PADI and NAUI Specialty Scuba Diver Training

Focus on the activities that interest you the most...

You'll have lots of fun in one of our PADI or NAUI specialty courses, where you'll learn new skills, meet new dive buddies, and expand your diving abilities. Most specialties require a minimal amount of self-study and classroom work while maximizing your in-water dive time!

Become a PADI Master Scuba Diver by completing 5 specialties and Rescue Diver certification. The Master Scuba Diver rating is the highest recreational rating in the PADI system of diver education. Achieving Master Scuba Diver status is a mark of distinction that denotes superior achievement and proficiency in dive skills, experience and underwater activities.

While our instructors are certified to teach over 20 different specialties, the following are some of our most popular programs:

AWARE Fish Identification

Become the fish identification expert on your next trip. This fun program covers the knowledge and techniques needed for identifying fish common to either fresh water or ocean environments, depending on where you actually do the class. You'll do two dives, which may be completed in one day. Prerequisites: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Boat Diver

The Boat Diver program makes diving easy - just take one giant step off the back and you're in the water! During this course you'll go on two open water dives off of a boat (hence the name "Boat Diver specialty) and will learn the techniques and procedures for diving from different types of boats. Prerequisites: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Cavern Diver

If you have an interest to explore the hidden secrets found in caverns around the world then this program is a must! Cavern diving is defined as any dive conducted within the light zone of a cave. The light zone is the area near the entrance of the cave where you can see natural light at all times. The program covers such things as the planning, organization procedures, techniques, problems, and hazards of cavern and cave diving, as well as special equipment considerations, including lighting, guidelines, reel handling and redundant breathing systems. The program involves classroom work and a minimum of four dives (which must be done over at least two days) during which you'll practice buoyancy and propulsion techniques, the use of lines and reels, and emergency procedures. To participate in this challenging program, you need to be at least an Advanced Open Water diver and 18 years old.

DAN/PADI Oxygen First Aid

Standard first aid treatment for a suspected diving accident involves the prompt administration of oxygen. This course is a must for every diver, regardless of certification level, or any non-diver who may be present at locations where diving is taking place. The training you receive during this program might just save someone's life! In this four hour class you'll learn about the benefits of oxygen to injured divers and will receive lots of hands-on training in the use of the DAN oxygen unit and the proper administration of oxygen during simulated diving injury scenarios. Prerequisite: PADI Emergency First Response or current CPR certification.

Deep Diver

Diving below 60 feet is exhilarating, but requires specialized training in order to be done safely. This specialty class will introduce you to the hazards, skills and techniques of diving to depths of between 60 and 130 feet. You'll do a minumum of 4 fun open water dives at depths up to 130 feet, which can be completed at Mermet Springs or on one of our ocean diving adventures. The academic material may either be reviewed during a formal classroom session or at the dive site during extended pre-dive briefings and information exchanges. Prerequisite certification: Advanced Open Water certification, 12 years of age.

Drift Diver

Gliding with the currents, feeling the rush of flying underwater is what drift diving is all about. The drift diver specialty course covers the planning, organization, procedures, techniques and potential hazards of drift diving. The class involves two open water dives and may be completed on many of our Caribbean diving adventures. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Dry Suit Diver

Experience the joy of diving dry! This specialty course is designed to be a safe, supervised introduction to dry suit diving. After a brief classroom session you'll go to the pool where you'll practice such skills as proper weighting, buoyancy control, ascent and descent techniques, and emergency procedures. After the pool dive, you'll do two open water dives where you'll apply the techniques that you learned in the pool. After taking this class, you may never want to dive in a wet suit again!. Bring your own dry suit or rent one of ours for the class. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox)

This is rapidly becoming our most popular specialty. Diving with enriched air (also called nitrox) can safely extend your bottom time and give you an extra margin of safety. Many nitrox divers swear that nitrox reduces that end of the day fatigue most of us experience after a long day of diving. This course will teach you everything that you need to know in order to safely dive with nitrox mixtures of up to 40%. The class consists of one classroom session and 2 open water dives which can be completed in one day. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification with at least 10 additional dives after certification or Advanced Open Water certification, 12 years of age.

