Drift Diver
The PADI Drift Diver Specialty course teaches you how to enjoy going with the flow as you scuba dive down rivers and use ocean currents to glide along. It feels like flying – except that you’re underwater using scuba equipment. Drift diving can be relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. If this sound like fun, then the Drift Diver course is for you.
Along with drift diving techniques and procedures, you’ll:

  • Receive an introduction to drift diving equipment – floats, lines and reels.

  • Get an overview of aquatic currents – causes and effects.

  • Practice with buoyancy control, navigation and communication during two drift dives.

  • Learn techniques for staying close to a buddy or together as a group as you float with the current.


Nitrox
The PADI Enriched Air Diver course is PADI’s most popular specialty scuba course. Why? Because scuba diving with enriched air nitrox gives you more no decompression time, especially on repetitive scuba dives. If staying down longer and getting back in the water sooner sounds appealing, then don’t hesitate to become an enriched air diver.
You’ll learn why diving with air that has higher oxygen and lower nitrogen content gives you more bottom time, along with enriched air equipment considerations. During a practice session, and two of the simulated or open water dives you’ll:

  • Discuss managing oxygen exposure.

  • Practice analyzing oxygen content in your scuba tank.

  • Set your dive computer for diving with enriched air nitrox.


Deep
The lure of the deep. There’s something exciting and mysterious about exploring deeper dive sites while scuba diving. Sometimes it’s a wreck that attracts you below 60 feet, and on wall dives it may be a giant fan or sponge. Whatever it is, to scuba dive with confidence at depths down to 130 feet, you should take the PADI Deep Diver Specialty course.
Your training starts by reviewing reasons for deep diving and how important it is to know your personal limits. During four deep dives with your instructor, you’ll go over:

  • Specialized deep diving equipment.

  • Deep dive planning, buddy contact procedures and buoyancy control.

  • Managing your gas supply, dealing with gas narcosis and safety considerations.


Also, the first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.
 
Dry Suit
Want to stay warm? Want to extend your scuba diving season? Then dive dry. A dry suit seals you off from the water and keeps you comfortable, even in surprisingly cold water. There is incredible diving in the world’s cooler regions and in some areas, conditions are even better in colder months. Becoming a dry suit diver allows you to expand your boundaries and dive more places, more often.
The first thing you’ll discover is which dry suit style and accompanying undergarments are right for you and the diving you’ll do. Then you’ll learn how to take care of your dry suit. During two dives, in addition to a confined water dive, you’ll practice:

  • Putting on and taking off your dry suit with minimal assistance.

  • Mastering buoyancy control using your dry suit.

  • Dive safety procedures when using a dry suit. Also, the first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.


Underwater Navigator
Be the scuba diver everyone wants to follow because you know where you are and where you’re going. The PADI Underwater Navigator course fine-tunes your observation skills and teaches you to more accurately use your compass underwater. If you like challenges with big rewards, take this course and have fun finding your way.
You’ll learn the tools of the trade, including navigation using natural clues and by following compass headings. During three scuba dives, you’ll practice:

  • Methods to estimate distance underwater.

  • Compass navigation while making at least five turns.

  • Marking or relocating a submerged object or position from the surface.

  • Underwater map making.


Also, the first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.
 
Night
The thought of dipping below the surface at night seems mysterious, yet so alluring. Although you’ve been scuba diving at a site many times before, at night you drop into a whole new world and watch it come to life under the glow of your dive light. The scene changes as day creatures retire and nocturnal organisms emerge. If you’ve wondered what happens underwater after the sun goes down, sign up for the PADI Night Diver Specialty course.
Scuba diving at night teaches you to focus on what you can see in your light’s beam, on controlling your buoyancy by feel, on staying with your buddy and on paying attention to details you may overlook during the day. During three night dives, you’ll practice:

  • Light handling and communication techniques.

  • Entering, exiting and navigating in the dark.

  • Identifying how plants and animals differ or change behavior at night.

  • Also, the first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.


