Scuba diving is a fun and rewarding hobby. But it also teaches you skills and knowledge that will benefit you in your everyday life.
There are many different specialty courses that certified divers can take. These specialty courses will teach you new underwater skills and introduce you to entirely new underwater worlds.
Deep Diving
Deep Diving is one of the most popular scuba diving specialties offered by PADI. It’s perfect for those who want to expand their scuba diving experience beyond the limits of their open water certification.
This specialty teaches you to plan and conduct safe deep dives, as well as learn to minimize the risks involved. You’ll learn about specialized deep diving equipment, dive planning, buddy contact procedures, buoyancy control at deeper waters, managing your air supply, and dealing with the possibility of nitrogen narcosis.
Depending on your training agency, completing this specialty usually takes three or four days, and can be completed either locally (in a classroom setting) or through digital learning. E-learning courses are ideal for those who need to get certified quickly but who don’t have a lot of time to study in a traditional classroom setting.
After completing the specialty course, you’ll be able to dive to 40 meters/ 130 feet while remaining within the no-decompression limit. You’ll also learn about the effects of rapid air consumption, and how to spot the symptoms of nitrogen narcosis.
Boat Diving
Boat diving, also called live-boating or drift-diving, is the practice of transporting a group of divers to a dive site via a small boat. It can be done for a single dive, or for extended periods of time.
In this kind of diving, the divers must work with the boat captain to determine safe water entry and exit procedures. They must also be aware of and adhere to the vessel’s recall system — that is, the procedure for returning to the boat if there is an emergency.
Before a dive starts, the dive team should present a briefing on the boat’s location and equipment (i.e., where the ladders are and how they are used), and safety-stop protocols for specific sites, ocean conditions, and maximum depth. They should also explain the dive leader’s duties and responsibilities, including how to enter and exit the water and return to the boat safely.
The process to get certified can take anywhere from three days to several months, depending on your chosen course provider. For instance, you can complete the academic portion of the program locally (in a classroom or online) and then finish your confined and open water dives while you’re on vacation.
Search & Recovery
Once you’ve been certified as a scuba diver, there are a variety of specialty certifications you can pursue. These are generally more specialized and require further training.
If you’re a beginner, you can get your Open Water Diver certification from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). Then, you can move on to other scuba diving specialties, such as Search & Recovery or Underwater Navigator.
PADI has an online course called eLearning that you can complete at your own pace from home. It’s similar to taking a high school course, but with video lessons and light quizzes throughout the program.
You can also get certified as a Search and Recovery diver through Scuba Diving International, or SDI. The course is modular and consists of a combination of e-learning and classroom learning with confined water dives in a pool, followed by open water dives at your destination.
The courses can typically be completed within 4 days. This is a popular option for those who want to get their certification while they’re on vacation.
Underwater Navigator
Navigating underwater is essential to a safe and enjoyable dive. It can be especially helpful when diving in new areas and attempting to locate a lost object.
It is important to learn how to use a compass properly when navigating underwater. Practice is crucial to mastering the technique.
Once you are comfortable with a compass, use it to plan your course. Using a compass, you can determine where you want to go and then swim in that direction until you reach your destination.
In the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty, you will learn how to navigate underwater using natural clues and a compass. You will also learn how to estimate distances underwater.
This specialty certification will help you become a more confident and competent diver. You can complete the course at your own pace through elearning.
Equipment Techniques
Equipment Techniques is a great way to become more comfortable and confident in your own dive gear. It teaches you how to choose, maintain, and store your Total Diving System (your scuba gear) to ensure its performance and longevity.
You’ll also learn how to take care of your equipment between dives, ensuring you get as much enjoyment from it as possible. This includes knowing how to fit, adjust, maintain and make small repairs right on the spot.
After learning the basics of scuba diving in confined water, you’ll get the chance to put everything together and go out into open water for your first training dive. Confined water dives are usually in a swimming pool or pool-like environment and allow you to practice your skills and become familiar with your gear.
Your first scuba training dive may credit toward your PADI Open Water Diver certification, and you can earn other SSI specialties as your scuba skills and knowledge develop. A variety of specialties are available, and instructors can recommend the ones that best suit your personal interests and goals.
Night Diving
Night diving is a fantastic way to explore the underwater world. It’s a totally different experience from day diving and you’ll be able to see a whole new side of the world.
It’s also a time when the marine life come out to feed and there is so much more to see! Some creatures are even bioluminescent, so they glow in the dark.
The ocean is full of fascinating creatures and as a night diver you will be able to see them up close. There are Manta Rays, Great Barracudas, shrimp and crabs all coming out to feed.
Some of these creatures are nocturnal and sleep at night. They can be a bit tricky to spot in the dark but it’s worth it for the amazing experience.
To learn how to dive safely at night you must take a night diving course. This will teach you how to use your lights, stay in contact with your buddy and avoid disorientation.
Limited Visibility
If you are a night diver or you dive in conditions with low visibility, you will need to learn different skills. Our SSI Night and Limited Visibility course is designed to prepare you to enter the water, use specialized equipment and communicate with your buddy safely.
When you have the proper equipment and the right attitude, diving in limited visibility can be a great experience. You can still see the same things, but they look different and sometimes even more magical.
Often in poor visibility, you have to slow down your pace and be very mindful of where you are going. This will not only make you safer, but it will also improve your air consumption and help you stay focused on the important parts of your dive.
One of the most important things you need is a good quality dive light. It should be a good size, comfortable to hold and can be easily stowed or accessed when needed. It should also have a backup light so that if you get separated from your buddy, they can still be able to find you underwater.
Navigation
Navigation is the art and science of determining the position of a craft or vehicle and controlling its movement to reach a specific destination. This can be done by using maps, landmarks, or even computerized navigation systems like GPS, RADAR, and AIS (Automated Identification System) that use algorithms to determine the shortest route from point A to point B.
Navigators also use compasses to measure their vessel’s distance and bearing to an object. Charts are also used to help with this process.
In Phase 2, we tested participants on their ability to navigate back to a starting point unassisted by asking them to reverse the route they had just followed. This way we could track navigation errors and identify whether they were caused by lack of spatial knowledge or by a poor spatial decision-making task.