Equipment Specialist

Want to learn more about how diving equipment works and how to properly maintain and care for it? Then this is the course for you. This 8 hour class will provide you with information concerning the theory, principles and operation of dive equipment, recommended care, maintenance and storage techniques, common equipment problems and troubleshooting techniques, and suggestions for comfortable equipment configurations. Although this is not an equipment repair course, the techniques you learn during this program can help you prolong the life of your equipment and avoid common equipment problems.

Emergency First Response/NAUI First Aid

Although not technically specialty courses, these programs satisfy the CPR & First Aid requirements for the Rescue Diver and leadership level courses. Both programs provide training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), including the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs), and emergency care. They are medically based programs covering primary care, secondary care and treatments, and are open to divers and non-divers alike. Want to be ready in an emergency? Then these classes are for you!

Multilevel Diver

Because there's so much to see and do underwater, most of us want to be able to stay as long as we safely can. So, to maximize your underwater adventure, you should learn how to plan and carryout a multilevel dive. During this program you'll do two open water dives, both of which may be conducted in one day. You'll also be exposed to a variety of different types of multilevel dive calculators (the Wheel and various types of dive computers). The open water dives may be done during any of our Caribbean diving adventures or during many of our weekend excursions to such locations as Haigh Quarry and Mermet Springs. Prerequisites: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Night Diver

Night diving is mysterious and magical. At night, familiar dive sites take on an entirely new look as nocturnal animals emerge from their daytime hiding places. This course will introduce you to the skills and techniques for diving at night or in low-visibility conditions including dive site evaluation, using and maintaining dive lights, night navigation, and other topics. The class involves 3 open water dives. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Peak Performance Buoyancy

This course covers all aspects of buoyancy control and involves 2 open water training dives where you will practice proper weighting skills, learn new propulsion techniques and fine tune your buoyancy skills. This course will not only make your diving safer and more enjoyable, but will probably increase your bottom times and improve your air consumption. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Search and Recovery Diver

Just about every diver at some point in their diving career will be asked to find something that has been "lost" in the water. Maybe it's someone's mask, or a wallet dropped by a careless boater. This course develops the skills you need to locate and retrieve lost articles, large and small, within recreational diving limits. Planning, organization, procedures, problems, and hazards of search and recovery diving are just a few of the topics covered in the course. You'll do 4 open water dives during which you'll practice a variety of search patterns and techniques and learn how to use lift bags. Pre-requisites: Advanced Open Water certification plus 12 years of age.

Underwater Naturalist

Interested in sea life? Then this is the program for you! You'll do two open water dives, which may be conducted in one day, which will introduce you to different aquatic life and include an overview of responsible human interactions with aquatic life. This class may be completed during many of our ocean diving adventures. Prerequisites: Entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Underwater Navigator

Are you navigationally challenged? Afraid of your compass? Then this is the specialty for you! The class consists of three open water dives where you'll perfect the basic compass techniques you learned in you open water class. Plus you'll learn how to use environmental clues to aid your navigation as well as advanced compass patterns. Prerequisite: Entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Underwater Photography

One of our most requested specialty courses. Who doesn't want to capture the beauty of the underwater world on film? The class involves a couple of classroom sessions, one pool dive and two open water dives where you'll learn about underwater photo equipment, film, basic photographic principles and techniques, composition, lighting, camera maintenance and other topics. The course fee includes the use of an underwater camera system, or you can use your own. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Underwater Videography

Underwater videography allows you to share and re-live with your family and friends all the excitement and beauty of your dive vacation. In this class, you'll learn about the different video formats and types of video systems available, equipment care and maintenance procedures, and basic underwater video principles, techniques and editing. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to shoot good underwater videos. The class involves one classroom session, a pool dive, and two open water dives. Bring your video system or we will provide a system for you at no extra charge. Prerequisite: entry level scuba certification plus 12 years of age.

Wreck Diver

Whether its your first or your hundredth dive on it, very few experiences in diving compare with the thrill of descending on a wreck. This very popular specialty will introduce you to the skills and techniques of safe wreck diving, including wreck diving hazards, equipment, wreck navigation, mapping, and basic wreck penetration techniques. Four open water training dives and one classroom session are required. Prerequisite: Advanced Open Water certification plus 12 years of age.

Check our calendar page or call us for available class dates and prices. Classes may also be scheduled on an individual basis.