Wreck
Whether sunk on purpose as an artificial reef for scuba divers, or lost as the result of an accident, wrecks are fascinating windows to the past. Ships, airplanes and even cars are fascinating to explore and usually teem with aquatic life. Each wreck dive offers a chance for discovery, potentially unlocking a mystery or spying something others have missed. The PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course is popular because it offers rewarding adventures while observing responsible wreck diving practices.
There are many different types of wrecks, some of which are protected by laws that guard their historical and cultural significance. Your training starts by reviewing guidelines for researching and respecting wrecks. During four dives you’ll learn:

  • Safety considerations for navigating and exploring wrecks.

  • Surveying and mapping a wreck.

  • Using penetration lines and reels to guide exploration.

  • Techniques to avoid kicking up silt or disturbing the wreck and its inhabitants.


Also, the first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.

Peak Performance Buoyancy
Excellent buoyancy control is what defines skilled scuba divers. You’ve seen them underwater. They glide effortlessly, use less air and ascend, descend or hover almost as if by thought. They more easily observe aquatic life without disturbing their surroundings. You can achieve this, too. The PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course improves the buoyancy skills you learned as a new diver and elevates them to the next level.
During two scuba dives, you’ll learn how to:

  • Determine the exact weight you need, so you’re not too light or too heavy.

  • Trim your weight system and scuba gear so you’re perfectly balanced in the water.

  • Streamline to save energy, use air more efficiently and move more smoothly through the water.

  • Hover effortlessly in any position – vertical or horizontal.


Project AWARE
Project AWARE’s philosophy is to mobilize a global force of scuba divers and water enthusiasts who care about protecting the world’s water resources and choose to make a difference – one dive at a time. By earning the Project AWARE Specialist certification, you’ll be aware of the most pressing problems facing vulnerable aquatic environments and know what everyday actions you can take to help protect them.
Through classroom discussions, you learn:

  • How Project AWARE unites scuba divers and water enthusiasts to make a difference.

  • About environmental issues in the ocean commons and coastal zones.

  • About fisheries challenges and sustainability problems.

  • What’s happening to coral reefs and reef inhabitants?

  • Your role in protecting aquatic environments.


Fish Identification
“What was that fish?” is a common question heard after a dive. If you want to be the scuba diver with the answers, instead of the one asking the questions, then take the AWARE – Fish Identification Specialty course. You’ll enjoy your dives even more when you recognize the creatures that you see and can identify the main fish families and their characteristics.
Once you learn to recognize what types of fish you see, you’ll find it easier to reference the exact species after a scuba dive. For example, a butterfly fish in the Caribbean has a similar shape to a butterfly fish in Southeast Asia, but colors and markings may be wildly different. If you know what fish family it belongs to, you can more easily look up the local name or at least be able to intelligently ask the local scuba instructor what you saw.  During two scuba dives, you’ll learn:

  • How to identify characteristics of local fish families and species.

  • Fish survey techniques and strategies.

  • About Project AWARE activities that can help protect aquatic life


Lobster Hunter
This has New England diver written all over it. This is a two dive specialty. The first dive you will learn about lobsters and flounder, what the laws are, how to get a license, what equipment is needed and observe a dive professional with a lobster and fish license in action. The second dive is spent attempting to outwit the lobsters and catch them yourselves. You will also be taught about conservation and respecting the environment.


Underwater Naturalist

DSMB - Deploying Sausage / Marker Buoy


AWARE Coral Reef Conservation
Everyone likes to scuba dive or snorkel in warm, clear water on a vibrant coral reef, yet many people know little about what they’re seeing or the importance of reef ecosystems. The AWARE - Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course helps you appreciate the complexity of these habitats and teaches you how you can help conserve these vital systems.
Through classroom discussions only, this two hour course helps you learn:

  • How coral reefs function and the complex nature of life on a reef.
  • Why coral reefs are so important.
  • Why many coral reefs are in serious trouble.
  • What you can do to prevent further decline.
  • How Project AWARE unites divers and water enthusiasts to make a difference.​

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