Equipment Techniques

In this fascinating program you will learn all the skills you need to conduct search and recovery dives with safety and confidence. You will learn to use search patterns, specialized dive planning and special equipment such as lift balloons, lines and reels. By developing and practicing your search and communication techniques on a dive team, you will quickly become a diver capable of conducting search and recovery dives with confidence. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Search & Recovery specialty certification.

Underwater photography involves certain challenges that don't exist on land, but thanks to SSI's Photo & Video specialty program, you'll quickly learn how to capture images of your underwater experiences. This program provides you with everything you need to dive with an underwater camera and teaches you all the details on how to use, store and maintain your equipment. You'll develop the skills and techniques necessary to safely and comfortably take underwater photographs and videos, and you'll perfect your diving skills while using your underwater camera. Learn how to capture high quality images to share with others and earn your SSI Photo & Video Specialty certification and get started today!

SSI's Perfect Buoyancy Specialty is ideal for improving your buoyancy and getting the most out of diving. Buoyancy is a fundamental skill, but, if you ask any experienced diver, they will tell you that it takes time to perfect it. With the Perfect Buoyancy Specialty, you will learn advanced buoyancy skills and techniques so you can master your buoyancy quickly and enjoy relaxed dives. In this program you will also learn new skills that will help you protect the environment and that you will be able to use in any diving situation. Upon completion, you'll earn SSI's Perfect Buoyancy specialty certification. Once you perfect your buoyancy skills, you'll be able to float with ease and take amazing pictures underwater.

In this specialty program you will acquire the advanced skills and knowledge you need to safely and confidently orient yourself underwater. In addition to the main orienteering techniques and basic orientation patterns, you will learn how to use a compass, how to calculate distance and how to leave a specific point and return to it. You will also learn how to combine different orienteering techniques to enhance your diving experience. In this way, you will perfect your underwater observation skills, improve your diving safety and get the most out of every dive. Upon completion, you'll earn the SSI Navigation Specialty certification.

The Enriched Air Nitrox Level 1 (32%) course is designed for certified divers who want to understand and safely use enriched oxygen mixtures. As a theory course, it focuses on the fundamentals of Nitrox without actually diving. Topics such as Nitrox advantages and limitations, oxygen percentages, exposure limits, maximum operating depth (MOD), dive planning and analysis of 32% mixtures are covered during the training. Ideal for divers looking to expand their knowledge, improve their dive planning and prepare for responsible use of Nitrox in future activities.

The SSI Decompression Diving Specialty will teach you to dive beyond the no-decompression limits. You will learn how to plan and conduct dives to a maximum depth of 40 meters with limited decompression using a total recreational dive system and a single decompression cylinder. In addition, you will know how to effectively use the dive computer functions, including gas switching, gas integration, time to reserve and time to surface. Eventually, you will use these dive computer functions instinctively and safely perform limited decompression dives without hours of planning. Upon completion, you'll earn SSI's Decompression Diving specialty certification and be able to explore deeper dive sites or larger wrecks without the restriction of traditional no-decompression limits, multiplying your adventure possibilities.

SSI designed the Computer Diving program to help certified divers become familiar with the functions 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 it easier to plan and execute your dive. SSI's Computer Diving program explores the functions and capabilities of the various dive computers and explains how to use these functions before, during and after the dive. Often, divers buy a computer and only use it for its basic information. Get the most out of your investment by learning how to use your dive computer to its full potential - start your SSI Computer Diving Specialty online today!

With the SSI Deep Diving Specialty, you'll learn everything you need to dive from 18 to 40 meters through a combination of academic sessions and open water dives. You'll learn how to plan and complete deep dives safely and how to use computers and gas consumption calculations to get the most out of your deep dives. Upon completion, you'll earn your SSI Deep Diving specialty certification and be able to explore deep dive sites wherever you go. This SSI specialty is a prerequisite for some of the advanced dive programs, making it the recommended next step in your dive training.

It's normal for skills to get rusty and you lose confidence when you haven't been diving for a while. With SSI's Scuba Skills Update you'll be back in the water and diving with ease in no time. This refresher program allows you to review and practice the skills you learned on the Open Water Diver with an SSI professional. It's also the perfect course if you're planning to go on vacation and would rather enjoy the marine life than spend time worrying about your skills. If you are a student who has not yet obtained the Open Water Diver certification, the Scuba Skills Update is ideal for practicing your skills before the open water training dives. This course has no specific duration, so you can take as much time as you need and focus on the skills you want to practice.