My local dive shop does not offer every specialty class. I went to PADI website and could not find a complete list of ALL specialty classes available to a diver. Anybody know how I can get a complete list of specialties? Thanks for your help.
Full List of Specialty Classes
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No one offers all the specialty classes that are available and there is no list of all of them. Most specialty classes are actually what are called "distinctive specialties." These are instructor authored courses that have been approved by the certifying agency. They range from "Underwater Basket Weaving Diver" to Underwater Wedding Diver" to "Shark Diver." Most exist for the sole purpose of seperating the gullible from their money. If what you want to do is collect cards, you can take whatever specialty classes that your LDS has to offer. If what you want to do is learn something about diving, then find someone who is doing the kind of diving you want to do and learn from them.
mike_s
Contributor
here's a list of the basic padi specialities...
Specialty Course
However, any shop can submit a new speciality and make it one they teach.
example there are some shops that teach PADI Golf Ball Diver speciality.
Like Captdale said, most of them are for seperating you from your money.
If you really want to take one that might be usefull, try Nitrox. (EAN).
DivingPrincessE
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Wreck could be useful too. teaching you how to deal w/an overhead environment, running a line and what to do in the event of silting while inside the wreck. However, I would make sure that any instructor who was going to instruct me in Wreck have some sort of overhead environment training themselves whether it be cavern or intro to cave.
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It depends. Dive 4 of the specialty, penetration is optional. Though many of the frequent wreck divers, whom are also instructors, do teach penetration. I include penetration for my wreck classes. As it has been stated many times on this board. Always seek trained instructors who do REAL wreck penetration to get your money's worth. I know many instructors who teach wreck, but have only experienced the sunken house boats and such in our local quarries.
Back to the OP.
An LDS or an Instructor can only teach the specialties that they are qualified to teach. This would explain why your LDS may not list ALL of the specialties that PADI has available.
There is a market for specialty courses. The student has the opportunity to dive in a supervised situation and gain experience in a specific, task oriented topic.
I recently had a group of college students do a "specialty weekend" with me. They received training, critique, and some experience in drysuit diving, altitude diving, underwater navigation, and night diving. They received a discount for taking multiple specialties, they had a great time, learned some new skills, and were rewarded with specialty cards for each discipline.
I was compensated for my time and effort, and the LDS for providing the needed gear, van, classroom and pool. (I brought 24 full tanks with me, compasses, dive lights and tank markers, altitude conversion charts, DAN O2 kit, repair kits, etc.) I'm not going into the details of the courses here, but they were thorough.
PADI was compensated for offering and producing the course materials, an educational outline, and marketing.
People who feel that they need the experience, or who are interested in a specific area of diving, have the opportunity to try it out. Taking a specialty is convenient. The courses are streamlined, and they offer people a value.
If a person goes skiing in Vail, a private lesson will run over $400.00. That does not include the $90.00 lift ticket or tips. A hamburger at the mountain top restaurant is $14.00.
How about the cost of a round of golf with a country club pro?
People who already have the experience, or have a buddy who can teach them, don't need to spend the time or money on the PADI specialty course, or for the private ski lesson in Vail, or for the golf pro, but plenty of people see the value, and they pay it.
When people go to the grocery store, are the prices on food designed to separate them from their money? Are they entitled to free food, or do they know a farmer who will feed them for free?
An LDS or an Instructor can only teach the specialties that they are qualified to teach. This would explain why your LDS may not list ALL of the specialties that PADI has available.
There is a market for specialty courses. The student has the opportunity to dive in a supervised situation and gain experience in a specific, task oriented topic.
I recently had a group of college students do a "specialty weekend" with me. They received training, critique, and some experience in drysuit diving, altitude diving, underwater navigation, and night diving. They received a discount for taking multiple specialties, they had a great time, learned some new skills, and were rewarded with specialty cards for each discipline.
I was compensated for my time and effort, and the LDS for providing the needed gear, van, classroom and pool. (I brought 24 full tanks with me, compasses, dive lights and tank markers, altitude conversion charts, DAN O2 kit, repair kits, etc.) I'm not going into the details of the courses here, but they were thorough.
PADI was compensated for offering and producing the course materials, an educational outline, and marketing.
People who feel that they need the experience, or who are interested in a specific area of diving, have the opportunity to try it out. Taking a specialty is convenient. The courses are streamlined, and they offer people a value.
If a person goes skiing in Vail, a private lesson will run over $400.00. That does not include the $90.00 lift ticket or tips. A hamburger at the mountain top restaurant is $14.00.
How about the cost of a round of golf with a country club pro?
People who already have the experience, or have a buddy who can teach them, don't need to spend the time or money on the PADI specialty course, or for the private ski lesson in Vail, or for the golf pro, but plenty of people see the value, and they pay it.
When people go to the grocery store, are the prices on food designed to separate them from their money? Are they entitled to free food, or do they know a farmer who will feed them for free?
Which can also be found in chapter 5 of the PADI OW manual (in a slightly different form).
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