SSI Assistant Instructor
SSI Assistant Instructor is Step 2 of the Lead / Pro pathway: the certification that authorizes conducting pool sessions, academic presentations, and supervised open water training under a certified SSI instructor’s direction. Requires Divemaster. The direct prerequisite to the Instructor Training Course and Open Water Instructor certification. Contact Tom’s to discuss the path.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
Teaching Is Not Just Leading a Dive. It Is Changing How Someone Relates to the Water.
Assistant Instructor is Step 2 in the SSI professional development pathway. It is where the work shifts from guiding certified divers to actively developing new ones. AI certification authorizes you to assist an Open Water Instructor with academic sessions, lead skill repetition drills in the pool for material already taught, and supervise students during select open water activities, always alongside a certified SSI instructor who remains responsible for the course.
Assistant Instructor is both a meaningful standalone certification and the final step before the Instructor Training Course. Whether you want to contribute to courses at Tom’s, work in the dive industry, or simply become a better diver by learning to teach, AI certification is the most direct path. Contact Tom’s to discuss readiness and next steps.
Assistant Instructor at a Glance
| Certification | SSI Assistant Instructor |
| Price | Contact Tom’s for pricing |
| Format | Teaching theory, in-water demonstration skills, supervised teaching experience |
| Pool | Tom’s 90°F heated indoor pool · 5909 Burnet Rd, Austin TX |
| Prerequisites | SSI Divemaster certification · SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 40 · At least 75 logged dives · Passing score on the SSI Scuba Standards & Procedures exam · Tom’s assessment and recommendation |
| What it enables | Assisting Open Water Diver academic sessions · Leading pool skill repetition for material already taught · Supervising up to two students on an excursion dive after Open Water Training Dive 2 · Independently teaching Try Scuba, Scuba Skills Update, and the Perfect Buoyancy specialty |
| Enrollment | By assessment and instructor recommendation. Talk to Tom’s to begin. |
| Next step | Assistant Instructor leads directly to the Instructor Training Course (ITC) and SSI Open Water Instructor certification. |
Divemaster Is the Prerequisite. The Conversation Starts Here.
If you have completed Divemaster at Tom’s or elsewhere, call us to talk through the path to Assistant Instructor and what the ITC looks like from where you are.
CallThe Teaching Role of an Assistant Instructor
Lead skill repetition, not new instruction.
Once a certified instructor has taught a skill, an AI can run repetition drills so students get more practice time. AIs assist with pool and confined water sessions; they do not independently introduce new entry-level skills.
Assist, reinforce, and support.
AIs assist an active Open Water Instructor with Open Water Diver academic sessions and support MySSI digital training, reinforcing material and answering questions. The certified instructor remains responsible for the session.
Supervise students on excursion dives.
After the first two open water training dives are complete, an AI can take up to two students on a no-skill excursion dive to build comfort and confidence. Skill instruction and evaluation underwater remain the certified instructor’s responsibility.
The direct path to Open Water Instructor.
AI certification is the step immediately before the Instructor Training Course. Completing AI at Tom’s means your instructors know your capabilities personally before recommending you for the ITC.
Teach SSI specialty courses once you’re certified to.
AI certification includes the Perfect Buoyancy Specialty Instructor rating, plus free online upgrades to teach Computer Diving, Marine Ecology, and SSI Explorers. Additional specialties, like Enriched Air Nitrox, Navigation, or Wreck Diving, become available as you complete each one’s specialty instructor requirements. Ask Tom’s which specialties are open to you.
What Assistant Instructor Training Builds
How to explain and demonstrate
Teaching is a skill distinct from diving. AI training develops your ability to break down skills, explain concepts clearly, give useful feedback, and adjust your approach for different students and learning styles.
Modeling correct technique
An AI must be able to demonstrate every skill they teach to a standard that students can meaningfully follow. Skill quality is evaluated in the AI program and must meet instructor-level performance standards.
Managing a class, not just individuals
Keeping a group organized, maintaining safety during pool sessions, recognizing when a student needs extra support, and adjusting session pace are all part of the teaching role AI training develops.
Teaching to a certification framework
SSI has specific standards for each course. AIs learn to deliver training that meets those standards consistently, not just teach based on their own experience. This is the foundation of certification-quality instruction.
Assistant Instructor in the Lead / Pro Pathway
Dive Guide
Non-professional leadership. Lead certified diver groups without professional compensation.
Divemaster
First professional certification. Required before AI enrollment.
Asst. Instructor
Teach pool and academic sessions. Direct pathway to Open Water Instructor via ITC.
OW Instructor
Full teaching authority. Certify Open Water and CE students independently.
See the Lead / Pro pathway for the full picture.
Professional development at Tom’s is not a product. The AIs who come through Tom’s are people whose capabilities Tom’s knows firsthand, who have worked alongside our instructors, and whose readiness for the ITC we can speak to personally. That relationship matters when you are pursuing instructor certification.
Forty-plus years developing dive professionals.
Tom’s has been developing SSI instructors since 1982, longer than any other Austin dive shop still operating. The professional development program here has a track record.
Train under a real teaching team.
AI candidates at Tom’s train alongside and are mentored by 30 or more active SSI-certified instructors. That is the kind of professional environment that genuinely prepares you for the ITC.
We follow DAN dive safety protocols.
Tom’s follows Divers Alert Network (DAN) safety standards and recommends DAN dive accident insurance for every certified diver. Safety is not a checkbox on our website. It is the foundation of how Tom’s has operated since 1982.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. An AI assists an Open Water Instructor with academic sessions and leads pool skill repetition for material already taught, but cannot independently introduce entry-level instruction or issue Open Water Diver certifications. Independent instruction and independent certification of Open Water students requires the full Open Water Instructor certification. AI is an important step and a meaningful certification in its own right, but it is not the endpoint if independent instruction is your goal.
An AI can do everything a Divemaster-level certified assistant can, plus more: assisting academic sessions and leading pool skill repetition. But an AI is still not an independent instructor. See what a certified assistant is for the full breakdown of what each level is authorized to do.
Yes. SSI Divemaster and SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 40 are both required before AI enrollment. If you have those certifications from another agency, contact Tom’s to discuss cross-training or equivalency options.
AI training typically runs over several weeks, depending on scheduling and the candidate’s starting point. The timeline is discussed during the assessment conversation. Tom’s does not compress professional development training to meet arbitrary deadlines.
The ITC (Instructor Training Course) is the pathway from Assistant Instructor to full SSI Open Water Instructor certification. It involves comprehensive training and evaluation by an SSI Instructor Trainer. At Tom’s, AI candidates who are ready for the ITC are supported through that process by our instruction team. See Open Water Instructor for details.