Equipment Techniques

What will I do during a Try Scuba Diving Session?Prior to the session you will complete a small online review via the SSI App and complete all required paperwork.Meet us at the Dive Centre prior to the pool session where you will meet your instructional team for an introductory talk, be fitted and introduced to the equipment you’ll be using as well as the all important safety briefing and what you can expect.  After arriving at our local pool facilities - Oakham School Pool, Kilburn Road, Oakham  you will enter the water ready for your scuba adventure.  You will spend a minimum of an hour underwater but maybe the entire two hours if you can make it last that long (and most do!), and we know you’ll enjoy every minute!We will help you through every step of your adventure.  Our staff will help you to put on your SCUBA gear and guide you into the water where you’ll have the chance to dive down up to 3 metres.

What Will I do as part of the SSI Skills Update? Prior to your confined water, you will create a profile in the SSI App (if you do not already have one) and we will allocate you the online course.Then you will ensure that you have completed all of the required paperwork including a Medical Questionaire - please read the section below Medically Fit to Dive because if you have any YES (on page 2) then you will need a Physician signature prior to commencing on the course.You will meet us at the Dive centre for dry skills practise... Building of dive equipment and meet of your dive professional along with a dive brief.Our Pool Sessions are Saturdays and during non-term time Thursdays. On Saturdays it is a meet at the Dive centre at 16:30 for dry skills practise, prior to the pool from 18:00 - 20:00. Thursdays are 17:30 meet at the Dive Centre with pool from 19:00 - 21:00The pool we use is Oakham School Pool, OakhamIn the water a Dive Rutland Professional will help you regain comfort and confidence in scuba diving. You'll practice a few safety-related skills and then go over anything you specifically want to review.During the Water Skills part you will have to assemble your equipment, enter the water and:Practise Controlled Descents and AscentsRemove, replace and clear the maskPractise Neutral Buoyancy (Proper Diving positions)Use the weight system’s quick release to become positively buoyant in water too deep to stand inAscend using an alternate air source and establish positive buoyancy on the surfacePractise Emergency Ascent SkillsAfter this our Instructor will help you to practice and SCUBA skills you would like to practice.

The SSI Snorkel Diver program is your first step towards discovering a passion for the underwater world. It is the best way to learn how to snorkel and develop your confidence in the water, so you can go snorkeling and explore the mesmerizing landscapes and wildlife of the aquatic world. You do not need to be a proficient swimmer to participate in the Snorkel Diver program, and there is no minimum age to join. You just need to be comfortable in the water, able to maintain your buoyancy, and ready to begin the adventure of a lifetime! In this program, you will be introduced to the equipment and skills you need to go snorkeling safely. Begin your snorkeling training and earn your SSI Snorkel Diver recognition card today!

Drysuit diving opens up a world of opportunities, including diving remote Arctic destinations and exploring cold-water dive sites teeming with life. Dry suit diving also keeps you warm on multi-dive days when you do not want to spend your time getting in and out of a cold wetsuit. The SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty program is the best way to become a dry suit diver and teaches you all the knowledge and techniques you need to dive safely and comfortably in a dry suit. You will learn how to use specialized equipment, like dry suits and BCs, the benefits of dry suits and how to deal with dry suit emergencies – which are unique to this type of diving. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty certification. The Dates published are for the open water dives, on booking we will book a drysuit fitting and pool orientation session to be completed prior to the open water dives.

Many of the ocean’s best dive sites are wrecks. These impressive structures attract unusually high densities of marine life and give you the chance to immerse in living history as you dive. There is nothing quite like wreck diving and the SSI Wreck Diving specialty will give you all the skills and knowledge you need to become a safe and confident wreck diver. With a combination of academic and confined water sessions, you will be taught how to safely conduct non-penetration dives around wrecks and artificial reefs, up to a depth of 30 meters. You will also get to practice your wreck diving skills during open water training dives. All of which will ensure you can enjoy wreck diving with confidence and get the most out of every dive. Upon completion of this program, you will earn your SSI Wreck Diving specialty certification. Continue your adventures and become a wreck diver. Get started online today!

React Right is SSI’s emergency first response course and provides you with the training and knowledge you need to act as a first responder in a medical emergency. In this flexible dive program, you can choose which subjects you want to learn about, including primary assessment, first aid, CPR and primary stabilization techniques. You can also learn about oxygen administration in diving emergencies and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) basics. Using a combination of academic sessions and practical training scenarios, this program will give you the tools and confidence you need for emergency response. By the time you are certified, you will be able to act as an emergency first responder, provide first aid and CPR, administer oxygen and provide AED support in a medical emergency. Earn your SSI React Right specialty certification. Get started today!

