Specialty Instructor Search & Recovery

The Divemaster program is the first step on an exciting journey. Earn the respect of your dive buddies and become an ambassador for diving by taking the Divemaster program. All you need to get started is 40 logged/verified dives and certifications in Deep Diving, Navigation, Night & Limited Visibility or at least 5 logged/verified dives of experience in each area plus Diver Stress & Rescue. You will receive the Dive Guide certification upon successful completion of the Divemaster program. When your interest is to turn your passion into a profession by guiding certified divers, teaching Ecology programs, assisting instructors or even becoming an instructor yourself, your next step is the Divemaster upgrade with a minimum of 60 logged/verified dives. Upgrade to Divemaster immediately or at any time thereafter by studying the Science of Diving materials on your own and passing the Digital Final Exam that makes you an SSI professional. There are thousands of job opportunities around the world for the next generation of highly qualified divers.

The Dive Guide program is the first step in an exciting experience not to be missed. Learn how to safely guide certified divers in a variety of environments and conditions. By preparing dive briefings, conducting site assessments and guiding dives, you'll become a confident and competent Dive Guide in no time. Start your dive career working as a Dive Guide or continue your training to become a Divemaster.

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.

Dry suit diving provides you with unique opportunities, such as the chance to dive remote Arctic sites or explore other cold water dive sites teeming with marine life. Dry Suit diving also keeps your body warm during multiple dive days when you don't want to waste time putting on and taking off a wetsuit. SSI's Dry Suit Diving specialty program is the best option to become a dry suit diver and learn all the skills and knowledge needed to dive safely and comfortably in a dry suit. You will learn how to use specialized equipment, such as drysuits and buoyancy compensators, you will learn their main advantages and you will learn how to act correctly in case of emergencies specific to this type of diving. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Dry Suit Diving specialty certification.

After becoming a Divemaster, the Assistant Instructor qualification is the next step in a dive instructor's career path. This program allows you to gain teaching experience, practice briefings and provide in-water and classroom training. If you want to advance your career as a dive professional, you can take the Instructor Training Course, pass the Instructor Evaluation and become an Open Water Diving Instructor.

This program, which gives you an internationally recognized certification, is ideal to start your adventures as a certified diver. The combination of personalized training and practical in-water sessions ensures that you will have the skills and experience necessary to dive comfortably underwater. You'll earn your SSI Open Water Diver certification.

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.

In this sidemount diving course, you’ll learn all you need to go single or two-cylinder recreational sidemount diving up to a maximum depth of 30 meters or to your certification depth, whichever is deeper. Sidemount diving is already common practice for wreck, mine, and cave divers, but now the benefits are being discovered by more recreational divers. With no heavy tank on your back, you’ll be more comfortable in the water and find your streamlining and trim improve effortlessly. By using less energy you may reduce your gas consumption so you can make the most of your dive time. With better buoyancy control, easier access to your valves and more redundancy as well, sidemount diving offers safety and peace of mind. This is the best sidemount diving course to discover and enjoy the enticing advantages of this dive style. You learn all the skills and knowledge you need to safely and comfortably dive with a single or two-cylinder sidemount equipment configuration.

With the SSI Marine Ecology specialty program you will learn how marine organisms interact with each other and with the environment. In addition, you will discover how different communities are related and how different ocean ecosystems are linked. With everything you've learned, you'll be able to appreciate marine life even better during your dives. Start the program now and earn your SSI Marine Ecology specialty certification.

Sidemount diving is a very common practice among many wreck, mine and cave divers, but the advantages for more recreational divers are now being discovered. By not carrying a heavy tank on your back, you will feel more comfortable in the water and see your hydrodynamics and horizontal trim position improve effortlessly. By using less energy, you can reduce your air consumption, so you can make better use of your dive time. By improving buoyancy control, valve access and redundancy, sidemount diving offers you more safety and peace of mind. This is the best sidemount diving course to discover and enjoy the attractive advantages of this style of diving. You will learn all the skills and knowledge you need to dive safely and comfortably with a sidemount equipment configuration of one or two tanks.

Many of the best dive sites in the ocean are wrecks. These impressive structures attract high densities of marine life and allow you to immerse yourself in history. There is nothing quite like wreck diving and with the Wreck Diving specialty, you will acquire all the skills and knowledge you need to become a wreck diver with complete safety and confidence. Combining academic and confined water sessions, this program prepares you to make safe non-penetration dives on wrecks and artificial reefs to a maximum depth of 30 meters. You will also be able to practice your wreck diving skills during open water training dives. You will certainly enjoy wreck diving with confidence and get the most out of every dive. Upon completion, you'll earn your SSI Wreck Diving Specialty certification. Become a wreck diver and experience new adventures - start your online training now!

If you can't decide which specialty programs are the best choice for you, join the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver program! You'll try Deep Diving and Navigation, plus a choice of 3 other specialties, before committing to full specialty training. It's a great way to experience what advanced diver training is all about and how valuable it can be to your diving adventures. During the Advanced Open Water Diver Program, you'll experience 5 different specialties by completing one open water training dive per specialty after a thorough briefing with your SSI Instructor. By completing this program you will have total freedom to explore. You can complete the full Specialty trainings at any time in the future and credit your Advanced Open Water Diver training towards them.

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 is one of the most requested specialties, so it is a great advantage to have it as an instructor.

It is an essential specialty to meet Advanced OWD course standards, as it is a mandatory specialty.