PADI Open
Water Diver
The PADI Open Water Diver
course teaches student divers the foundational knowledge and skills they
need to dive with a buddy, independent of supervision. Classroom, pool
and open water sessions are included in this adventure. Open Water Divers
are qualified to:
- Dive with a buddy independent
of supervision while applying the knowledge and skills they learn in
this course, within the limits of their training and experience.
- Obtain air fills, scuba
equipment and other services.
- Plan, conduct and log open
water no stop (no decompression) dives when properly equipped and when
accompanied by a buddy in conditions with which they have training and/or
experience.
- Continue their dive training
with a specialty dive (Adventure Dive), in the PADI Advanced Open Water
program or in PADI Specialty courses.
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Scuba
Diver Course
The Scuba Diver course is
a subcourse within the Open Water Diver course that teaches student divers
the foundational knowledge and skills they need to dive under the supervision
of a certified divemaster, assistant instructor or instructor. PADI Scuba
Divers are qualified to:
- Dive under the direct supervision
of a PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor while applying
the knowledge and skills they learn in this course, within the limits
of their training and experience.
- Obtain air fills, scuba
equipment and other services when diving under supervision.
- Under supervision plan,
conduct and log open water no stop dives (no decompression) only when
properly equipped and accompanied by a certified divemaster, assistant
instructor or instructor in conditions in which they have training or
experience.
- Continue dive training to
complete their PADI Open Water Diver certification and certain other
courses such as the Project AWARE and Equipment Specialties.
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Advanced
Open Water Diver
The PADI Advanced Open Water
program provides the novice diver with a structured, well supervised means
to gain additional experience. The PADI Advanced program involves students
in various underwater tasks that broaden their awareness of the environment
and their capabilities as divers. All students enrolled in PADI Advanced
Open Water Diver courses complete the two Core Dives.
Core Dives orient students to the fundamentals of advanced diving and
include the following activities:
- Underwater Navigation (combination
natural and compass navigation dive)
- Deep Diving
Three of the five dives
are considered electives. Elective dives include the following activities:
- Altitude Diving
- AWARE - Fish Identification
Diving
- Boat Diving
- Diver Propulsion Vehicle
Diving
- Drift Diving
- Dry Suit Diving
- Multilevel Diving
- Night Diving
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Search and Recovery Diving
- Underwater Naturalist
- Underwater Photography
- Underwater Videographer
- Wreck Diving
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Advanced
Plus
The Advanced Plus rating denotes
successful completion of all the following:
- The two Core Dives:
Navigation and Deep.
- Seven total Elective Dives
(clarification: completion of 4 more elective dives beyond the 3 elective
dives completed as part of the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course).
- A sanctioned CPR and first
aid course within the past two years. Completion of the EMERGENCY FRIST
RESPONSE (EFR) course is highly recommended.
- The Advanced Plus diving
theory requirement. This requirement is a prescribed program of advanced
diving academics.
EMERGENCY FRIST RESPONSE Requirement
for Advanced Plus Prior to awarding a PADI Advanced Plus rating to an
individual, he must have successfully completed a PADI EMERGENCY FRIST
RESPONSE course (or equivalent) within the past two years.
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PADI
Rescue Diver Course
The PADI Rescue Diver course
is an important and crucial step in expanding a diver’s knowledge and
experience beyond a purely recreational level. Rescue divers learn to
look beyond themselves to consider the safety and well-being of other
divers. This is why the PADI Rescue Diver rating is a prerequisite for
all PADI leadership training (Divemaster, Assistant Instructor, and Open
Water Scuba Instructor). Rescue diver training readies student divers
to help prevent problems and, if necessary, manage dive emergencies using
a variety of techniques. The course is designed to be demanding, though
realistic in its conduct, content and approach. Although the nature and
context in which rescue training may be used is serious, the course is
enjoyable and builds diver confidence.
Course Goals:
- Expand diver knowledge
in preparation for PADI leadership training.
- Teach effective diver rescue
and first aid skills.
- Prepare divers to manage
realistic rescue situations.
- Increase awareness of dive
safety.
- Encourage divers to anticipate
and prevent problems.
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PADI Divemaster
Course
As the entry to professional
levels in diver training, the PADI Divemaster course plays a pivotal role
within the PADI System of diver education. Those who join the PADI Divemaster
ranks assist instructors with training student divers. They supervise
diving activities for certified divers, snorkelers and skin divers. Obviously,
as an entry-level professional you can strongly influence the safety and
fun divers enjoy during training and diving. At the same time, many PADI
Divemasters are looking ahead, gaining professional experience they will
apply as PADI Assistant Instructors and Open Water Scuba Instructors.
To develop the previous characteristics
in an individual, the PADI Divemaster course has five broad goals:
- To develop the knowledge,
attitudes, judgment and skills for supervising certified divers in shore-based
and boat-based diving activities.
- To develop the knowledge,
attitudes, judgment and skills for assisting with training divers in
PADI courses.
- To develop the knowledge,
attitudes, judgment and skills for independently conducting specific
PADI programs for certified divers and nondivers (e.g., Scuba Review,
Discover Snorkeling, PADI Skin Diver course).
- To develop the candidate’s
dive theory knowledge, waterskills, rescue skills and experience to
the levels necessary to enter the PADI Assistant Instructor course and
the PADI Instructor Development Course. And to encourage the candidate
to continue into those programs.
- To promote each candidate’s
growth to meet individual needs and interests, and to meet the dive
community’s needs and expectations in dive leaders (e.g., risk management,
personal health and safety, the needs of the dive retailer).
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Oxygen Provider
Combined certification from
DAN and PADI teaches neccessary skills to provide oxygen in a diving emergency.
