Equipment Techniques

Night dives require completely different skills than daylight dives. SSI's Night Diving and Limited Visibility Specialty Program is the best way to learn all about night diving and learn the necessary techniques to become a safe and confident night diver. In this program you will learn all the knowledge and skills you need to dive safely and relaxed at night or in low visibility. In a balanced combination of online lessons and open water dives, you will learn how to use special equipment, proper entry and exit techniques, and how to communicate with your dive partner at night and in low visibility. Upon completion of the course, you will be certified as an SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility Specialty and ready to dive in the dark with confidence.

A weekend at two beautiful lakes in northern Bohemia—Lake Most and Lake Barbora—featuring a barbecue. Lake Most is located near the town of Most. It is an artificially flooded surface mine. The lake was created on the site of the former Ležáky Mine, which operated from the 1970s until August 31, 1999, for the extraction of lignite. It covers an area of 311 ha, is 2.5 km long, and 1.5 km wide. The water level is at an elevation of 199 meters above sea level. The maximum depth is 71 meters, and with an average depth of 22 meters, it has a volume of 69.8 million cubic meters. Currently, there are training platforms underwater at depths of 5, 10, and 18 meters, which were installed here by divers from a partner center led by “Legenda – Pájíček” :-) Visibility during this season reaches a beautiful 10 meters. Here we’ll encounter plenty of plants, pike, perch, catfish, and even a sunken boat. Lake Barbora is located near the village of Oldřichov. After World War II, the Barbora open-pit brown coal mine was opened here, which was naturally flooded in the 1970s, primarily by mine water. It covers an area of 55 hectares and has a maximum water depth of approximately 60 meters. Average visibility: 4 m. Here we can spot pike, zander, perch, and catfish, as well as man-made attractions such as training platforms, a caisson, a B-Sub, an outhouse, a tent village, a statue of Jesus, and more... We’ll be staying at Lake Barbora, where we can also plan our dives and barbecue on a gas grill. The first accommodation unit has one room with a double bed and one with a four-bed room; the second unit has two triple rooms. There is one couch in the common room. The facility includes a small kitchenette, a refrigerator, an electric kettle, a bathroom, a separate toilet, and a storage room. The second accommodation option offers space in several rooms with bunk beds and a common room. Please bring a sleeping bag, slippers, drinking water, and any items you might need for barbecuing and drinks. Course options: - Night & Limited Visibility - Navigation - Deep Diving - Dry Suit Diving - Decompression Diving. When booking a weekend, please also provide your vehicle’s license plate number. Schedule: Friday—departure from Manta & Seals Dive Center to Lake Barbora + diving in Lake Barbora; Saturday—diving in Lake Most; Sunday.

The SSI Extended Range training program is the core program that all other open-circuit programs build on. This program is the start of your exciting journey to become an accomplished tech diver. Using either a sidemount or twinset configuration, this program prepares you to plan and conduct decompression dives to a maximum depth of 45 meters. You will learn the techniques and procedures for using breathing gases and nitrox mixtures of up to 100% oxygen for decompression. You will earn the SSI Extended Range diver certification after completing this program and gain new tech diver knowledge.

As a deep diver, you have the unique opportunity to discover some of the world's best dive sites and most sought-after underwater life. There is so much waiting for you in the dark blue water. In a balanced combination of theory classes and open water dives, you'll learn everything you need for dives between 18 and 40 meters in SSI's Deep Diving Specialization. You will learn how to plan, safely complete your deep diving adventures, use dive computer calculations and plan your gas consumption to maximize your dives. Upon completion of the course, you will receive your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore the most beautiful deep dive sites anywhere you want. This SSI specialty is also a prerequisite for other advanced training programs, making it the next logical step in your diving education.

In this fascinating program, you will learn all the skills you need to safely and confidently conduct search and recovery dives. You will be taught how to use search patterns, specialized dive plans and equipment such as lift bags, lines and reels. By developing your search and communication techniques and practicing searches in a dive team, you will become a confident search and rescue diver in no time. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Search & Recovery specialty certification.

It is easy for dive skills to get rusty and to lose confidence when you have not dived for a while. With the SSI Scuba Skills Update, we will get you back in the water and diving with ease in no time. This scuba refresher course allows you to review and practice scuba skills you learned in your Open Water Diver program, under the guidance of an SSI Professional. This is a great course to take just before a dive holiday, so you spend less time worrying about your skills and more time admiring the marine life. If you are a non-certified Open Water Diver student, a Scuba Skills Update is ideal for practicing your dive skills before your open water training dives. With no fixed course duration, you can take your time and focus on the skills you need help with.

