
PADI Specialty Courses

Scroll & browse the many PADI specialty courses available by request from Subsurface Veterans or click on the links below.
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The cost for all specialty classes varies - contact us for pricing. Additional cost for equipment and boat rental.
PADI Emergency First Response Class
Many divers take the PADI Emergency First Response course (EFR) to prepare for Rescue Diver or Divemaster. However divers and non-divers alike will find this course to be rewarding and beneficial in everyday life. It is designed to build rescuer confidence in providing care when faced with a medical emergency. Not only does it meet CPR and First Aid requirements for PADI’s courses, but it also meets OSHA guidelines and a variety of other organizations.
Some of the topics covered:
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Scene assessment
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Universal precautions and barrier management
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Rescue breathing
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Basic Life Support CPR
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Bleeding and shock management
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Spinal injury management
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Basic first aid and first aid kit recommendations
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Splinting and bandaging techniques
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Choking response
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AED use
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Oxygen administration
What Is Involved?
Through a combination of independent study and skill practice with an instructor, you’ll build the confidence and skills to provide basic emergency care.
Self-Study – Before the start of the PADI Emergency First Response class, you will work through the EFR Primary and Secondary Care Manual, complete the knowledge reviews, and watch the DVD.
Classroom – In 1-2 classroom session(s), your instructor will prepare you for realistic emergency scenarios, allowing you to practice correct procedures and techniques. Combining teaching with hands-on demonstration and skill practice, the classroom sessions are fun and instructive.
PADI Enriched Air
Few things have revolutionized recreational diving in the past decade as much as the introduction of Enriched Air Nitrox (EANx). Nitrox is simply air with additional oxygen added to reduce the concentration of nitrogen. While the additional oxygen offers no benefit in and of itself (and can, in fact, pose additional risk at depth), breathing less nitrogen provides divers with several benefits:
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Longer no-decompression limits
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Shorter surface intervals
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Reduced risk of decompression sickness
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Reduced fatigue after dives
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May also improve gas consumption
What Is Involved?
There are no required dives and no pool time for the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Course. Some of the topics that will be covered are: EANx equipment, Enriched Air settings on your computer, managing oxygen exposure, analyzing EANx cylinders, EANx diving emergencies, and more.
Self-Study – You will need to review a small manual, complete the knowledge reviews, and watch the EANx DVD.
Classroom – The classroom discussion will review and expand on what you’ve learned on your own. Then you will get to practice analyzing EANx cylinders and see how an EANx cylinder is filled at the filling station.
What Equipment Is Required?
You will need to bring your PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Crewpack and your Open Water RDP (Recreational Dive Planner). If you own an EANx compatible dive computer, you may bring it to the class to practice EANx setup and dive planning.
PADI Night Diver
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. You will learn:
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Light handling and communication techniques.
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Entering, exiting, and navigating in the dark.
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Identifying how plants and animals differ or change behavior at night.
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What Is Involved?
There is self-study, one classroom session done at the lake, and three night dives involved with this course.
Self-Study – PADI Night Diver Manual, DVD, and knowledge reviews must be completed before the dives.
Classroom – Your PADI-certified Night Diver Instructor will review what you’ve learned on your own, go over knowledge review questions, and help you prepare for your night dives.
Night Dives – Under the supervision of your instructor, you will perform a series of three night dives.
PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Class
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.
While working on moving more efficiently through the water, you’ll also learn how to:
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Determine the exact weight you need, so you’re not too light or too heavy.
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Trim your weight system and scuba gear so you’re perfectly balanced in the water.
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Streamline to save energy, use air more efficiently.
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Hover effortlessly in any position.
What Is Involved?
There is self-study, one classroom session done at the lake, and two dives involved with this course.
Self-Study – PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Crewpak with DVD and knowledge reviews must be completed before the dives.
Classroom – Your PADI certified Instructor will review what you’ve learned on your own, go over knowledge review questions, and help you prepare for your Peak Buoyancy dives.
