What are the most useful specialty courses?
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In the case of SSI, Nitrox is not an speciallity that sums up for Advance.
For me (I did already Night, Navigation, On Board, Deep and DrySuit), the most usefull has been Navigation and Deep. Night IS Required to do night dives.
Deep diving is also required to visit some wrecks and places beyond 15 mts deep.
For me (I did already Night, Navigation, On Board, Deep and DrySuit), the most usefull has been Navigation and Deep. Night IS Required to do night dives.
Deep diving is also required to visit some wrecks and places beyond 15 mts deep.
The testing dives for AOW are not 'specialty courses'. They are each one dive with a short, written test, your choice. I mean like "boat dive". What's that? "Deep dive"? Just go a little deeper and you are in. "Wreck dive"? Could be a shallow or deep wreck depending on which one the operator decides to go to that day. Also, you do not have to penetrate the wreck. It's mostly a joke to make a couple hundred for the dive shop and certification agency. Though, to do some dives, like the Oriskany a dive operator will require the cert so as to limit his/her responsibility in case you get hurt. It's all about money.
Loved Deep and Limited Viz/Navigation. I recommend Advanced Buoyancy, TDI Nitrox (not the basic computer course but the one with lots of math)and Drysuit.
rstofer
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I would think that Peak Performance Buoyancy would be a worthwhile specialty. It takes time to get all the weight in the right place and get real control. Of course, you could argue that PPB is a continuous evolution.
Next, I think that the Navigation and Search & Recovery specialties would be very helpful. Again, the 1 dive intro in AOW just isn't enough to gain any kind of mastery.
Nitrox, as a non-dive specialty, is useful for a number of reasons but the 3 above will help no matter how you dive.
Finally, Deep & Wreck are probably useful but I haven't done either. I don't really care for deep diving and wrecks are almost always deep. I think if my interests were for these types of dives, I would consider some of the tech courses.
Richard
Next, I think that the Navigation and Search & Recovery specialties would be very helpful. Again, the 1 dive intro in AOW just isn't enough to gain any kind of mastery.
Nitrox, as a non-dive specialty, is useful for a number of reasons but the 3 above will help no matter how you dive.
Finally, Deep & Wreck are probably useful but I haven't done either. I don't really care for deep diving and wrecks are almost always deep. I think if my interests were for these types of dives, I would consider some of the tech courses.
Richard
I think that pretty much sums up my opinion. And it's why I've never taken AOW. I've shot hundreds of pics, and a couple hours of video. I've been past 100ft. I've navigated with a compass. I've gone on night dives. I've been on plenty of boat dives.
I do plan to do a nitrox course for the certification. Although again, it's something that anyone could just read about and learn. There's no actual skills being taught.
The OW course covered a lot of skills and material in an effective way. I think the course was well worth the $. Some of the other courses are likely similar. However, there are at least a few that seem to just be a way to make a few bucks.
ewaiea
Contributor
I'm trying to eventually get to my PADI Master Scuba Diver rating. I am hopefully going to get my Rescue Diver certification this summer. After that I have two more specialties to get. I currently have PADI OW, AOW, Drysuit Diver, Digital Underwater Photo, and Nitrox. I'd like to do Wreck Diver with as much of a penetration emphasis as possible for the challenge, and probably peak performance buoyancy. I'm pretty good with buoyancy but in confined spaces it's harder to remain motionless and hover over a certain area.
I live in Hawaii so I didn't get my Drysuit cert here, I got it in Washington State up in Whidbey Island. It was probably one of my favorite specialties, even though I use what I learned from U/W Photo more, I cannot wait to go diving again in cold water. But I knew this much going in, I will never set foot in water colder than 60 degrees with any kind of wetsuit, it has to be a drysuit - and I'm thankful for the training.
Don't do stupid specialties, like "boat diver"....what were they thinking making that a specialty? I would rather see some type of performance free diving specialty. Think back to your OW cert dives, it took me four scuba dives and one snorkel dive which all instructors pretty much skip. But a free diving class could help students hone their skills with breath hold diving using proper techniques.
Who else would like to see PADI Free Diver as a specialty cert???
I live in Hawaii so I didn't get my Drysuit cert here, I got it in Washington State up in Whidbey Island. It was probably one of my favorite specialties, even though I use what I learned from U/W Photo more, I cannot wait to go diving again in cold water. But I knew this much going in, I will never set foot in water colder than 60 degrees with any kind of wetsuit, it has to be a drysuit - and I'm thankful for the training.
Don't do stupid specialties, like "boat diver"....what were they thinking making that a specialty? I would rather see some type of performance free diving specialty. Think back to your OW cert dives, it took me four scuba dives and one snorkel dive which all instructors pretty much skip. But a free diving class could help students hone their skills with breath hold diving using proper techniques.
Who else would like to see PADI Free Diver as a specialty cert???
AfterDark
Contributor
If you dive with a buddy I'd say rescue diver. What good are you as a buddy without rescue training? IMO rescue diver should be required before taking any specialty classes. Am I rescue diver trained? No. I dive alone.
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It depends on what you want to move on to, if you want to some day that a DSAT (padi) course you would need your nitrox and deep cards
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