Specialties

[TheHuth]

I think I've settled on the specialties on want to focus on. You need 5 and 50 dives to get your master diver. I'm already at 40 dives. Once I do my specialties dives, I'll be well over the 50 dive mark.

I've already got my Enriched Air. Last year before my hiatus I prepaid for Dry Suit, and Deep Diver. I'll be resuming those shortly. I think after that I'll do Boat Diver and Wreck Diver. Boat diver is pretty much a giveaway since I already have over a dozen boat dives off a few different boats. Wreck Diver seems like allot of fun. After doing the Corsair wreck in Hawaii, I can't wait to visit wreck alley.

Thoughts? I'm also working on Divemaster. So I've got allot of dives to get in here.

 

[Brandon]

You already have all the recreational cert-cards anyone is ever going to ask to see.

Spend the money on diving unless you have some professional goal in mind.

-B

 

[Marie13]

@TheHuth

Will your wreck class have limited penetration dives? My recent one did and it was a lot of fun! Running line is harder than it looks!

Why do you need to pay for a Boat Diver specialty? That's one I just don't get.

My specialties were Advanced Buoyancy, Wreck, Nav, Night, Deep, Nitrox. Just did Rescue this weekend. Doing the rec sidemount class next summer, and beginning tech the year after.

It all depends on your interests. Mine are wrecks, wrecks, and more wrecks (Great Lakes).

 

[tursiops]

If taught well, some good specialties are Navigation, Night, and Search & Recovery. There are some good Nav things involving dealing with currents you don't get as a Boy Scout with your compass in the woods. Night can have useful content on lights as signaling devices, along with practice. I also like the "green" specialties like Fish ID (if taught by a REEF.org person) and Coral Reef Conservation. If you can find a Coral ID class, go for it.

 

[rick00001967]

if dive master is your goal i would check your agency standards so you know which specialties may be pre requisites and go from there

 

[TMHeimer]

@TheHuth

Will your wreck class have limited penetration dives? My recent one did and it was a lot of fun! Running line is harder than it looks!

Why do you need to pay for a Boat Diver specialty? That's one I just don't get.

My specialties were Advanced Buoyancy, Wreck, Nav, Night, Deep, Nitrox. Just did Rescue this weekend. Doing the rec sidemount class next summer, and beginning tech the year after.

It all depends on your interests. Mine are wrecks, wrecks, and more wrecks (Great Lakes).

That's funny. I have 7 specialties and you have 6 that are the same (assume you mean Peak Perf. Buoyancy?). The only other one I have is Equip. Specialist. Although interesting, it was very basic and nothing to do with any serious repair work, etc.
You will surpass me soon in cards as my taking courses days are long over.

The Huth, I don't know if I'd bother with Boat Diver. Though I've heard you can pick up some tips here & there, it's something you already do. I like the other ones you have and those mentioned here by others. Basic safety ones and stuff you are interested in. Fish ID makes sense I guess--assuming you're gunna dive in the area/climate where you take the course. I identified a school of Triggerfish from my time in the Gulf of Mexico---2 summers ago here in NOVA SCOTIA.......

 

[Marie13]

That's funny. I have 7 specialties and you have 6 that are the same (assume you mean Peak Perf. Buoyancy?). The only other one I have is Equip. Specialist. Although interesting, it was very basic and nothing to do with any serious repair work, etc.
You will surpass me soon in cards as my taking courses days are long over.

SDI's class is Advanced Buoyancy, which is the equivalent to PADI's PPB.

I hope to do Ice Diving this winter - if we have ice.

I enjoy learning new things. I have no urge to join the cat herding fraternity (as someone on FB referred to DMs), so I'll continue expanding my knowledge so I can dive longer and deeper on my beloved Great Lakes wrecks.

 

[TMHeimer]

They do an Ice course here in a lake somewhere in Feb. or March I think. No interest there for me being a shell collector.

 

[stuartv]

@TheHuth, I would drop Boat.

You'll need Rescue for your MSD. If you want another beyond that, I would consider Night or Search and Recovery.

 

[TheHuth]

The only reason I want to get 5 specialties is so I can get the Master Diver cert. You're absolutely right though. I already have every important cert with Rescue and Enriched Air. That covers almost all dives I'd ever do. Once I've got the Drysuit cert, pretty much any recreational dive is covered.

The reason I want to get deep diver is in case I ever go in to Tec Rec. Boat is just to get another card, since I've already done all the dives needed. Wreck just sounds fun, even though I could do a wreck dive without a cert. So essentially its just another card as well. I dont see myself ever doing penetration dives. Thats just too much risk that I'm not willing to assume.