You’ve got a few dives under your belt and decided the diving life is for you. What’s the next step to becoming the best diver you can be?
Ask any PADI Professional and they’ll tell you that new and experienced divers tend to run into the same challenges again and again. For example, jumping the gun during entries, drifting up and down as buoyancy changes or temporarily blinding a buddy by shining a dive light straight into their eyes while trying to get their attention.
The good news? There are PADI Specialty courses to cover all of this. Hone your skills, boost your confidence and take your underwater explorations further — all recommended by the dive professionals who know what works.
Here are some PADI Specialties that PADI Pros wish all divers would take.
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Nobody is perfect at the start. Accidental crash landings and kicking up clouds of sand happen to every diver. But there are ways to minimize it. What’s the secret? Buoyancy control.
In the Peak Performance Buoyancy course, you’ll learn how to perfect your weight, hover effortlessly and achieve neutral buoyancy. Improving these skills will help you to relax, become more confident, move through the water without disturbing aquatic life and reduce your air consumption.
It’s also really fun! That’s why it’s one of the Pros’ favorite courses to teach as well as being one of their top recommendations.
Fish Identification Diver
Every dive pro knows the moment. Back on the dive boat, a diver excitedly tries to describe a fish they saw and asks for an instant ID. “What was that silver one? It had fins, was about this big and swam away.” Of course, guides are happy to help if they can, but it’s not always easy to identify every fish from a quick — and sometimes lacking — description.
The Fish Identification specialty teaches you how to recognize fish by their body and mouth shape, fins, colors and markings. You’ll also learn the importance of ocean conservation and how to carry out fish surveys.
Before long, you’ll be able to identify and recognize species for yourself — and maybe even answer those questions for other divers.
AWARE − Dive Against Debris®
While it would be great if environmental responsibility came naturally, dive pros know it often needs to be taught — like keeping dive sites clean and making mindful choices above and below the surface.
In the Dive Against Debris course, you’ll learn how to identify which objects should and shouldn’t be removed from the ocean, how to safely remove underwater litter and how to record and report what you find on PADI AWARE Foundation’s global underwater database.
This course is more than simply collecting trash from your local dive site. It’s about being an advocate for the ocean, helping scientists understand marine debris and making a positive impact on every dive you make.
Underwater Navigator
Most of us rely on our phones to get around. A tap of an app and a map opens, showing us exactly where to go. But GPS doesn’t work underwater, and a compass is only useful once you know how to use it. Every dive pro has seen it — a diver surfaces, looking around, completely unsure which way the boat went.
The Underwater Navigator course introduces you to essential navigation skills on dry land before putting them into practice underwater. You’ll learn to use a compass, read natural cues like sunlight, currents, sand ripples and reef contours. You’ll also learn common navigation patterns, how to navigate while making multiple turns and how to estimate distances underwater.
Bringing these skills together helps make sure you don’t lose your way underwater, building confidence and self-reliance along the way.
Night Diver
Scuba diving in the dark requires skills that don’t always come naturally, which can leave divers nervously waving their dive lights or signaling the wrong thing while trying to communicate.
In the Night Diver course, your instructor will introduce you to the mysteries of the underwater world as it comes to life at night. You’ll learn important techniques, including how to plan your dive, use a dive light, descend and ascend in the dark and navigate in low light conditions. You’ll also learn how to communicate with your light and spot nocturnal creatures.
Many divers describe their first night dive as magical. It’s a chance to see a familiar dive site in a completely new way and discover marine life that’s rarely seen in daylight.
Ready To Take Your Diving to the Next Level?
Each of these PADI specialty courses — whether they sharpen skills, expand knowledge or get you involved in conservation — gives you the chance to bring new levels of confidence, purpose and meaning to your diving adventures.
Plus, every completed course brings you one step closer to earning the PADI Master Scuba Diver™ rating.
