Scuba Certifications – Part II – Specialty Courses

Now that you are Scuba Certified, what can you do next?  Well, we have just the information for you!  In this post, you’re going to learn about the Specialty Scuba Certifications that you can partake in.

Boat

Scuba Diving from boats is an everyday occurrence. Whether on a private vessel or one of the many charter dive boats available worldwide, divers are frequently not aware of the special procedures and etiquette used when boat diving. The SDI Boat Diver course will introduce you to some different types of boat diving and the skills needed to plan and conduct a boat dive with maximum safety. The list of skills and knowledge you will obtain during this course is long and includes

  • Safe Entries and Exits
  • Proper stowing of equipment
  • Safety Procedures
  • Planning boat dives
  • Drift diving from live boats.

Computer

The SDI Computer Diver course is for divers who have not yet used a dive computer or for divers that want to learn a little more about the computer they are using. During the course and the two dives that go along with it, your SDI Instructor will cover:

  • Computers vs Tables
  • Display information
  • Types of computers
  • Downloading information
  • Utilizing planning modes
  • Programming computers

Personal Dive Computers are used by the vast majority of divers today and have proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring and documenting dives.

Deep

SDI’s Deep Diver course is a must for any diver wishing to explore a little more and will teach you the risks and benefits of deep diving. Many interesting sights lie just beyond 18m/60ft such as beautiful wall dives, shipwrecks, and critters that don’t come into the shallows. During the course, your SDI Instructor will take you on two covers skills like:

  • Proper descents
  • Air management
  • Effects of nitrogen narcosis
  • Dive planning

By the end of the course, your knowledge and comfort level will be increased. The Deep Diver course has a maximum depth of 40m/130 ft, the suggested sport diving limit.

Drift

Some of the best dives in the world are found in currents where the nutrients are rich and ready to be feed on by soft corals, sponges, and Manta rays. Whether you’re planning on drifting down a wall or shooting through a passage, the SDI Drift Diver course will teach you the techniques for doing it safely. The course covers:

  • Tides and currents
  • Buddy Procedures
  • Entries from live boats
  • Navigations
  • Buoyancy Control

Dry Suit

The SDI Dry Suit Diver course will open up a whole new world of diving to you. Many of the waters around the world are better dove in a dry suit. These waters have an abundance of marine life waiting to be seen and photographed, dry suits are also being used in tropical waters during the cooler months. Your SDI Instructor will teach you

  • Selection of a dry suit
  • Care and maintenance
  • Emergency procedures
  • Proper Weighting
  • Buoyancy Control

Night/Limited Visibility

Many divers find that night diving is their favorite type of diving. As with all specialty diving applications, procedures are different than those associated with Open Water Diving. The purpose of the SDI Night & Limited Visibility Diver course is to acquaint the Open Water Scuba Diver with the procedures, techniques, and potential hazards associated with diving at night or in limited visibility. By becoming familiar with the use of dive lights and night diving equipment such as navigation

  • Buddy system procedures
  • Communications
  • Buoyancy control
  • Interacting with nocturnal aquatic life

You will be able to enjoy night diving with maximum safety and comfort.

Underwater Navigation

One of the most important skills a diver can have is good navigation; this could be with a compass or by natural formations. The SDI Underwater Navigation Diver course will teach you the necessary skills to navigate using a compass and natural navigation. During the course your SDI Instructor will teach you:

  • Compass Features
  • Distance estimating
  • Reading ocean bottom contours
  • Practice skills

Photography

Making a dive and seeing waters of the aquatic environment can only be topped by taking pictures of it to share with friends and family. The SDI Underwater Photography course allows you to experience some of the special considerations of underwater photography, with the discussion of many areas of interest to the photographer. Your SDI Instructor will assist you in selecting a camera, good buoyance techniques, lighting, and framing of the perfect shot. Whether you want to use film or digital, this course and your SDI Instructor will teach you what you need to know.

Wreck

  1.             Diving Ship Wrecks are a passage into the past. With each wreck, there is a story to tell – some wrecks are historic participants of and era, while others…just a spectator in time.  Diving these wrecks can be an adventure all on its own.  Wreck diving can be one of the most exciting aspects of sport diving and can uncover pieces of history seen by few others, however, every effort must be made to maximize safe diving techniques.
  2.             In the SDI Wreck Diver course, we will discuss and use equipment and techniques commonly employed while wreck diving. This course may be taught as a 1) non-penetration (2 total dives) or 2) limited-penetration (3 total dives) course. In the event of “Limited Penetration Training,” limited penetration is defined as “swim through or within the ambient light of entry point,”. Your SDI Instructor will teach you how to safely plan and execute wreck dives in a fun and enjoyable way.
  3.             By signing up for this wreck course, the prospective student has begun to enter one of the most popular diving activities in the world. Combining adventure, exploration, and history, shipwreck diving is something almost no diver can resist. One of the best ways to participate in wreck diving is from a dive boat, and this alone can open up new vistas of diving areas that may have originally been thought inaccessible or unreachable. Drift diving is a unique experience where a gentle current in clear water can give divers a completely different perspective on their underwater world. This course will provide helpful hints, secrets, and techniques for all three activities.

 

These courses are all offered at Extreme Sports Scuba so if you have any questions or find a certification you’re interested in pursuing, please contact us and we’ll be more than happy to help you.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *