SSI Zero to Hero – From Open Water Diver to Divemaster

The SSI Diver Stress and Rescue specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers. You’ll learn to identify stress, prevent accidents, and receive practical techniques for performing rescues and providing emergency care. Through a combination of practical sessions in the pool and in open water, you’ll become well-prepared and confident in handling emergency and rescue situations. Upon completion of this course, you’ll earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification.

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 the event of a medical emergency. In this flexible program, you can choose the topics you want to cover, including initial assessment, first aid, CPR, and key stabilization techniques. You can also learn how to administer oxygen in a diving emergency and the basics of using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Through classroom sessions and hands-on scenarios, this program will give you the confidence you need to respond to an emergency. Once certified, you’ll be able to act as a first responder, provide first aid and CPR, administer oxygen, and provide AED assistance in the event of a medical emergency. Earn your SSI React Right specialty certification. Get started today!

The SSI Deep Diving specialty will teach you everything you need to dive to depths between 18 and 40 meters, through a combination of classroom sessions and open-water dives. You’ll learn how to safely plan and execute your deep diving adventures and how to use dive computers and gas consumption calculations to get the most out of your deep dives. Upon completion of this course, you’ll earn your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore magnificent deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI specialty is also a prerequisite for certain advanced courses, making it the logical next step in your diving education.

Diving in a drysuit opens up a world of possibilities, including diving in remote Arctic destinations and exploring cold-water dive sites teeming with life. Dry suit diving also keeps you warm during back-to-back dive days, when you don’t want to spend your time getting in and out of a cold wet suit. 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’ll learn how to use this specialized equipment—consisting of the dry suit and buoyancy compensator—understand its benefits, and manage emergencies specific to this type of diving. Upon completion of this course, you’ll earn the SSI Dry Suit Diving Specialty certification.

Night diving requires different skills than daytime diving. The SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility specialty is the best way to learn night diving and practice the techniques you’ll need to become a safe and confident night diver. In this program, you’ll gain all the knowledge and skills necessary to dive safely and comfortably at night or in conditions of limited visibility. Through a combination of online learning and open-water training dives, you’ll learn how to enter and exit the water, use specialized equipment, and communicate easily with your dive buddy at night or in limited visibility. Upon completion of this course, you’ll earn the SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility Specialty certification and be ready to dive at night with confidence.

In this specialty program, you’ll develop the advanced skills and knowledge you need to navigate safely and confidently underwater. You’ll learn how to use a compass and natural navigation techniques, estimate distance, depart from and return to a designated point, and apply basic navigation patterns. You’ll also learn how to combine navigation techniques to enhance your diving experience. All of this sharpens your underwater observation skills, improves your dive safety, and helps you get the most out of every dive. Upon completion of this course, you’ll earn the SSI Navigation Specialty certification.

Most of the best open-water dive sites are wrecks. These structures attract unusually high concentrations of marine life and give you the opportunity to immerse yourself in history. The SSI Wreck Diving Specialty will help you become a safe and confident wreck diver. Through a combination of classroom instruction and confined-water sessions, you’ll learn how to safely conduct non-penetration dives around wrecks and artificial reefs, down to a depth of 30 meters. You’ll also be able to put your wreck diving skills into practice during training dives in the open water. All of this will allow you to enjoy wreck diving with confidence and get the most out of every dive. Upon completion of this program, you’ll earn your SSI Wreck Diving Specialty. Continue your adventures and become a wreck diver. Get started online today!

Enroll in the SSI Science of Diving specialty, and you’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of the underwater world and its effects on the human body. This specialty is a required course for most SSI Professional programs, as well as for certain Extended Range programs, and is an essential way to expand your diving knowledge. Available online, you can earn your SSI Science of Diving specialty certification from the comfort of your own home and prepare to launch your career as a diving professional. Once you complete the course, you’ll be halfway to earning the highly sought-after SSI Divemaster certification and will earn the SSI Science of Diving specialty certification.

The SSI Dive Guide / Divemaster program is the first step toward a professional career in diving. You'll learn how to organize and lead dives, assist SSI Instructors during training, safely manage groups of divers, and develop your leadership skills. Through a combination of academic sessions, practical workshops, and open water training, you'll become a more experienced, confident, and self-reliant diver, fully prepared to take the next step into the professional diving world.

During the Enriched Air Nitrox 40 Program, you will gain comprehensive knowledge of how oxygen-enriched gas mixtures affect your body and your dive profile. The curriculum focuses on the practical application of nitrox, including the mastery of oxygen analyzers and the calculation of your Maximum Operating Depth for various gas blends. You will also learn to integrate nitrox settings into your dive computer to optimize your decompression limits. This internationally recognized specialty provides you with the skills to safely use nitrox mixes containing up to 40 percent oxygen at dive centers and liveaboards around the world. By mastering these concepts, you ensure a higher level of safety and competence for every future underwater adventure.

Upon completion, you will earn an SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 32% or 40% certification.