Dives – Under the supervision of your instructor, you will perform a two dives.
PADI Search and Recovery Class
Known as a “very practical and fun course,” the Search and Recovery course enhances your navigational skills and gives you valuable diving experience. You will learn how to plan and conduct safe search and recovery dives, establish appropriate search patterns, work through problems posed by limited visibility, and practice methods for recovering lost or sunken objects. This course is not only fun but will greatly improve your diving abilities.
What is involved?
Self-Study – You will need to review a small manual, complete the knowledge reviews, and watch the Search and Recovery DVD before the class time.
Search and Recovery Dives – Under the supervision of your instructor, you will perform skills at depth in a series of four open water dives.
PADI Underwater Navigation
Underwater Navigation is one of the key tools you will need anywhere you go diving. Whether your plans are to dive in lakes or tropical ocean destinations, this class will prepare you for navigating those scenarios. Mastering underwater navigation will make your diving much more enjoyable, less stressful and build your confidence in the water.
In this class you will learn the tools of the trade, including navigation using natural clues and by following compass headings.
What is involved?
Self-Study – You will need to review a small manual, complete the knowledge reviews, and watch the Underwater Navigation DVD before the class time.
Underwater Navigation Dives – Under the supervision of your instructor, you will perform skills at depth in a series of three open water dives.
During three scuba dives, you’ll practice:
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Methods to estimate distance underwater.
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Compass navigation while making at least five turns.
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Marking or relocating a submerged object or position from the surface.
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Underwater map making.
PADI Boat Diver Specialty Course
The PADI Boat Diver program makes scuba diving easy - just take a giant step off the back of the boat and you're in the water!
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Boats and diving obviously fit together like hands in gloves. You can only reach some of the best dive sites by boat, and this is true of most places in the world. Diving from boats is also more convenient and easier than from shore in many ways, and it's great fun to spend time out on the water with your friends between dives.
While diving from a boat isn't difficult, there are some special procedures that make boat diving more fun, such as the lines you use when diving in currents. Using current lines effectively may make the difference between an easy and exciting dive, and a tiring and not-much-fun undertaking. On most dive boats, the trip leader usually explains the procedures you'll be using, but a great way to learn more is in the PADI Boat Diver Specialty Course.
The Boat Diver specialty shows you the broad, basic procedures used when diving from boats. You learn about using current lines, different entry and exit procedures, and the organization of getting kitted up for the dive. Besides these procedures, you also learn useful information like how to pack for boat diving, avoid seasickness, boating basics, and boating emergencies.
During the program, you'll go on 2 open water dives, which must be (you got it) conducted from a boat. Both dives may be conducted in 1 day. It's a good idea, but not required, that you enroll in this program to learn the techniques and procedures for scuba diving from different types of boats (inflatable boats, hard-hulled day boats, cabin cruisers, liveaboards, sailboats, etc). That's a good thing - the more boats you dive from, the more diving you do too!
And the elective Boat Dive from the Adventures in Diving counts toward certification requirements for this specialty at the discretion of the instructor. To start the course you'll need at least your Open Water Diver certification.
PADI Drift Diver Specialty Course
Gliding with the currents, watching the big pelagic fish move seemingly effortlessly upcurrent, feeling the rush of flying underwater, is what drift diving is all about.
During your PADI Drift Diver course, you'll go on 2 open-water scuba dives (which may be conducted in 1 day).
We highly recommended that you enroll in this program on a liveaboard or at a resort destination where there are strong and predictable currents so that you can expose yourself to the techniques and procedures for drift diving.
Topics covered include:
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The planning, organisation, problems, and hazards of drift diving;
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Special equipment - floats, lines, reels;
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Proper procedures for buoyancy control, navigation, and communication;
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Site selection and an overview of aquatic currents causes and effects;
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Techniques for staying close to a buddy or together as a group.
The elective Drift Dive from the Adventures in Diving program may be counted towards this specialty.