SDI Specialty Programs

SDI / TDI Specialty Courses

SDI Specialty Programs

Advanced Buoyancy (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Advanced Nitrox (TDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Boat Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Course Materials

Computer Nitrox (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, & Certification Fee

CPR1st (SDI)

CPROX1st AED (SDI)

Deep Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Decompression Procedures (TDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Dry Suit Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Equipment Specialist (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition & Certification Fee

Intro to Tech (TDI) - - - 

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Marine EcoSystems Awareness (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Night-Limited Visibility Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Nitrox Diver (TDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, & Certification Fee

Nitrox Gas Blender (TDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, & Certification Fee

Search & Recovery Diver (SDI) - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Sidemount Diver (TDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Sidemount Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Solo Diver (SDI) - - - 

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Underwater Navigation Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Underwater Photography (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Underwater Video (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

Wreck Diver (SDI) - - -

Includes: Course Tuition, Course Materials, Certification Fee, & Quarry Fees

 Advanced Adventure Diver

You’ve taken your open water scuba diver course and now you’re ready to expand your knowledge but you would like to see what is out there first. The SDI Advanced Adventure Diver course will give you an overview of five (5) selected SDI specialties. Two of the specialties are SDI Deep Diver and Navigation Diver, which are the foundation of continuing diver education. The remaining specialties include

  • Advanced Buoyancy Control
  • Altitude, Boat
  • Computer Nitrox
  • Drift
  • Marine Ecosystem Awareness
  • Many More!

This course is intended to introduce you to each of the five (5) specialties and not complete comprehension of the chosen specialty. One (1) dive from each of the chosen specialties may apply towards a complete specialty certification.

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 Advanced Buoyancy

While taking your Open Water Scuba Diver course you learned the basics of how to control and use your buoyancy, now take the SDI Advanced Buoyancy control course and make diving even more effortless and truly enjoy the freedom from gravity. Some of the tricks you will learn from your SDI Instructor include

  • Breath control
  • Proper weighting
  • Placement of trim weights
  • Body position and trim
  • Streamlining equipment
  • Factors that affect buoyancy

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 Altitude Diver

If you dive at altitude or are planning to, the SDI Altitude Diver course is a must for you. Let an SDI Instructor teach you the proper techniques and differences of diving at altitude. Some of the many skills you will learn during the course are

  • Calculating for nitrogen adsorption
  • Using altitude tables
  • Correction for gauge depth
  • Physics and physiology of altitude diving

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 Boat Diver

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 an includes

  • Safe entries and exits
  • Proper stowing of equipment
  • Safety procedures
  • Planning boat dives
  • Drift diving from live boats

During the course you go on two dives and put to use the valuable information you have learned

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 Computer Diver

The SDI Computer Diver course is for divers how 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

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 Computer Nitrox Diver

The SDI Computer Nitrox course is a great next step after the Open Water Diver certification and is structured in an easy to understand manner by making use of a Nitrox programmable computer.  Nitrox is a breathing gas that has a lot of benefits for both new and experienced divers.  The course will cover the use of Nitrox mixtures from 22 to 40 percent oxygen.  The benefits of using Nitrox include

  • Increased safety margins
  • Reduced post dive fatigue
  • Extended no-decompression times

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 CPROX Administrator Course

The CPROX course is a straight forward no nonsense approach to teaching you as the first responder to an emergency how to handle the situation.  The course is Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Oxygen administration combined into one program.  You will learn how to use what is at your disposal to treat and stabilize victims until medically trained professionals arrive. Subjects that are covered included

  • Scene assessment
  • CPR
  • O2 administration

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 CPR1st Administrator Course

The CPR1st course is one of the two first responder courses that SDI offers.  CPR1st, like SDI’s other course CPROX, is a straight forwarded program that teaches what you need to know to respond to an emergency until trained professionals arrive.  The course is Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and First Aid combined in a comprehensive easy to remember format. You will learn the basics of

  • Stabilizing a victim
  • Using materials that are on hand to respond to injuries
  • Administering proper CPR

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 Deep Diver

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, ship wrecks, 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 have increased.  The Deep Diver course has a maximum depth of 40m/130, the suggested sport diving limit.

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 Diver Propulsion Vehicle

For those divers wishing to go a little father or a little faster the SDI Diver Propulsion Vehicle course (DPV) is the perfect course.  This course is also ideal for divers needing a little assistance getting through the water due to leg problems.  While taking the course your SDI Instructor will teach you about

  • Battery burn times
  • Selecting a DPV
  • Ear equalizations
  • Descents
  • Ascents
  • Care and maintenance of the DPV

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 Drift Diver

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

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 Dry Suit Diver

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

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 Equipment Specialist

There are many things that you as a diver can do to maintain your equipment and the SDI Equipment Specialty course is just the place to learn how to do that maintenance.  This course covers BCs’, regulators, wetsuits, dry suits and many more of the equipment items used while diving. Your SDI Instructor will teach

  • Proper cleaning of equipment
  • Proper storage
  • Transportation and storage of dive cylinders

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 Full Face Mask Diver Specialty

Divers often have a need or want to affectively communicate underwater the SDI Full Face Mask Diver course is the perfect starting point. Full face masks are also often used in waters with low visibility that may be contaminated or waters that are colder the full face mask will protect you from the elements.  You will learn what mask is right for you, how to don a full face mask, and care and maintenance along with many other topics of interest.