Continue to explore the oceans, increase your dive time, reduce your air consumption and more with the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program. The SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program is suitable for those who don't know which specialty to choose. In this program, you will try out different specializations before deciding on a fully specialized course. It's a great way to experience what advanced diver training entails and how valuable it can be to your diving adventures. During the Advanced Open Water Diver program, you will try 5 different specializations. In each specialization, you will complete one open water training dive after a detailed briefing with an SSI instructor. With this trial program of specializations, you will have complete freedom when diving. At any time in the future, you can take the complete specialization programs and count your Advanced Open Water Diver training towards them. Upon successful completion of the program, you will be certified as an SSI Advanced Open Water Diver.

With Dry Suit Diving certification, you can dive anywhere in the world in warmth and comfort all year round. It's the best way to significantly extend your diving season and explore cold-water diving areas without getting cold. In this program, you'll learn everything you need to be safe and comfortable in a dry suit and practice techniques to help you handle tricky situations with your dive gear. Upon completion of the course, you will be certified as an SSI Dry Suit Diver.

Gain a thorough understanding of diving equipment, physics and the underwater environment. In SSI's Science of Diving course, you'll expand your knowledge of the underwater environment and its effects on the human body, gain new knowledge of physics, and look at the details of diving equipment. This specialization will advance your knowledge to the level of diving professionals. The SSI Science of diving specialization is required for the following professional courses or some Extended Range courses. Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive the SSI Science of diving certification.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to dive safely and comfortably under the ice. You will learn about the special requirements for diving in an enclosed environment, techniques and communication methods as well as how to properly use special equipment for ice diving.

Who hasn't heard of the Maldives, a beautiful diving destination in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, an island nation made up of nineteen atolls, an abundance of large marine animals such as manta rays, sharks, turtles and other underwater life? Yes, now get ready for a proper dose of diving adventure on one of the most luxurious boats in the Maldives with spacious cabins for two. With a lounge, dining room and outdoor deck for moments of relaxation, what's in store and what's not to miss? Seven days on a full-board ship. Safaris to beautiful locations around the Maldives. Exceptional diving - 3 dives per day + 1 night dive. Sites suitable for beginners, advanced divers and just snorkelling your non-diving escort. Minimum qualification OWD + Deep Diving. Date: October 2026 - exact date to be confirmed.

Choosing and buying your own dive gear is probably the biggest and most important investment a diver will make, and it is very easy to make mistakes. Our wish is that you assemble the optimal dive gear and know how to take care of it properly. With the right knowledge, you can get the most out of your investment and enjoy safe and trouble-free dives for many years to come. The SSI Equipment Techniques Specialty Course is the best way to learn all about selecting, maintaining and properly storing your dive equipment. Working with an experienced and trained SSI professional, you will learn in detail about the components of your complete diving system and gain a foundation for understanding it well. By following the basic principles of preventive maintenance, your equipment will make your dive gear serve you well and long.

The SSI Try Scuba program is the best way to try scuba diving for the first time. You'll dive in confined water where you'll be well looked after by your instructor, so you can enjoy an unforgettable first breath underwater and the magic of diving. At the end of this short course, you'll get your first SSI Try Scuba card and be guaranteed to want to dive again. There are endless diving adventures awaiting you and this course is the start of what's to come. Let's get started today!

Diving in caverns and cenotes opens up a new dimension of confined space diving with a veil of mystery, while giving you a glimpse into the exciting world of cave diving. As an SSI Cavern & Cenote Diver, you will learn how to use cave diving equipment, gas management concepts, and buddy team skills to safely conduct cavern and cenote dives. The SSI Cavern/Cenote Diving program provides divers with the training necessary to independently plan and execute limited penetration, no-decompression dives in natural environments, to a maximum depth of 30 meters or a linear distance of 40 meters, using specialized equipment in confined spaces and procedures with an equally or more qualified buddy.

Wreck diving has a lot to offer, not only do you get to see interesting and historic wrecks, but many wrecks have become artificial reefs covered in an abundance of colorful coral and home to schools of fish. In SSI's Wreck Diving Specialization Course, you'll learn to locate and name wrecks, learn new techniques for non-penetrating dives, and enter a new dimension of diving adventures. In the SSI Advanced Wreck Diver course, you will learn new skills needed for penetrating wreck dives up to 40 meters in the daylight zone. You will learn new techniques, guide line work, learn special equipment and improve your diving skills. We teach wreck diving courses at our partner bases in Montenegro, Malta and the UK.