PADI Wreck, Deep and Boat specialties in one trip?

[Charlie99]

IMO, the boat diver course is just fluff. No real useful info that you can't get through a combination of mentoring and the school of hard knocks. Much of the boat related stuff varies region to region and even boat to boat, which makes practical experience more important than a course.

Having the instructor along for your first boat dives /first ocean dives is a very good idea, but the formal course doesn't have any value -- other than as you noted, that you may have to have the right punches on your ticket to get a DM cert.

If I were in your position, I'd get all of the relevant books ahead of time and study them. Then take the wreck course and discuss any questions you have on the other stuff with your instructor. Wreck dives are often deep dives. Hopefully, your instructor would cover in a wreck course a lot of the stuff from a deep diver course -- gas planning/rock bottom calculations, NDLs, ascent procedures, etc.

It sounds like your original plan is pretty good .... but do go ahead and look at the other stuff and use your instructors knowledge to the fullest. Be an active participant in your learning rather than passively being taught.

 

[String]

I agree with the above - i fail to see any reason or boat to a boat speciality. Its nothing you wont find out for yourself by just using boats.

 

[JeffG]

Don't you eventually have to have 5 specialties as a prerequisite for divemaster/instructor training?

No. You may be mistaking it with the PADI Master diver C-Card.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Don't you eventually have to have 5 specialties as a prerequisite for divemaster/instructor training?

Again, to actually answer your question; There are no requirements for Specialty Certs to become Dive Master or Instructor.

Here is a table of PADI Certs, which shows the progression to Pro and beyond.

OW, AOW, Rescue, DM, Instructor (AI if you can't pass IE : ). Specialties? You don't need no stinking Specialties!