Equipment Techniques

Curious about scuba diving but not ready to commit to a full certification? Our Try Scuba class is the perfect way to dip your toes into the world of diving! This introductory session lets you experience the thrill of scuba diving in a safe, controlled environment, all under the guidance of a certified instructor. Whether you’ve always dreamed of exploring the underwater world or just want to see what it’s like to breathe underwater, this experience is your first step toward an exciting new adventure!

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!

Get ready to explore the underwater world with our Open Water Diver certification! This entry-level course is the most popular scuba diving certification worldwide, perfect for beginners who want to learn how to dive safely and confidently. SSI's Open Water Diver certification is valid worldwide, allowing you to dive anywhere with a reputable dive shop.

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.

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.

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.

Night diving requires different skills from diving during the day. The SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty is the best way to learn about night diving and practice the techniques you will need to become a safe and confident night diver. In this program, you will be provided with all the knowledge and skills you need to safely and comfortably dive at night or in limited visibility conditions. With a combination of online learning and open water training dives, you will learn how to enter and exit the water, use specialized equipment, and how to communicate with your buddy easily at night or in limited visibility. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty certification and be ready to go night diving with confidence.

Join the SSI Science of Diving specialty and you will develop a complete understanding of the underwater world and its effects on the human body. This specialty is required training for most SSI Professional programs, as well as some Extended Range programs, and is an essential way to expand your dive knowledge. Available online, you can earn your SSI Science of Diving specialty certification from home and get ready to begin your dive professional career. Upon completion, you will be halfway to earning the coveted SSI Divemaster rating and earn the SSI Science of Diving specialty certification.

The SSI Diver Stress and Rescue specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers. You will learn how to identify stress, how to prevent accidents and be taught practical techniques to conduct rescues and provide emergency care. With a combination of pool and open water practice sessions, you will become well prepared and confident at handling emergency and rescue situations. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification.

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.

Take your diving skills to the next level with our Independent Diving Course. This course is designed for experienced divers who wish to dive solo or without a guide, while maintaining a strong understanding of safety, planning, and self-sufficiency in the water. Our Independent Diving Course teaches you the essential skills to dive confidently on your own or with a buddy, away from organized groups. Under the guidance of our experienced instructors, you'll learn how to plan and execute your own dives, manage your air supply, assess potential risks, and respond to unexpected underwater situations. This course is perfect for divers who want more freedom and flexibility in their diving adventures, while ensuring they have the knowledge and training to dive safely and responsibly.

​The SSI Full Face Mask Diver specialty course is designed to introduce you to the skills used in diving with a full-face mask. This class will include both academic and hands-on, in-water sessions.

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.

Underwater photography has some challenges not found on land, but with the SSI Photo & Video specialty program, you will soon learn how to capture your amazing underwater experiences. This program provides the in-depth knowledge you need to dive with an underwater camera and properly use, maintain and store your equipment. You will develop your skills and learn techniques to take underwater images and video safely and easily, plus perfect your diving abilities while using your underwater camera system. Learn how to take high quality images that you can share with everyone and earn your SSI Photo & Video specialty certification. Get started today!