PADI Specialty and Master Diver requirements

[Chuck J. Rylant]

I searched everywhere and could not find these answers here on on PADI site.

Please explain the requirements and intent of the Specialties and Master Diver certifications.

More specifically, are each of the Specialties a separate class, or does earning a Specialty mean you've done the required dives in that category?

For example, my PADI log and training book says two dives for the "Boat Diver" cert. Does that mean I've done two dives from a boat? Or do I do two new dives from a boat with an instructor, even if I've already done several dives from a boat without an instructor?

A second, but related questions; can I double dip? An example is I did a AWARE-Fish ID dive as part of my AOW cert. Do I do it again to complete the required 2 dives to earn the AWARE-Fish ID specialty? Or are those two additional new dives and training?

Or what if I wanted to knock out several at one time. For example, what if I did two deep dives from a boat? Do I earn the "Boat Diver" and "Deep Diver" specialties with just two dives?

Here are my goals for all this. I want to dive and learn as much as possible to become a better and safer recreational diver.

I realize there is little gained just in earning the Master Diver card or Specialty cards, but there is benefit in checking off boxes if only to provide a little additional motivation to learn new skills and get more experience.

Having said that, there may be a time when I'd like that little card or that silly piece of paper on the wall and it makes sense to do it as inexpensivly as possible without paying redundant fees if possible.

Thanks in advance for you replies.

 

[TMHeimer]

Correct me if I'm wrong--- The specialties works like this: Any dive that you do during the AOW course can be used as "dive #1" toward a specialty cert. Ei. -- if you did a night dive as part of AOW it can be also used as the first of the 3(I think) dives toward Night certification. I have found out that this doesn't necessarily have to happen, and may not happen if you do dive #1 for the specialty with one shop and plan to do the remaining dives with another shop--The 2nd shop will probably say that it will cost you the same to just do the whole specialty with them so you might as well do all the dives there as you're payng for them anyway. However if it's not part of your AOW course, you can't use one dive to go to 2 specialties. Ei. If you did a deep dive from a boat it can either be dive #1 for the Deep course OR dive #1 for the Boat course, but not both. Of course for anything to get counted anywhere the dives must be part of a course and with an instructor for said course.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

One of the things I see as wrong with allowing a dive from AOW to be used as the first dive of a specialty is the tendency of some shops/instructors as a way of getting out of doing all the dives the specialty requires. Most likely they are not going to charge less for getting out of doing the additional dive. So why give them the opportunty to get out of doing it? Double dipping is something I'd never let a shop get away with even if it is permitted.

Each dive should offer it's own distinct knowledge and skill set. While some may indeed cross over, they should still be kept separate.
I have seen posts on here and talked to people whose instructor combined a deep dive and wreck dive. That's just laziness and greed. Why would anyone think that this is ok?

Wreck dives and deep dives, if planned and done properly, have enough things going on in themselves that require attention. Combining them may mean leaving things out from one or the other. Things that down the road could have serious consequences. Never let an operation talk you into this. Demand you get what you pay for and ask to see the standards for what you're supposed to get if you have even the smallest doubt. Many times it clearly stated that you cannot combine dives.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[Agility]

If it is the Master-Diver Card you are after, you can race through 5 specialities using the dives you did for AOWD as the first one of each speciality.
If on the other hand you are looking for training that improves your skills IMHO you should practice the skills you learnt in each speciality before moving on to the next.

 

[Searcaigh]

For your specialities, shop around for the most suitable instructor. I did a couple of courses many years ago (Research and Marine Awareness) with a Marine Biologist who was also an instructor in his spare time. He taught me a lot about marine life that subsequently helped me with my UW photography, specifically how to identify critters and habitats. Never did an UW photography course though.

 

[boulderjohn]

I am not sure your questions have been answered.

Each specialty is a separate course. If you do two boat dives on your own, they don't count for anything. You have to take the course with an instructor to learn the academic materials for the specialties and practice the skills. If you choose a specialty that was also one of the dives you did for AOW, then you can count that as one of the dives, but you still have to do the rest of the course. Once you have 5 specialties, you can get the MD certification.

 

[Colliam7]

I will try to answer your specific questions as I understand them.

More specifically, are each of the Specialties a separate class, or does earning a Specialty mean you've done the required dives in that category?

Yes, each specialty is a separate class / course. But, you can get credit for prior experience under certain conditions (see subsequent comments, below). And, keep in mind that each certification is not necessarily a specialty. AOW is a certification, not a specialty in itself. Master Scuba Diver is a certification, not a specialty in itself.

Does that mean I've done two dives from a boat? Or do I do two new dives from a boat with an instructor, even if I've already done several dives from a boat without an instructor?

In order of your questions, NO (it does not mean that you have simply done two dives from a boat) and YES. You do not get credit for simply diving from a boat, diving deep, diving at night, etc. You get credit when you conduct the dive as part of a structured training experience, in which you meet the specific performance requirements of the dive(s), as outlined in the PADI manuals. For example, the specific performance requirements for the Boat Adventure Dive include: 1. Identify the following areas of the specific boat being used for the dive: bow, stern, starboard, port, entry area, exit area and area to stow dive equipment; 2. Locate important emergency/safety equipment aboard the boat (such as: first aid kit, oxygen, AED unit, life preservers, dive flag, radio and fire extinguisher); 3. Enter the water based on the type of dive boat being used. 4. Make a safety stop at 5 metres/15 feet for at least three minutes; 5. Exit the water based on the type of dive boat being used.

