PADI Drift Diver Instructor – Master the Currents with Diving Academy

Diving Academy empowers instructors to lead dives in dynamic, current-driven environments. With the PADI Drift Diver Instructor course, you’ll gain the skills to teach others how to ride the flow safely, confidently, and with excitement.

Drift diving offers one of the most thrilling underwater experiences. But it also demands precision, awareness, and planning. In this course, you’ll learn how to train divers to move effortlessly with the current while staying alert and in control.

Course Purpose and Teaching Insights

Start by exploring the purpose and philosophy behind drift diving. Understand how to deliver lessons that highlight both the excitement and the safety aspects of this specialty. You’ll gain access to Instructor Guides, eLearning materials, and real-world resources that help you structure your course effectively.

For an overview of what your students will experience, visit PADI’s Drift Diver Specialty page.

Applying Standards and Teaching in Motion

You’ll review PADI’s General Standards and Procedures to ensure each drift dive is conducted professionally. We also cover dive planning, entry and exit techniques, and how to handle surface signalling and emergency scenarios. Additionally, you’ll assess essential equipment such as surface marker buoys, reels, and audible signalling devices.

Workshops That Build Confidence

At Diving Academy, we focus on real-world application. That’s why your training includes:

Specialty course structure and planning
Knowledge delivery techniques
Marketing and promotional planning
Pricing strategies for your audience
Leading open water training dives

Each workshop reinforces your ability to teach the specialty effectively.

Take Your Teaching to the Next Level

This course helps you work toward your Master Scuba Diver Trainer rating. You’ll also learn how to adapt the content for younger divers, making it accessible to a wider audience. Whether you’re looking to expand your course offerings or level up your teaching experience, this training adds real value to your professional profile.

👉 Contact us today to enrol or learn more.

Prerequisites

Medical Requirements

Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving.

Avoid disappointment, download and review the Diver Medical form to ensure you won’t need a physician’s approval to dive before enrolling in a scuba course. Instructors, divemasters and dive shop staff are not physicians and should not be asked for medical advice; only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive.

If you (or your physician) have questions about medical fitness to dive, contact the experts at Divers Alert Network (DAN).

Your Medical Statement must be signed by a physician within the last 12 months or full HSE Medical. Under the Diving at Work Regulations 1997, all divers at work must have a valid certificate of HSE fitness to dive issued by an Approved Medical Examiner of Divers (AMED), please Contact Us for more information.

All Specialties

PADI Instructor (Scuba, Tec, Mermaid & Freediving), or you are currently participating in or have completed an IDC/OWSI Program within the past 12 months. IDC/OWSI candidates may apply for Specialty Instructor certification only after successfully completing an IE.

Specialties Without Dives

PADI Assistant Instructor
PADI Divemaster for these courses: Emergency Oxygen Provider, Equipment
Specialist, Coral Reef Conservation, Project AWARE Specialist and PADI
Distinctive Specialty Diver (approved).

Exception: Both Divemasters and Assistant Instructors may attend Digital Underwater Photographer specialty instructor training courses.

Meet Our Course Directors

Course Locations

Dive Centre

Diving Academy – Dive Centre, Sunfield Business Park, New Mill Road, Wokingham, RG40 4QT

Pool Training Sites

Wokingham – The Forest School, Robin Hood Lane, Winnersh, Wokingham, RG41 5NE

Yateley – Yateley School, School Lane, GU46 6NW

Hagbourne – Hagbourne School Pool, Main Road, East Hagbourne, OX11 9LR

Swindon – Halo Highworth Recreation Centre, The Elms, Highworth, Swindon SN6 7DD

Open Water Training Sites:

London – Wraysbury Diving Lake, Station Road, Wraysbury, Berkshire, TW19 5ND

Radstock – Vobster Quay, Upper Vobster, Radstock, BA3 5SD

Leicester – Stoney Cove, Sapcote Road, Stoney Stanton, Leicester, LE9 4DW

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PADI Drift Diver Instructor

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