Leadership Courses

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Assistant Instructors (AI's) aid Dive Instructors in conducting dive certification courses, meaning they are authorized to help with student skills demonstrations, pool sessions, in-water training exercises, and teach all aspects of diving while under the direct supervision of a certified instructor.

The program is designed to introduce students to diving instructional basics. It also teaches individuals the fundamental water skills needed to be capable assistants. Certification authorizes individuals to assist active status Divemasters and Instructors in the conduct of dive operations and training. Assistant Instructor certification is a highly recommended step in the progression toward Instructor, however, it is not mandatory. Instead, it is widely used as a preparatory course, providing candidates with a solid foundation that better prepares them for success in the Instructor Training Course.

This course is an ISO 24802-1 certification program.

The minimum age for this course is:

• 18 years or older.

The minimum prerequisite for this workshop is:

• MSD certified.
• DFA Pro certified within the previous 24 calendar months.
• Candidates must have good swimming skills, including a good development of basic swim strokes, and pass a Class 3 Physical Fitness Test and a Class 2 Swim Test prior to being allowed to enroll in the course.
• Mastery of Core Skills for diving.
• It is STRONGLY recommended that students have at least 200 logged dives, and have spent time practicing basic and advanced level skills on each dive, before considering enrolling in this course. Including: neutral buoyancy, breathing, finning, navigation, dive planning, gas management, understanding dive science, use of equipment, etc.
• Candidates must have the ability to remain calm in stressful situations on shore, in the water on the surface, and underwater.

Students must supply their own equipment, and all equipment must meet safety requirements.

Course graduates will receive a lifetime internationally recognized Assistant Instructor certification from the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), they will be authorized to apply for membership with NAUI, and will be considered competent to perform professional duties as an AI in the diving industry.

It is arguable that Divemasters (DM's) have possibly the greatest amount of responsibilities of all Dive Professionals. They are responsible for every dive operation, every dive trip, and every dive conducted that they are a part of. They are responsible for every diver in their care, all aspects of planning and execution of dives, all equipment, logistics, safety above and below the surface, and coordination. They lead dive shops, setup and manage events, create dive travel packages and opportunities, and bridge the gap between divers and third party operators. Jacks of all trades, they are equipment specialists, repair technicians, boat operators, compressor operators and fill technicians, dive mentors and skill-development specialists, customer service representatives, sales and marketing staff, rescue and safety swimmers, and much, much more.

Divemasters take divers diving, but clearly that's merely the tip of the iceberg of their full responsibilities and capabilities. To say Divemasters have an extremely important position within the diving industry as a whole is an understatement, and as such, training to qualify as a NAUI DM, let alone a DM under PDC standards, takes a considerable amount of academic study and practical application, mentorship and guidance, on average lasting six months or longer depending on individual performance and needs. As a result, our Divemasters are highly qualified, highly knowledgable, highly skilled, and highly trained professionals capable of working and diving anywhere.

This course is an ISO 24801-3 certification program.

The minimum age for this course is:

• 18 years or older.

The minimum prerequisite for this workshop is:

• MSD certified.
• Drysuit certified.
• Altitude certified.
• Spatial Disorientation Trained.
• DFA Pro certified within the previous 24 calendar months.
• Candidates must have good swimming skills, including a good development of basic swim strokes, and pass a Class 2 Physical Fitness Test and a Class 1 Swim Test prior to being allowed to enroll in the course.
• Mastery of Core Skills for diving.
• It is STRONGLY recommended that students have at least 300 logged dives, and have spent time practicing basic and advanced level skills on each dive, before considering enrolling in this course. Including: neutral buoyancy, breathing, finning, navigation, dive planning, gas management, understanding dive science, use of equipment, etc. All dive KSA's must be evaluated prior to acceptance as a candidate into the DM program.
• Candidates must have the ability to remain calm in stressful situations on shore, in the water on the surface, and underwater.

Students must supply their own equipment, and all equipment must meet safety requirements.

Course graduates will receive a lifetime internationally recognized Divemaster certification from the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), they will be authorized to apply for membership with NAUI, and will be considered competent to perform professional duties as a DM in the diving industry either independently or as a member of any team, anywhere, worldwide.

Dive Instructors (DI's)--most commonly simply referred to as "Instructors"--are responsible for training and certifying new and certified divers in all aspects of diving Knowledge, Skills, and Ability development (KSA's) for all courses and programs the Instructor themselves are qualified to teach. DI's provide teaching, training, and instruction, evaluations and examinations, coaching, mentorship, and guidance, and give both formal and informal lectures, for the purpose of developing highly trained, highly educated, competent, confident, capable, and safe divers who are self-reliant and fully qualified to dive unsupervised from day one. They apply knowledge of the full range of methods and principles of instruction, learning psychology, and curriculum development, to ensure education and diver training is covered in terms of course content requirements and scope of material, and to adapt instruction to the proficiency level and learning needs of each individual. DI's assess an individuals' level of experience and training through review of training records and/or proficiency dive evaluations to determine proficiency and skill status, and to gauge progression and development. They plan and conduct diver training program operations in accordance with Standards and Policies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements and guidelines. They prepare formal courses, schedule training, and conduct initial, refresher, and continuing training, and the list goes on.

