment. This includes the instructor Reassessment Exam and the PADI Skill Evaluation in confined water.

If not a PADI Divemaster, successfully complete the PADI DM course diver rescue skills assessment.

Instructor Qualifications and Supervision:

Instructor Qualifications

The PADI AI Course must be conducted by a PADI Course Director or IDC Staff Instructor who is :

Renewed and in Teaching Status for the current year.

Renewed as a Course Director or IDC Staff Instructor for the current year.

Instructor Supervision

A PADI CD or IDC Staff Instructor must present all academic training class sessions.

If assisting another instructor, a PADI CD or IDC Staff Instructor must be present when candidates conduct academic, confined water and open water teaching presentations for students.

Training Material and Equipment Requirements:

Candidate Course materials

PADI Instructor Manual

AI Workbook

Best of the Undersea Journal

The Law and the Diving Professional

Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Instructor Outline

PADI Open Water Diver Manual

Log Book

Equipment

During open water training, AI candidates must equip themselves with:

Fins, mask, snorkel

Tanks ( 2 )

BC with LP inflator

Regulator

Alternate air source

SPG and depth gauge

Weight system

Exposure suit

Timing device

Knife

Signaling device

Performance Requirements:

To be certified as a PADI AI, the candidate must meet the following performance requirements:

Attend the seven Module 1 training sessions

Complete and review for mastery the ten Module 2 independent study reading assignments and Knowledge Reviews

Score 3.5 or higher on at least one academic teaching presentation during Module 3 - Practical Application.

Score 3.4 or higher on at least one confined water teaching presentation during Module 3 - Practical Application.

Score 3.5 or higher on at least one open water teaching presentation in Module 3 - Practical Application.

Demonstrate acceptable performance on the AI Standards Exam by scoring 100 % initially or by scoring 75% or higher and having missed items reviewed until mastery is achieved. If the candidate scores less than 75%, administer a Retest after reviewing the exam.

Membership and renewal:

PADI Assistant Instructors are PADI Members

PADI Assistant Instructors must renew membership yearly.

PADI AI Upgrade

Florida Down Under PADI AI Upgrade:

FDU's AI Upgrade cost is $450.00

PADI AI's who were certified before June, 1996 ( under the previous course standards ) must upgrade their knowledge and skills before taking on any responsibilities as listed under the duties of the PADI AI ( above ).

The upgrade program consists of the following:

Independent study by the participant. The participant must read the AI Workbook and complete all 10 Knowledge Reviews and the AI Standards Exam. This includes reading assignments from the PADI Instructor Manual, the Best of the Undersea Journal, and the Law and the Diving Professional.

Review the materials with a PADI CD or IDC Staff Instructor. The Knowledge Reviews, Standards Exam, and objectives for each topic in the AI Workbook must be review and clarified with the candidate.

Academic sessions. A PADI CD or IDC Staff Instructor must present "How to organize and conduct the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course" to the candidate

Practical application. The candidate must score a 3.5 or higher on one micro teaching presentation and score 3.4 or higher on one confined or ow presentation from the Peak performance Buoyancy Specialty Course for practical experience.

Return to FDU Training