The SSI Deep Diving Specialty will teach you all you need to dive to depths between 18 and 40 meters, through a mixture of academic sessions and open water dives. You will learn to plan and safely complete your deep diving adventures and use computers and gas consumption calculations to get the most from your deep dives. Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore beautiful deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI Specialty is also a prerequisite for some advanced training, making it the next logical step to take in your dive education.

The SSI Perfect Buoyancy specialty is the best way to improve your buoyancy and get the most from every dive. Buoyancy is an essential dive skill, but any diver will tell you it takes time to perfect. The Perfect Buoyancy specialty will teach you advanced buoyancy skills and techniques, so you can master your buoyancy more quickly and enjoy more relaxed dive adventures. In this fascinating program, you will also learn new skills that protect the environment and work in every diving situation. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty certification. With better buoyancy skills, you will soon be able to hover with ease and take the underwater photographs you dream of!

As a Nitrox diver, you can increase your bottom times and safety margins, plus shorten your surface intervals - so you can spend more time diving and less time waiting! In this program, you will learn new skills and increase your diving knowledge whilst learning how to safely plan and dive with enriched air mixtures of up to 40% oxygen. Upon completion, you will earn an SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 32% or 40% certification.

SSI designed the Computer Diving program to help certified divers become familiar with the features and benefits of using a dive computer. By understanding and knowing how to use all the functions of a dive computer, you will not only increase your dive safety but also make planning and executing your dive easier. The SSI Computer Diving program explores the functions and capabilities of different dive computers and explains how to use these functions before, during, and after your dive. Often, divers purchase a computer and only use it for its basic information. Get the most out of your investment by learning to use your dive computer to its full potential. Start your SSI Computer Diving specialty online today!

A stepping stone to exploring the ocean. Dive with a professional to 12 meters and halfway to your SSI Open Water Diver Certification. Underwater is Earth's final frontier, one of the few ways left to explore our world is to be able to dive. Diving allows you to experience weightlessness just like being in space. It is the nearest you will get to being an astronaut or experiencing space, so learn to dive which will give you the ability and the skills to go experience and explore the inner world. This is a great qualification for divers who are aged 10 - 12 who have diving restrictions placed on them. They are restricted to 12 metres and MUST dive with a dive professional. Then when a little older could uplift to Open Water certification. Using online learning, confined and open water dives, the SSI Scuba Diver program is a perfect foundation to become a confident and safe diver. In this program, you will complete almost half of the Open Water Diver course training and can upgrade your certification easily. You just need to complete the remaining academic and confined water sessions, plus two open water training dives.

In this specialty program, you will gain the advanced skills and knowledge you need to safely and confidently navigate underwater. You will learn how to use a compass and natural navigation techniques, estimate distance, how to leave and return to a designated point, plus basic navigation patterns. You will also be taught how to combine navigation techniques to enhance your diving experience. All of which hones your underwater observation skills, improves your dive safety and helps you to get the most out of every dive. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Navigation Specialty certification.

Correctly mixing gasses is essential to being able to breathe safely underwater. The SSI Gas Blender program teaches you the skills and concepts required to safely blend nitrox and helium-based trimix gases. This non-diving program is open to certified and uncertified divers and teaches proper usage of mathematics, gas blending software, physics, and techniques required to blend breathing gases safely. Upon completing this program, you will earn either the SSI Nitrox Gas Blender or SSI Trimix Gas Blender certification. Get started online today!

The Instructor Evaluation (IE) is the final step of SSI’s 2-Step Instructor Training Approach Divemasters or equivalent-level professionals will have to successfully complete the Instructor Training Course (ITC) first where you’ll learn how to: • Conduct academic sessions • Lead confined water training • Teach Open Water Diver and various Specialty programs like Enriched Air Nitrox, Diver Stress&Rescue, Perfect Buoyancy and more • Develop student management and communication skills Already an experienced instructor with another agency? You may be eligible for shortened oboarding options where you will only have to complete certain parts of the Instructor Training Course (ITC) followed by passing an Instructor Evaluation (IE). Get in touch to discuss. Already certified as an Assistant Instructor with another agency? You could continue your professional journey with SSI. Get in touch to explore your options