NAUI VA Program – GI Bill® Open Water SCUBA Instructor Level

Step into a professional leadership role with the NAUI VA Program Open Water SCUBA Instructor Level at Vets Recover, in partnership with the Helping 2 Overcome (H2O) Program. This level is designed for Veterans, Active Duty service members, and eligible dependents who are ready to teach, mentor, and certify new divers while operating at the highest standard of safety and professionalism within the dive industry.

The Open Water SCUBA Instructor Level focuses on instructional methodology, dive leadership, risk management, and student evaluation, preparing you to independently conduct NAUI training courses and develop competent, confident divers. The course fee for this level is 2,000 USD and includes the NAUI Instructor Training Course (ITC) and Instructor Qualification Program (IQP), plus opportunities for additional NAUI specialty instructor ratings aligned with mission?oriented or safety?focused skills depending on program offerings. At this level, Helping 2 Overcome also provides you with an increased gear credit balance that you can apply toward professional?grade, mission?appropriate equipment to support your role as a dive leader and instructor.

All NAUI VA Program GI Bill® courses are paid up front by the participant. After you successfully complete the Instructor course, pass the required NAUI evaluations and exam(s), and earn your NAUI Open Water SCUBA Instructor certification, you submit your documentation to the Department of Veterans Affairs under the licensing and certification reimbursement process. The VA then reimburses you directly for the approved cost of the course according to your GI Bill® eligibility level and remaining entitlement. This Instructor Level is structured so that it uses only one month of GI Bill® eligibility, making it a clear, high?value step in a progressive pathway that prepares you for advanced professional diving, instructional careers, and mission?driven underwater operations.

By choosing Vets Recover and Helping 2 Overcome for your Rescue Scuba Diver training, you join a veteran?centric community that values service, preparedness, and peer support. You’ll train alongside other members of the military and veteran community, with access to structured progression, ongoing support, and opportunities to continue diving through future levels, charters, and H2O events focused on health, healing, and mission.