Many divers wonder about the professional levels in PADI: What is a Divemaster? What do they do? How are Instructor and Assistant Instructor different? Rumblefish Vietnam, based on PADI’s Guide to Teaching and The PADI System of Diver Education, explains that professional levels are clearly divided with specific teaching responsibilities and authority. Below is a detailed explanation of each level from lowest to highest to help you visualize the career development path:

1. PADI Divemaster (DM)

• What it is: The first professional level in the PADI system.
• Main duties: Acts as a Dive Guide. Responsible for leading certified divers on underwater tours and ensuring their safety. In classes, Divemasters assist Instructors in managing students, serve as role models for skills, and help with equipment and logistics.

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2. PADI Assistant Instructor (AI)

• What it is: A transitional level between Divemaster and Instructor, part of the Instructor Development Course (IDC).
• Main duties: Allowed to perform more teaching tasks than a DM. Can teach classroom theory, conduct some surface skills, and teach confined water skills (pool) under indirect supervision of an Instructor. May independently teach non-certification programs (e.g., Project AWARE).

 

3. PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI)

• What it is: An independent scuba diving Instructor.
• Main duties: Fully responsible for teaching from start to finish. Authorized to teach all underwater skills, evaluate students, and directly issue core certifications (Discover Scuba Diving, Open Water, Advanced, up to Divemaster). Ensures safety and quality of diver training.

 

4. PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT)

• What it is: Not a course but a recognition of Instructor experience. Requires issuing at least 25 certifications and holding teaching qualifications in at least 5 specialties.
• Main duties: Same as OWSI but more versatile. Can teach additional Specialty courses (deep diving, wreck diving, nitrox, etc.), helping students achieve the Master Scuba Diver rating.

 

5. PADI IDC Staff Instructor (IDCS)

• What it is: “Instructor of Instructors.” Marks the beginning of training higher-level personnel.
• Main duties: Key assistant to Course Directors during IDC training and exams. Authorized to evaluate Instructor candidates and independently teach and certify Assistant Instructors.

 

6. PADI Master Instructor (MI)

• What it is: A prestigious title honoring veteran Instructors. To qualify, an IDCS must have extensive teaching experience, strictly follow PADI quality standards, and issue at least 150 certifications across various levels.
• Main duties: Serve as ambassadors of PADI quality. Continue teaching at all levels, support IDC programs, and meet the prerequisite for applying to the highest level.

 

7. PADI Course Director (CD)

• What it is: The most prestigious and highest level in the PADI system. Less than 1% of PADI professionals achieve this through rigorous selection and training by PADI headquarters.
• Main duties: The only professionals authorized to organize, conduct, and teach the full Instructor Development Course (IDC). Responsible for shaping and producing new generations of OWSIs for the global diving community.