Theory teaching
Lesson structure, learning objectives, technical accuracy, teaching aids, questioning and checking understanding, to the standard the Theory Instructor Exam expects.
BSAC Open Water Instructor · OWI · Hurghada
From Assistant Diving Instructor to the real thing. The one-day Open Water Instructor Course, then development toward the BSAC Theory and Practical Instructor Exams, all on the reefs and boats of Hurghada where the students, the conditions and the teaching are real. For Dive Leaders who have completed the IFC.
A BSAC Open Water Instructor, or OWI, is the first full instructor qualification of the British Sub-Aqua Club, able to plan, teach and assess diving theory, sheltered-water and open water lessons within the permissions of the grade. The route runs from Assistant Diving Instructor through the one-day Open Water Instructor Course, which extends practical teaching into open water, and then the BSAC Theory Instructor Exam and Practical Instructor Exam. Candidates must be at least sixteen for the course and eighteen for the exams, hold BSAC Dive Leader or an accepted equivalent and have completed the Instructor Foundation Course. In Hurghada, Red Sea Diving runs the instructor-development program for £1,200 per person, with BSAC membership, examination and certification fees charged separately, subject to BSAC authorization and Instructor Trainer availability.
Moreover, an Open Water Instructor needs more than excellent personal diving: an understanding of how students learn, how to structure a lesson, how to spot and fix a problem and how to adapt when the sea changes. Therefore we review your diver grade, IFC record and teaching experience before we confirm a program, and we explain in writing any BSAC fee that applies. The route follows the standards published by the British Sub-Aqua Club for instructor training.
| Qualification | BSAC Open Water Instructor (OWI), the first full BSAC instructor grade |
|---|---|
| Price | £1,200 per person, Red Sea Diving instructor-development program only |
| BSAC fees | Membership, registration, materials, examination and certification fees, charged separately |
| Minimum age | 16 for the Open Water Instructor Course; 18 for the Theory and Practical Instructor Exams |
| Diver grade | BSAC Dive Leader, or an accepted equivalent from a recognized agency |
| Instructor prerequisite | Instructor Foundation Course completed; BSAC Assistant Diving Instructor |
| Course | One-day Open Water Instructor Course: see, plan and practice an open water lesson |
| Development | Supervised theory, sheltered-water and open water teaching practice with instructor feedback |
| Assessment 1 | BSAC Theory Instructor Exam |
| Assessment 2 | BSAC Practical Instructor Exam |
| Duration | The course takes one day; the full program is scheduled per candidate |
| Authorization | Run through the BSAC instructor training structure with a BSAC Instructor Trainer; dates confirmed per event |
| Next level | BSAC Advanced Instructor |
| Location | Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt |
| Operator | Red Sea Diving, a BSAC training center in Hurghada, diving since 2000 |
Both let you certify entry-level divers. By contrast, the PADI route runs through the IDC, an intensive twelve to fourteen days ending in a two-day examination, and produces a professional who works for a dive center. The BSAC route is staged: a one-day course, teaching practice under supervision, then two separate exams taken when you are ready, and it produces an instructor for the club system.
Furthermore, the diving prerequisite differs. A PADI candidate arrives as a Divemaster with no decompression training; a BSAC candidate arrives as a Dive Leader, already qualified for planned decompression and progressive depth to 40 meters. Consequently the BSAC Open Water Instructor teaches a wider syllabus, up to Sports Diver and, with supervision, beyond.
In short, both are taught here, and qualified instructors from other agencies usually take the BSAC instructor crossover route rather than starting from the IFC.
Lesson structure, learning objectives, technical accuracy, teaching aids, questioning and checking understanding, to the standard the Theory Instructor Exam expects.
Briefing, explaining, demonstrating, positioning, observing, correcting, controlling the environment and debriefing, managed as one lesson rather than a list.
Above all, the extra variables: depth, visibility, current, buoyancy, buddy positioning, surface conditions, boat activity, entries and exits.
Clear, controlled, accurate, deliberate and easy to observe, because a demonstration shows a student exactly what success looks like.
Deciding whether the objective was met, when to repeat, and how to give feedback that changes the next attempt.
Likewise, finding the cause behind a mask problem, a buoyancy problem or plain discomfort, and choosing the fix that helps that student.
In addition, equipment preparation, entries, exits, buddy organization, boat briefings and surface supervision on a working dive boat.
Student ability, instructor-to-student ratios, depth, gas, conditions, surface support and emergency oxygen, considered before every lesson.
Finally, rehearsal of both exam formats, so the assessment day holds no surprises.
However, attending the training does not make anyone an OWI. In other words, the qualification arrives when you pass both BSAC exams to the required standard.
To begin with, we review your diver grade, IFC record, teaching experience, logged dives and BSAC membership, and we confirm the event with the Instructor Trainer. Consequently, do not book flights until we confirm it in writing.
