Scuba instructor course in Mexico: from Rescue Diver and Divemaster to Open Water Scuba Diving Instructor

Why take a scuba instructor course in Mexico?

Teaching turns diving from a holiday into a profession. Dive centers and liveaboards around the world recognize an instructor rating. So it is the entry ticket to working on the water, in the Riviera Maya or anywhere else. Teaching also makes you a better diver. You learn to see a dive through the eyes of a student. You learn to plan for the weakest member of the team and to stay calm when something goes wrong. For many divers it is the first step of a longer road. Technical, cave or rebreather instructor ratings all start from the Open Water Scuba Diving Instructor.

The steps

• Rescue Diver: 4 days, 8 dives, $598
• Deep Diver, first aid with CPR, and O2 Administration, if you do not hold them yet: $166, $116, $116
• Divemaster: 9 days, 18 dives, $1,498
• Open Water Instructor course: two weeks at the minimum, $428 per day in a group of two or more, $478 individually
• All steps: group of two or more, hotel pickup from Playa del Carmen included; the recreational steps as on the courses page. Courses.

Assists before the course

Candidates assist on courses before their instructor course. For candidates who then take the instructor course here, the assists are free.

Applicants must

• Be a certified Divemaster or higher, or equivalent
• Be a certified Deep Diver, or equivalent
• Hold CPR, first aid and oxygen administration certifications, or equivalent
• Be a minimum of 18 years of age
• Have a minimum of 100 logged dives, of which at least 15 deep dives between 27 and 40 m, and at least 6 months of diving experience
• Be physically and mentally fit; obtain a physician’s prior written authorization for prescription drugs or any medical condition that may pose a risk while diving

How the course runs

At least 100 hours of training under the direct supervision of the Course Director, of which at least 60 hours in the water. Up to 40 hours from the Divemaster course count toward the total. The scuba instructor course in Mexico takes two weeks at the minimum. The candidate learns the methods and techniques of training divers. Then the candidate gains teaching experience by assisting in real or simulated training sessions, in theory and in the water. The Course Director assesses this work.

The course covers a full review of the standards and procedures. It includes a written exam on every topic the new instructor will teach, on the standards and on risk mitigation. There is also a watermanship evaluation. In the water the candidate explains and demonstrates skills at presentation level. The skills come from the Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Deep Diver and Rescue Diver courses, in confined water and open water. The candidate also runs stress management drills and an open water rescue of a diver from no deeper than 6 m.

On land the candidate plans, prepares and conducts lessons for confined and open water. The candidate gives lectures at proficiency level and shows the ability to control and supervise a group of divers. Site conditions also need responsible judgments: weather, depth, visibility, water movement and the level of supervision required.

Rules of the course

• Medical: every participant completes and signs the standard Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire before the activity. A YES answer to any question in its final section requires written approval from a physician before diving. Without it the guest does not dive.
• Liability: every participant signs the standard diving General Liability Release and Express Assumption of Risk before the activity. Without the signed form the guest does not dive.

The other paths

• Technical diving instructor.
• Cave diving instructor.