Boat Diver Instructor
Teach divers to enter, exit, and dive safely from any boat.
1 day
PADI Certified
Course booking
From
£150.00
Need help choosing? Our team can match the course to your experience, goals and confidence level.
PADI 5-Star
Instructor Development Centre
Small Groups
Real Instructor Attention
Unit 4, Bellman Court, Great Knollys Street, Reading, RG1 7HD
Diving Academy
Safety First
Confidence Before Speed
Course overview
What to expect
Boat Diver Instructor
Boat diving is where a huge amount of real-world diving actually happens, and this one-day specialty gives you the confidence and credentials to teach it properly, covering entry and exit techniques, etiquette, safety protocols and crew communication that keep a busy dive boat running smoothly. Add it to your toolkit and move one specialty closer to Master Scuba Diver Trainer, a genuinely practical skill your students will use again and again.
In detail
About This Course
The Boat Diver Specialty Instructor course equips PADI professionals to teach one of the most practical specialties in the PADI system: safe, confident diving from boats. Over a single day at Diving Academy, you will work through the specialty's full teaching framework, covering the entry and exit techniques divers need across different boat types, the protocols and etiquette that keep a dive boat running smoothly, and the safety considerations - from current and swell to crew communication - that make boat diving its own distinct skill set.
Rather than simply reviewing the diver-level material, this course focuses on how to organise, present and run the Boat Diver Specialty yourself, so you leave able to plan sessions, brief students clearly and manage the logistics of teaching from a live boat. It is a genuinely useful addition to your teaching toolkit given how much UK and overseas diving happens from hard boats and RIBs.
To enrol you will need to hold a PADI Instructor rating, or be currently enrolled on an IDC or have completed your OWSI course within the past 12 months, so the specialty teaching techniques build naturally on skills you already have or are actively developing.
Every specialty instructor certification you add, including Boat Diver, counts toward the Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating, which requires at least five PADI Specialty Instructor certifications. For instructors building toward MSDT, or simply wanting to offer more to their local diving community, Boat Diver Instructor is a practical, high-value one-day investment.
The process
How The Course Works

Step 1
Learning the Ropes
Before you teach anyone else, you need your own instructor credentials properly in place - this builds on skills you are already expected to have as a working PADI professional.
PADI states candidates must be a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, or currently completing an IDC/OWSI programme.

Step 2
Boat Skills, Properly Taught
You learn to teach the practical realities of boat diving - safe entries and exits in different sea conditions, group dynamics on a moving deck, and clear emergency signalling. It is the difference between divers who merely tolerate boat diving and those who are genuinely comfortable with it.
PADI states the Boat Diver specialty diver course itself is built around two dives.
Course curriculum
What You'll Learn
Learning Outcomes
- Teach the PADI Boat Diver Specialty course
- safe boat entry/exit techniques
- boat diving procedures and student briefing
Getting ready
Before You Start & What's Next
Prerequisites
- Must hold a PADI Instructor rating, or currently enrolled/completed IDC/OWSI within 12 months
Next Steps
- Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) rating, which requires at least five PADI Specialty Instructor certifications
Upcoming training
Dates & Booking
No fixed dates listed right now
Choose your preferred start date and the academy will confirm instructor availability with you directly.
Speak to the team
Not sure where to start?
We will help you pick the right course, package and dates without making the process feel complicated.
Quick facts
Duration
1 day of structured training
Location
Unit 4, Bellman Court, Great Knollys Street, Reading, RG1 7HD
Certification
Recognised PADI qualification on completion
Have questions?
We're here to help
Our course directors can talk you through Boat Diver Instructor, confirm it's the right fit for your experience, and help you find a date that works.
From
£150.00