Then the one-day course: you see an open water lesson, plan one and practice everything you learn.
Next, real theory, pool and open water lessons with our students under supervision, each one debriefed by an experienced instructor.
Afterward, preparation for the theory exam and the exam itself, which qualifies you to teach classroom and dry practical lessons unsupervised.
Finally, the practical exam and your Open Water Instructor award, with the exams booked through BSAC at your own pace.
However, the exact schedule depends on your existing qualifications, the authorized event and BSAC exam dates. In fact, that is why the course takes a day but the program is quoted per candidate.
Not there yet? The Instructor Foundation Course comes first, and the BSAC Dive Leader course supplies the diver grade. Moreover, if you already hold an instructor rating from another agency, send it to us first, because the crossover route is usually shorter.
Therefore your written quotation shows the program price and each applicable BSAC fee as separate lines. In fact, the exams belong to BSAC, which is why their fees never sit inside our price.
An instructor candidate needs students, and Hurghada has them all year: beginners in the pool every morning, sheltered reefs minutes from the marina, daily boats and an international mix of divers to brief in more than one language. Consequently your supervised teaching hours are real lessons with real students, not rehearsals with fellow candidates.
Moreover, the same base runs daily diving and liveaboards, so the boat-based teaching the brief describes is our ordinary working day. Our procedures sit on the diving safety page.
Furthermore, a Dive Leader working toward OWI can log the deeper experience dives here at the same time, which is exactly what the next instructor level asks for.
Gallery
The one-day course that extends an Assistant Diving Instructor’s teaching into open water. Above all, it is training, not an exam.
By contrast, a formal BSAC assessment of a planned and delivered theory lesson. Passing it makes you a Theory Instructor, teaching classroom and dry practical lessons unsupervised.
Then the practical assessment of your sheltered-water and open water teaching. Passing both exams completes the Open Water Instructor qualification.
Overall, the BSAC instructor route runs: Sports Diver → Instructor Foundation Course → Assistant Diving Instructor → Dive Leader → Open Water Instructor Course and the two exams → Open Water Instructor → Advanced Instructor → National Instructor. Meanwhile, an EFR Instructor rating adds first-aid teaching alongside either system.
Why us
Above all, ratios, depth, conditions and emergency oxygen come before every lesson, and the plan changes whenever the sea requires it.
Indeed, more than two decades of diving and liveaboard operations out of Hurghada, on every Egyptian route.
Furthermore, courses run every week, so your supervised teaching happens with real beginners rather than role-play.
Moreover, eight boats and a working marina mean the boat briefings, entries and surface supervision you practice are the ones we use daily.
In addition, we explain the £1,200 program price and every applicable BSAC fee in writing before you confirm.
Likewise, we teach both BSAC and PADI, so we can tell you honestly which instructor route fits your goals.
Questions
The Red Sea Diving program price is £1,200 per person. However, the official BSAC examination, membership and certification fees are separate unless your quotation specifically states otherwise.
No. The exams belong to BSAC. Therefore we charge their fees separately and explain them before booking.
Yes, subject to BSAC requirements, an authorized Instructor Trainer, your qualifications and availability. Consequently, do not book flights until we confirm your program in writing.
The Open Water Instructor Course takes one day. However, the full program, including supervised teaching and the two exams, runs at your pace and depends on your experience.
BSAC Dive Leader or an accepted equivalent, plus the Instructor Foundation Course. In other words, you arrive as an Assistant Diving Instructor.
Yes. The Instructor Foundation Course is the first step of the route, and the Open Water Instructor Course builds directly on it.
Sixteen for the Open Water Instructor Course. However, the Theory and Practical Instructor Exams require eighteen.
Qualified instructors from other recognized agencies usually have a different BSAC pathway, the instructor crossover route. Therefore send us your instructor certification first and we advise on the correct program.
No. You must pass the BSAC Theory Instructor Exam and Practical Instructor Exam to the required standard before receiving the full qualification.
Yes. In fact, theory instruction has its own exam, and passing it makes you a Theory Instructor even before the practical exam.
Yes. The one-day course is built around an open water lesson, and your supervised practice continues on the reefs around Hurghada.
The next major BSAC instructor level is Advanced Instructor, followed by National Instructor.
Send us your full name, your age, your nationality, your current diver and instructor qualifications and training agency, your IFC completion details, your number of logged dives, your teaching experience, the date of your last dive, your BSAC membership status, your preferred dates and the number of candidates. Then we review your qualifications and confirm the appropriate route and price in writing. For liveaboard diving in Egypt see also redsealiveaboard.net, and read the current fitness guidance from Divers Alert Network.
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Prefer to talk? Message us on WhatsApp or call +20 105 005 6542. In fact, we answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Red Sea Diving, Madares Street, Hurghada 1, Hurghada 84511, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. Diving and training here since 2000.
This page was last reviewed by the Red Sea Diving instructor team in September 2026.
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