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 Inactive Diver Program

Has it been a while since you have been diving? Have 12 months gone by and you are planning a big trip? Do you want the reassurance that you are doing everything properly? The SDI Inactive Diver Program will get you back up to speed. During the course, your SDI Instructor will review equipment assembly and maintenance, dive planning, hand signals, proper ascents and descents, emergency procedures, and buoyancy. By the end of this course you will be able to enjoy your next big dive with confidence and ease.

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 Ice Diver

Ice diving can be a serene and beautiful aspect of Scuba diving. As a winter activity, ice diving offers the diver the opportunity to enjoy sport diving year round. Diving under ice presents hazards not common to the Open Water Diver and special training is required. The purpose of this course is to acquaint the diver with many of the hazards associated with ice diving and how to plan and execute an ice dive.

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 Marine Ecosystems Awareness

As divers, we have a vested interest in protecting the marine environment. In many cases, divers do not have environmental information about their own local sites. The SDI Marine Ecosystems Awareness specialty will increase the Open Water Diver’s understanding of marine environments, the problems facing these unique ecosystems, and the role that divers can play in protecting our marine resources. Your SDI Instructor will cover your local diving ecosystems as well as others around the globe.

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 Night- Limited Visibility Diver

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 techniques 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.

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 Research Diver

The SDI Research Diver course will acquaint the open water diver with the fascinating topic of Research Diving. After the completion of this course, you will be better able to discover, explore, and appreciate the underwater environment by using research techniques and better preserve and protect the underwater environment.  Some of the topics your SDI Instructor will cover include

  • Ecology
  • Food chain
  • Data collection
  • Survey techniques
  • Mapping
  • Basic oceanography

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 Search & Recovery Diver

SDI’s Search and Recovery Diver specialty will teach you the basic of searching for a lost object from outboard boat motors to jewelry.  You will also learn to recovery the object once it is located this includes the use of lift bags and tying lines underwater to secure and lift the object.  Your SDI Instructor will cover skills such as

  • Carrying deploying and attaching lift bags
  • Conducting search patterns
  • Entanglement avoidance
  • Recovering and preserving objects

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 Shore/Beach Diver

Many great dives are located just off shore and can be easily accessed from shore.  The SDI Shore and Beach Diver course will teach you the proper techniques for entries and exits, navigation, avoiding currents, and planning of safe shore dives.

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 SDI Open Water Sidemount Diver

SDI’s Open Water Sidemount Diver Specialty is a must for any sport diver wishing to use this increasingly popular equipment configuration.  It teaches students how to safely utilize side-mounted primary cylinders as an alternative to the traditional back-mounted method.

During the course, your SDI Instructor will take you on a minimum of two dives and cover skills such as:

  • Equipment considerations
  • Gas management
  • Attaching cylinders
  • Trim and Buoyancy
  • Different water entries

The Sidemount Diver course is strictly non-decompression with a maximum depth limit of 40m/130ft (or within the limit of the student’s current certification, whichever is shallower).   Prerequisites to enroll on the SDI Open Water Sidemount Diver course are: Age 18 (or 15 with parental consent), SDI Open Water Diver or equivalent.

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 Underwater Hunter & Collector

The SDI Underwater Hunter Collector course will teach you the proper techniques for collection and hunting of certain species of marine life.  You will learn which species can be taken according to local laws and regulations and how this collection can be done safely with low environmental impact.  During the two dives with your SDI Instructor you will

  • Use collection devices
  • Practice on underwater targets
  • Identify habits

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 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

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 Underwater Photography

Making a dive and seeing wonders 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 a discussion of many areas of interest to the photographer.  Your SDI Instructor will assist you in selecting a camera, good buoyancy 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.

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 Underwater Video

Most divers have a desire to bring home the sights and sounds of being underwater, if a picture tells a thousand words a video tells a thousand words per second. The SDI Underwater Video course makes it possible for you to save your underwater experiences and share them with others. Shooting underwater video is fun, exciting, and easy to learn. Some of the things you will learn during the course are equipment, techniques, and procedures needed to plan and shoot underwater video with maximum safety.

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 Visual Inspection Procedures

During the SDI Visual Inspection Procedures course you will learn to promote safety in the care and maintenance of high-pressure scuba cylinders by way of your SDI Instructor and a comprehensive Visual Inspection Procedures manual. One of the goals is to raise the consciousness of the industry to the need to meet and exceed the minimum standards established by local Regulations. Another goal is to train inspectors in the proper handling, filling, and inspection techniques including the identification of the various defective conditions that can lead to cylinder rejection or condemnation.

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 Wreck Diver

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. 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.

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 Solo Diver Course

One of SDI’s most popular courses, the solo diver program teaches experienced recreational divers how to safely dive independently of a dive buddy or strengthen your buddy team skills. The course stresses on proper dive planning, personal limitations, accident prevention as well as the benefits, hazards, and proper procedures for diving solo. You will also learn the additional equipment that is required for solo diving including it’s proper usage and assembly. This is the prefect course for underwater photography and underwater video divers.

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