Essentially, DI's are responsible for all aspects of a divers' education and training in the inherently dangerous activity that is "diving", and to be considered qualified for such responsibilities requires extensive education and training themselves. Unlike other [so-called] "instructors" (commonly referred to as "Open Water SCUBA Instructors", or OWSI) from other dive agencies, who are considered "qualified" after only one or two weeks and a handful of dives, PDC DI's are not your run-of-the-mill "checklist readers". After all, who in the world can learn the complexities of education and teaching effectively in such a short time? Answer: You can't...

Training to qualify as a NAUI instructor, let alone a DI under PDC standards, takes a considerable amount of academic study and practical application, mentorship and guidance. The ITC takes most and average of six months or longer, with some taking over a year to complete based on their own performance and needs. However, from that, our DI's become qualified educators with fully-granted Academic Freedom and Trust, capable of teaching, coaching, mentoring, and guiding divers into becoming the best divers in the world.

This course is an ISO 24802-2 certification program.

The minimum age for this course is:

• 18 years or older.

The minimum prerequisite for this workshop is:

• DM certified.
• Drysuit certified.
• Altitude certified.
• Spatial Disorientation Trained.
• DFA Pro certified within the previous 24 calendar months.
• Candidates must have good swimming skills, including a good development of basic swim strokes, and pass a Class 2 Physical Fitness Test and a Class 1 Swim Test prior to being allowed to enroll in the course.
• Mastery of Core Skills for diving.
• It is STRONGLY recommended that students have at least 500 logged dives, at least 50 as a DM, with a minimum of 6 months performing duties as a DM, and all dive KSA's, must be evaluated, and a thorough interview must be conducted, prior to acceptance into an Instructor Training Course (ITC).
• Candidates must have the ability to remain calm in stressful situations on shore, in the water on the surface, and underwater.

Students must supply their own equipment, and all equipment must meet safety requirements.

Course graduates will receive a lifetime internationally recognized Instructor certification from the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI), they will be authorized to apply for membership with NAUI, and will be considered competent to perform professional duties as an Instructor with fully-granted Academic Freedom in the diving industry either independently or as a member of any team, anywhere, worldwide.

Class 3 Physical Fitness Test Standards

• Push-ups (50 male / 20 female
• 50 Crunches
• 50 Squats
• 3 Pull-ups (male) / 1min Dead Hang (female)
• A 3km timed Run (18 min)

Class 2 Physical Fitness Test Standards

• Push-ups (60 male / 25 female
• 65 Crunches
• 80 Squats
• 5 Pull-ups (male) / 2min Dead Hang (female)
• A 4km timed Run (25 min)

Class 1 Physical Fitness Test Standards

• Push-ups (70 male / 30 female
• 80 Crunches
• 100 Squats
• 10 Pull-ups (male) / 3min Dead Hang (female)
• A 5km timed Run (30 min)

*NOTE: These are bare minimums. It is STRONGLY encouraged for candidates to exceed these standards and put forth their absolute BEST efforts at all times. PDC Staff Members MUST be tested semi-annually, and annually (as a part of their APART), and must pass to retain active status.

Class 3 Swim Test Standards

• 100m Swim demonstrating ability in at least three of the four basic swim strokes:
  • American Crawl (Freestyle)
  • Side Stroke
  • Brest Stroke
  • Elementary Back Stroke
• 10 minute survival swim
• 15m underwater swim on a single breath

Class 2 Swim Test Standards

• 200m Swim demonstrating proficiency in at least three of the four basic swim strokes:
  • American Crawl (Freestyle)
  • Side Stroke
  • Brest Stroke
  • Elementary Back Stroke
• 10 minute survival swim
• 25m underwater swim on a single breath
• A recovery of a minimum of 5kg weight from a designated depth
• A timed open water distance swim without fins or snorkel for a minimum of 200m
• A timed open water swim with mask, snorkel, and fins for a minimum of 400m

Class 1 Swim Test Standards

• 300m Swim demonstrating proficiency in at least three of the four basic swim strokes:
  • American Crawl (Freestyle)
  • Side Stroke
  • Brest Stroke
  • Elementary Back Stroke
• 20 minute face down survival swim
• 25m underwater swim on a single breath
• A recovery of a minimum of 5kg weight from a designated depth
• A timed open water distance swim without fins or snorkel for a minimum of 400m
• A timed open water swim with mask, snorkel, and fins for a minimum of 1,000m

*NOTE: PDC Staff Members MUST be tested annually (as a part of their APART), and must pass to retain active status.