SSI advanced adventurer vs Individual specialities

[Sushovan Das]

I have presently completed SSI open water certification and wish to pursue the next level in scuba diving. I am bit confused whether I should go for a advanced water certification or take individual specialities.

Is there any use of touching five type of dives partially rather than fully cocentrating on learning a single speciality.

 

[tstormdiver]

Unless you just want a taste of what 5 different specialties are about (that is all it is- 5 dives, one of 5 different specialties). If you want to really learn about any particular specialty, then take the full course. As In Advanced Open Water, you must complete 4 full specialty courses plus have logged 24 dives. The Advanced Adventurer is equivalent to some other agencies' Advanced Open Water.

 

[rick00001967]

tstorm is of course correct.
just to be clear. the ssi advance diver is not a course. it is a card issued to you in recognition of achieving the prerequisites tstorm mentioned.
my personal feeling is to avoid the advanced adventurer and take to specialties that will help you the most with the type of diving you do and to reach any specific goals in diving that you may have set for yourself.
congrats on finishing your open waters !! enjoy.

 

[Steve_C]

I did the advanced adventure. Then I took at some point all of those as specialties plus some. I had a very good instructor I worked with, I learned something along the way, and the cost was not an important factor. Just more diving and learning stuff. Taking a class in the local quarry was easier than trying to run down to the coast more often. I never double counted dives for certs. My goal was more diving and more training and not just more cards.

Also for the adventure we worked in DPV and drysuit. Good experience at an earlier point then I would have done otherwise. Did not do the certs until much later.

 

[HantsDiver]

If you want to learn some skills then go for it. However, ask yourself if you need the card. If someone does underwater photography do they need the card to recognise that fact? Or would they be better spending the money on coaching to become a better underwater photographer?

Same goes for buoyancy. Why do you need a card to recognize you can hover and control your buoyancy? If you want to improve then just get some coaching. It will save you money after all. You are still becoming a better diver.

These schemes are made up by agencies to sell courses. I only want a card for something that actually allows and qualifies me to do something I otherwise could not do. Nitrox is a good example of this. The rest have no value to me.

 

[Adam Grose]

In the long run, you will be better off taking the full specialty courses, IMHO. They can be applied toward the SSI AOW card (see tstormdiver's post above). From AOW, you can end up as a Master Diver (50 logged dives, 4 specialties, plus Diver Stress and Rescue). Best wishes for your dive career.

Adam

 

[Marie13]

I have presently completed SSI open water certification and wish to pursue the next level in scuba diving. I am bit confused whether I should go for a advanced water certification or take individual specialities.

Is there any use of touching five type of dives partially rather than fully cocentrating on learning a single speciality.

This is essentially the same way SDI has it. I said no to the 5 dive "sampler platter" and am in the midst of doing the separate specialties for the Advanced rating.

 

[Steve_C]

Same goes for buoyancy. Why do you need a card to recognize you can hover and control your buoyancy? If you want to improve then just get some coaching.

When I started diving, I did not know any other divers. I did not belong to a dive club in my area. Taking courses was a way to build experience. Even now when I know a lot of divers the number who would spend a whole dive coaching a beginning stranger are definitely in the minority. Diving with a newbie is not the same as critiquing and mentoring a newbie. That is much rarer.

 

[HantsDiver]

When I started diving, I did not know any other divers. I did not belong to a dive club in my area. Taking courses was a way to build experience. Even now when I know a lot of divers the number who would spend a whole dive coaching a beginning stranger are definitely in the minority. Diving with a newbie is not the same as critiquing and mentoring a newbie. That is much rarer.

I understand that point. However it wasn't really what I was saying.

You can pay for coaching. Most decent instructors will do so. It saves them the cost of sending off to whatever agency for the card. And in turn can save you some money. You still get the coaching just not the card.

Certain courses qualify you for things and these are different.

The marketing men have done a good job at fooling people. Not just students but instructors as well. We are told we need to pay for titles as instructors - the reality is they mean nothing.

 

[rick00001967]

one of our "typical" dive specialties runs about $155.00. all include tank rentals, at least one 2hr academic session, and either two 2 hr pool sessions or 2 ow dives. plus they have access to the online materials for that course. i think that is a pretty fair value for the money.
something that needs to be remembered is that most divers (not all) need an incentive to keep interested in the sport. to keep the juices flowing so to speak. especially in the off season. taking a specialty course or taking several over time to work towards a higher rating gives the customer a goal to strive for. call it marketing if you wish but it still holds true that a lot of people need this.
coaching sessions are great. lots of instr offer this service. but specialties can offer solid, valuable training and a fair price.