A second, but related questions; can I double dip? An example is I did a AWARE-Fish ID dive as part of my AOW cert. Do I do it again to complete the required 2 dives to earn the AWARE-Fish ID specialty? Or are those two additional new dives and training?

An Adventure Dive done as part of Advanced Open Water can count as Dive 1 of the specialty in question. For example, you complete 5 Adventure Dives as part of AOW - let's say Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Navigation, Night, Deep, and Wreck. You have now completed Dive 1 of each of those specialties. To complete the Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty - as one example - you need to do Dive 2 of the specialty; to complete Night Diver specialty, you need to complete Dive 2 and Dive 3 of that specialty, etc. I am not sure I would say that would be a 'double dip'. At an even more basic level, you can earn a PADI 'Scuba Diver' certification if you complete a) all Confined Water training, and b) academics, and c) Open Water Dives One and Two, of the Open Water Diver curriculum. The 'Scuba Diver' certification has certain limitations on independent diving (diving without a dive professional). If you then complete Open Water Dives Three and Four, you can earn Open Water Diver certification - you do not have to repeat what you have already done. But, yes, the Confined Water training counts for 'Scuba Diver' and 'Open Water Diver'

Or what if I wanted to knock out several at one time. For example, what if I did two deep dives from a boat? Do I earn the "Boat Diver" and "Deep Diver" specialties with just two dives?

NO. You cannot get credit toward more than one specialty for an individual dive. That may seem a little odd, since you are earning the AOW certification by doing 5 Adventures dives, each of which counts toward a specialty certification. But, AOW is not a 'Specialty' certification, per se. Just as with 'Adventure Diver', and to some extent, 'Master Scuba Diver', AOW recognizes that you have completed a certain number of Adventure Dives. If you complete 3 Adventure dives, you can receive recognition, through the Adventure Diver certification. If you complete 5 Adventure Dives (as long as those 5 include Deep and Underwater Navigation), you can receive recognition, through the Advanced Open Water Diver certification. If you complete 5 specialty certifications, and the Rescue Diver certification, you can receive recognition, through the Master Scuba Diver certification.

I realize there is little gained just in earning the Master Diver card or Specialty cards, but there is benefit in checking off boxes if only to provide a little additional motivation to learn new skills and get more experience.

Yes - the cards themselves are not the value - learning new skills and gaining more experience is the value. And, there may be, for individuals, a certain motivational value associated with recognition milestones (e.g. Master Scuba Diver) that you pass along the way to becoming a better, safer, more competent diver. Can you check the boxes, earn the cards, and successfully avoid learning new skills, or gaining more experience? Yes, just as you can go through an undergraduate curriculum, earn a Bachelor's degree, and come out of the experience as ignorant, uninformed, and uneducated as you were when you started. I went to school with several fraternity brothers who excelled in doing just that. But, in general, you can, and should, learn new skills and gain more experience through most / all of the specialty courses that you take.

Having said that, there may be a time when I'd like that little card or that silly piece of paper on the wall and it makes sense to do it as inexpensivly as possible without paying redundant fees if possible.

Nothing wrong with either sentiment. People can rail all they want about badge collection, but that 'silly piece of paper' (or plastic) often has some meaning - personal meaning, if nothing else - and that is fine. Why do you get a diploma (suitable for framing) when you graduate high school? An employer usually doesn't ask to see it - you put on a job application that you graduated from XXX High School in XXX year, and the employer may, or may not, verify the information. But, that 'silly piece of paper' has some meaning - perhaps for the student who somehow managed to make it through, more probably for the parents of the student who somehow managed to survive their child's high school years. Why do you get a diploma (sutiable for framing) when you graduate university? Why are the walls of physician's offices, and attorney's offices, to name just two professions, usually adorned with framed certificates, indicating that the named individual completed some degree, or training program, or experiential program. It is not required - public display of a license to practice a profession may be required in some situations, but display of training credentials generally isn't. Rather, the display is part of human nature, which generally includes a desire for some form of 'recognition'.

 

[nimoh]

The PADI specialties provide useful information, but in my opinion are not worth the money you pay for them. Most of what is learned, you can learn by asking questions on places like Scubaboard, and the rest you can learn by going out diving.

If your goal is to be a better and safer diver, I would suggest taking GUE Fundamentals (Rec). I just actually returned from doing GUE Fundamentals at Zero Gravity in Mexico, and learned a lot. The class is a little intense, 4-12 hour days, but well worth it.

Given that your location is displayed as Isla Mujeres, Zero Gravity is only about an hour drive.

 

[boulderjohn]

The PADI specialties provide useful information, but in my opinion are not worth the money you pay for them. Most of what is learned, you can learn by asking questions on places like Scubaboard, and the rest you can learn by going out diving.

The same is true for everything you can learn. Want to learn advanced calculus? Just get a book and teach yourself--or use online resources. Astrophysics? Same thing.

On the otehr hand, there are people who like to learn from an instructor. You are not one of them. Good for you.

 

[nimoh]

The same is true for everything you can learn. Want to learn advanced calculus? Just get a book and teach yourself--or use online resources. Astrophysics? Same thing.

On the otehr hand, there are people who like to learn from an instructor. You are not one of them. Good for you.

good point.

There are things I prefer to learn from an instructor, and mostly it involves technique where I need an instructor to watch what I am doing and make suggestions to do it better. In my experience, I didn't get a lot of this in taking my PADI specialties. Although I found the peak performance buoyancy specialty to be well worth it, not so much for the deep diver specialty.

So, I shouldn't have generalized about all PADI specialties, and I apologize for that.