Learn how to assemble the unit and administer oxygen in a diving emergency
involving one or more victims.
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Deep Diver
Specialty
This course is designed to
be an introduction to deep diving and to help the student diver develop
the necessary skills, knowledge and techniques to safely participate in
deep diving activities. This course covers the knowledge, skills and techniques
for deeper diving.
The following is included:
- planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of deep diving
- risk factors and decompression-tables
review
- safety stops and emergency
decompression procedures
- special equipment, descent
lines and buoyancy-control considerations
- procedures for flying after
diving and high-altitude diving
- orientation to recompression
chambers
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Equipment
Specialty
This course is intended to
familiarize divers with the operation and maintenance of equipment. It
is not an equipment-repair course.
The following is included:
- the theory, principles and
operation of diving equipment
- routine, recommended care
and maintenance procedures, and equipment storage
- common problems with equipment
and recommended professional maintenance procedures
- simple suggestions for comfortable
equipment configurations and an introduction to new equipment
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Night
Diver
This course covers the knowledge
and techniques of night diving.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of night diving
- proper procedures for buoyancy
control, navigation and communication
- use of dive lights and buddy-system
techniques
- disorientation and emergency
procedures
- orientation to nocturnal
aquatic life
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Research
Diver
This course covers basic research
techniques with special emphasis on practical training. Research projects
and ecology projects may meet the requirements for certification.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of research diving
- an overview of general aquatic-life
identification
- research-diving techniques
(use of grids, transects, photography), such as those used for aquatic-life
population counting
- overview of physical aspects
of the aquatic environment (water movement: tides, currents, waves,
bottom composition and temperature)
- history of oceanography
(people and equipment under water)
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Boat Diver
Boat Diver
This course is designed to
be an introduction to boat diving and to help the student diver develop
the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for boat diving.
Prerequisites To qualify for
the Boat Diver course, an individual must:
- be certified as a PADI
Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water Diver or have equivalent rating.
- be 12 years of age or older.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of boat diving.
- proper boat diving etiquette
-- storage of personal equipment, personal conduct and considerations
for care of the boat.
- basic, common boat terminology.
- specific boat diving laws
and/or ordinances.
- local boat diving laws
and/or ordinances.
- overview of emergency/safety
equipment needed on-board private diving vessels.
The Boat Dive from the PADI
Advanced Open Water Diver or Advanced Plus course may be counted toward
the certification requirements for this specialty.
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Search
& Recovery
This course covers the techniques
and application of a variety of search and recovery methods.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems, and hazards of search and recovery
diving
- limited-visibility diving
and underwater navigation techniques
- proper techniques and safety
considerations for object location, including the use of various search
patterns, lines and reels
- proper techniques and safety
considerations for recovery of objects using various lifting devices
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Underwater
Hunter
This course covers basic underwater
hunting with special emphasis on practical hunting techniques.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of underwater hunting
- the use of equipment for
taking game and equipment modifications for hunting
- proper techniques and safety
practices for spearfishing
- the preparation of fish
and game, conservation and the local fish and game regulations
- the knowledge and skills
for underwater collecting of items, such as shells, bottles or fish,
as applicable in the local area
- Overview of PADI’s Project
AWARE philosophy, concept and future commitment.
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Underwater
Navigation
The purpose of the PADI Underwater
Navigator Specialty course is to familiarize divers with the skills, knowledge,
planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems, hazards and
enjoyment of underwater navigation. Training emphasizes fun and safety.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of underwater navigation.
- methods of estimating distances
underwater.
- natural navigation techniques.
- using underwater patterns.
- dive site relocation techniques.
- compass navigation techniques.
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Underwater
Photography
This course covers basic underwater
photography with special emphasis on practical photographic techniques.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of underwater-photography
diving
- photographic principles,
composition, film types, flash/available light photography and camera-handling
techniques
- the preparation, care and
maintenance of photographic equipment
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Wreck
Diver
This course is designed to
be an introduction to wreck diving and to help the student diver develop
the skills and knowledge necessary for safe wreck diving.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of wreck diving
- the preparation and use
of lights, air supplies, special equipment, penetration lines and reels
- limited-visibility diving
techniques and emergency procedures
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Master
Scuba Diver
The Master Scuba Diver rating
is the highest recreational diver rating in the PADI program, and denotes
superior achievement and proficiency.
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Achieving the Master Scuba Diver rating requires
that an individual be certified as:
- A PADI Divemaster or PADI
Assistant Instructor, and must have certification in any five PADI Specialty
ratings OR
- A PADI Advanced Open Water
Diver or Advanced Plus and a PADI Rescue Diver, with certification in
any five PADI Specialty ratings
This is a self-paced program.
A fee, paid to PADI, plus an application verified and signed by an Island
Time Scuba instructor are necessary before your certification card can
be issued.
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Drift
Diver
This course is designed to
be an introduction to drift diving and to help the student diver develop
the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for drift diving.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of drift diving.
- special equipment -- floats,
lines, reels.
- proper procedures for buoyancy-control,
navigation and communication.
- site selection and overview
of aquatic currents: causes and effects.
Multilevel
Diver
This course is designed to
be an introduction to multilevel diving and to help the student diver
develop the necessary skills, knowledge and techniques.
The following is included:
- the planning, organization,
procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of multilevel diving.
- definition and advantages
of multilevel diving.
- methods of calculating multilevel
dives (The Wheel and/or dive computers).
- review of decompression
sickness theory.
- review of emergency decompression
procedures.
- review of PADI’s S.A.F.E.
campaign.
- procedures for flying after
diving.
- guidelines, rules and procedures
for multilevel diving with the Wheel and/or diving computers.
- care and maintenance of
dive computers.
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