Colin (left), one of our Advanced Instructors training Ocean Divers at Chepstow NDAC
The Instructor Foundation Course (IFC) is the first step to become a full BSAC Instructor.
The two-day IFC introduces a qualified diver to the essential elements of both theory and practical diving instruction.
Once you have attended an IFC you will be an Assistant Diving Instructor. You can then begin to teach diving in a club with the help of qualified instructors.
To enrol on the IFC you must have already successfully completed a BSAC Sport Diver course (or have equivalent certification from another recognised training agency)
As Dive Leaders, after attendance on the Instructor Foundation Course (IFC), and passing the Theory Instructor Exam (TIE), you will be a qualified Theory Instructor (TI) and be issued with a TI number.
The TI is for those who have attended the IFC, have reached the Dive Leader grade and are 18 years or older.
Passing this exam enables instructors to teach classroom and dry practical lessons up to Dive Leader level without the need for supervision by an Open Water Instructor (OWI)
The Practical Instructor Exam (PIE) is a key assessment to becoming an Open Water Instructor (OWI). Practical teaching is often regarded as the central skill of teaching diving.
As Dive Leaders, after attendance on the Instructor Foundation Course (IFC), attendance on the Open Water Instructor Course (OWIC) and passing the Practical Instructor Exam (PIE) and the theory knowledge element of the Theory Exam, they will be qualified as Practical Instructors and be issued a PI number.
The PIE is for people that would like to teach open water lessons up to Dive Leader.
At the second level of instructor training with BSAC, an Open Water Instructor Course takes your practical instructing skills from the pool to open water, building on what was learned on the Instructor Foundation Course (IFC).
Mixing with other aspiring instructors from far and wide, you will also get the chance to see how others do things.
After attending an Open Water Instructor Course you will become an Assistant Open Water Instructor (AOWI). You can then teach diving in open water at your club with on-site guidance from qualified instructors.
On the Advanced Instructor Course, you will go sea diving from boats. Advanced Instructors learn to teach the advanced skills a diver needs to drive boats, manage dives, find wrecks, use charts, carry out underwater surveys, and run projects.
Advanced Instructor courses run in the summer around the UK coastline, and give you the chance to learn how to help teach the skills divers need on more advanced dives.
The two-day Advanced Instructor Course extends an Open Water Instructor’s range of teaching tools to help them teach the higher levels of the BSAC Diver Training Programme, moving away from reliance on extensive instructor resources.
To enrol you must already be an Open Water Instructor and a BSAC Advanced Diver (or have equivalent certification from another recognised training agency).
