PADI Specialty Instructor

PADI Specialty Instructors are PADI Instructors who have met the requirements to offer courses in various special types of diving activities. These instructors have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to offer this training by continuing their education and/or gaining experience in a particular specialty diving area. Instructors must apply separately for each PADI Specialty Instructor rating.

There are several standardized PADI Specialty Diver courses that PADI Specialty Instructors may conduct which are supported by course outlines and various student materials. In addition, instructors may write their own distinctive specialty programs that they may offer upon approval from PADI.

PADI Specialty Diver courses include:

1. Altitude Diver
2. Boat Diver
3. Cavern Diver
4. Deep Diver
5. Digital Underwater Photographer
6. Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Diver
7. Drift Diver
8. Dry Suit Diver
9. Emergency Oxygen Provider
10. Enriched Air Diver
11. Equipment Specialist
12. AWARE - Fish Identification Diver
13. Ice Diver
14. Multilevel Diver
15. Night Diver
16. Search and Recovery Diver
17. Underwater Naturalist
19. Underwater Navigator
20. Underwater Photographer
21. Underwater Videographer
22. Wreck Diver
23. Other standardized specialties
24. Distinctive Specialties (Specialty courses developed individually by instructors.)

PADI Instructors qualify as PADI Specialty Instructors by attending a Specialty Instructor Training Course conducted by a PADI Course Director.

Prerequisites for Attending a Specialty Instructor Training Course

Specialty Instructor Training course attendance is highly recommended. These courses provide valuable hands-on training, technique demonstrations, course marketing information, current PADI Standards information and, when applicable, instructor-level open water training.

To enroll in most Specialties Instructor Training Courses,
an individual must:

1. Be a renewed PADI Assistant Instructor (certified/upgraded since 1995), or be a renewed PADI Underwater Instructor (or PADI Instructor with a higher rating), or have completed an IDC/OWSI Program within the past 12 months.
a. After successfully completing specialty instructor training, PADI Assistant Instructors may apply only for PADI Specialty Instructor certification in nondiving specialties.
b. Instructor candidates may apply for PADI Specialty Instructor certification only after becoming certified as PADI Instructors.