Underwater Navigator Instructor
Teach divers to find their way with skill, not guesswork
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
Underwater Navigator Instructor
Confident navigation is the skill most divers want to build once they move past entry-level training, which makes this one-day Specialty Instructor course a rewarding one to add. You'll learn to structure lessons around compass work and natural navigation, plus how to present the specialty persuasively, turning genuine interest into actual enrolments. Open to Assistant Instructors, instructor candidates and Divemasters.
In detail
About This Course
Confident navigation is one of the skills divers most want to build once they move past entry-level training, and the Underwater Navigator Specialty Instructor course prepares you to teach it well. Delivered over one day, it covers how to organise, promote, and run the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty Diver course, with a clear focus on why this kind of training genuinely benefits the divers taking it.
You will look at how to structure lessons around compass work, natural navigation, and distance estimation in a way that builds real, transferable confidence rather than a one-off classroom exercise, along with how to manage students who progress at different speeds during practical sessions. Part of the day is also spent on presenting the specialty persuasively, helping you turn interest into enrolments.
To join, you need to hold PADI Assistant Instructor, instructor-candidate, or Divemaster status, noting that some specialties carry additional prerequisites of their own. You will leave with practical teaching tips and hands-on experience passed on directly by your local PADI Course Director, ready to apply in your next class.
Underwater Navigator is one of the specialties that counts toward Master Scuba Diver Trainer status once you hold five or more Specialty Instructor certifications, and it is a strong, practical addition for instructors building their teaching portfolio with us in Reading.
The process
How The Course Works

Step 1
Compass & Natural Navigation Teaching
You work through how to teach both compass navigation and natural navigation, from reading depth, time and landmarks to guiding a student through patterns built around deliberate turns. The aim is spotting exactly where a student's heading drifts before they surface in the wrong place.
PADI's diver-level Underwater Navigator course includes open water dives practising compass patterns with a set number of turns

Step 2
Distance, Relocation & Certification
You also learn to teach distance estimation and dive site relocation, the skills that let a diver mark and find their way back to a specific spot underwater. Complete the day and you're certified to teach Underwater Navigator, one of the specialties that count toward Master Scuba Diver.
Course curriculum
What You'll Learn
Learning Outcomes
- how to teach the Underwater Navigator specialty course
Getting ready
Before You Start & What's Next
What's Included
- teaching tips and hands-on experience from your local PADI Course Director
Prerequisites
- PADI Assistant Instructor, instructor candidate in training, or PADI Divemaster (some specialties have additional prerequisites)
Next Steps
- Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) - requires at least five 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 Underwater Navigator Instructor, confirm it's the right fit for your experience, and help you find a date that works.
From
£150.00
