COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Scuba Discovery Program          Cost $125

For those who want to test the waters, this is the course for you.  The SDI Scuba Discovery Program gives you a glimpse into what you can expect to see in the underwater world as well as what you could expect to learn in the SDI Open Water Scuba Diver Course.  You will be shown the basic safety procedures for enjoyable scuba dives under the watchful eye of an SDI instructor. You will learn skills like equalizing your ears, buddy checks, basic buoyancy control, and underwater communication. You will also be given an introduction to basic scuba equipment and scuba skills followed by an underwater tour in the local marine environment.  If you enjoy this experience then the SDI Open Water Scuba Diver course is your next step.

Future Buddies Program             Cost $125

Do you have a family and you want to get the younger members involved in a sport that you have been enjoying, SDI has the program for them.  The SDI Future Buddies program is an innovative course designed to provide children between the ages of 8 & 9 an introduction to scuba diving in a controlled environment under the direct supervision of an SDI instructor. Children are given the opportunity to try breathing underwater in confined water setting. The instructor covers topics such as the history of diving, diving equipment and the marine environment. Once the future buddy turns 10 they can enroll in the SDI Junior Open Water Diver course.

Open Water Diver Course            Cost $350

The SDI Open Water Scuba Diver course is an entry-level certification course designed to give you the necessary skills to safely conduct open water dives.  Some of the many skills you will learn include buoyancy, proper weighting, marine conservation, equipment assembly, proper dive planning, and maintenance. The course covers all the basic knowledge about equipment, physiology and the marine environment while training students to perform basic skills underwater.  This course is the key to start exploring dive destinations around the globe or just in your backyard. Click here for more detail about the course...

Advanced Diver Development Program          Cost varies

The SDI Advanced Diver Development Program was created to make truly “Advanced Divers”. Under the old way of training a student could take an Advanced Course right after Open Water course and only have a total of nine dives, all under the supervision of an instructor. The SDI-Advanced Diver Development Program requires new Open Water divers to take four (4) SDI specialty courses, or equivalent, and have a total of twenty five (25) logged dives.  SDI feels a diver will truly be “Advanced” after this is accomplished.

Rescue Diver Course        Cost $299

The SDI Rescue Diver Course is designed to develop your knowledge and necessary skills to effectively perform diver rescues and assist, and administer necessary first aid. You will learn skills such as how to perform self rescues, buddy rescues, recognize and calm potential panic divers, administer proper first aid to divers that have experienced dive related injuries, conduct effective search patterns and manage accident scenes.  After the SDI Rescue Diver Course you can enroll in the SDI Master Scuba Diver Development Program or start in the professional ranks and sign up for the SDI Divemaster Course.

Specialty Courses

Advanced Buoyancy Course     Cost $150

While taking your Open Water Scuba Diver course you learned the basics of how to control and use your buoyancy, now take the SDI Advanced Buoyancy control course and make diving even more effortless and truly enjoy the freedom from gravity.  Some of the tricks you will learn from your SDI Instructor include

• Breath control
• Proper weighting
• Placement of trim weights
• Body position and trim
• Streamlining equipment
• Factors that affect buoyancy

Altitude Diver Course        Cost $150

If you dive at altitude or are planning to, the SDI Altitude Diver course is a must for you.  Let an SDI Instructor teach you the proper techniques and differences of diving at altitude. Some of the many skills you will learn during the course are

• Calculating for nitrogen adsorption
• Using altitude tables
• Correction for gauge depth
• Physics and physiology of altitude diving

Boat Diver Course             Cost $150 (plus charter costs)

Scuba diving from boats is an everyday occurrence.  Whether on a private vessel or one of the many charter dive boats available worldwide, divers are frequently not aware of the special procedures and etiquette used when boat diving. The SDI Boat Diver course will introduce you to some different types of boat diving and the skills needed to plan and conduct a boat dive with maximum safety.  The list of skills and knowledge you will obtain during this course is long an includes

• Safe entries and exits
• Proper stowing of equipment
• Safety procedures
• Planning boat dives
• Drift diving from live boats

During the course you go on two dives and put to use the valuable information you have learned

Deep Diver Course                        Cost $150

SDI’s Deep Diver course is a must for any diver wishing to explore a little more and will teach you the risks and benefits of deep diving.  Many interesting sights lie just beyond 18m/60ft such as beautiful wall dives, ship wrecks, and critters that don’t come into the shallows.  During the course, your SDI Instructor will take you on two dives and covers skills like

• Proper descents
• Air management
• Effects of nitrogen narcosis
• Dive planning,  

By the end of the course your knowledge and comfort level will have increased.  The Deep Diver course has a maximum depth of 40m/130, the suggested sport diving limit.

Drysuit Diver Course        Cost $150

The SDI Dry Suit Diver course will open up a whole new world of diving to you.  Many of the waters around the world are better dove in a dry suit.  These waters have an abundance of marine life waiting to be seen and photographed, dry suits are also being used in tropical waters during the cooler months.  Your SDI Instructor will teach you

• Selection of a dry suit
• Care and maintenance
• Emergency procedures
• Proper weighting
• Buoyancy control

Equipment Specialist        Cost $99

There are many things that you as a diver can do to maintain your equipment and the SDI Equipment Specialty course is just the place to learn how to do that maintenance.  This course covers BCs’, regulators, wetsuits, dry suits and many more of the equipment items used while diving. Your SDI Instructor will teach

• Proper cleaning of equipment
• Proper storage
• Transportation and storage of dive cylinders 

Night-Limited Visibility Diver Course                Cost $150

Many divers find that night diving is their favorite type of diving. As with all specialty diving applications, procedures are different than those associated with Open Water Diving. The purpose of the SDI Night & Limited Visibility Diver course is to acquaint the Open Water Scuba Diver with the procedures, techniques, and potential hazards associated with diving at night or in limited visibility. By becoming familiar with the use of dive lights and night diving techniques such as navigation

• Buddy system procedures
• Communications
• Buoyancy control
• Interacting with nocturnal aquatic life

You will be able to enjoy night diving with maximum safety and comfort.

Search and Recovery Diver Course                 Cost $150

SDI’s Search and Recovery Diver specialty will teach you the basic of searching for a lost object from outboard boat motors to jewelry.  You will also learn to recovery the object once it is located this includes the use of lift bags and tying lines underwater to secure and lift the object.  Your SDI Instructor will cover skills such as

• Carrying deploying and attaching lift bags
• Conducting search patterns
• Entanglement avoidance
• Recovering and preserving objects

Underwater Navigation Course             Cost $150

One of the most important skills a diver can have is good navigation, this could be with a compass or by natural formations.  The SDI Underwater Navigation Diver course will teach you the nesscery skills to navigate using a compass and natural navigation.  During the course your SDI Instructor will teach you

• Compass features
• Distance estimating
• Reading ocean bottom contours
• Practice skills

Visual Inspection Procedures Course             Cost $150

During the SDI Visual Inspection Procedures course you will learn to promote safety in the care and maintenance of high-pressure scuba cylinders by way of your SDI Instructor and a comprehensive Visual Inspection Procedures manual.  One of the goals is to raise the consciousness of the industry to the need to meet and exceed the minimum standards established by local Regulations.  Another goal is to train inspectors in the proper handling, filling, and inspection techniques including the identification of the various defective conditions that can lead to cylinder rejection or condemnation.

Wreck Diver Course          Cost $200 (plus charter fees)

Wreck diving can be one of the most exciting aspects of sport diving and can uncover pieces of history seen by few others, however every effort must be made to maximize safe diving techniques. In the SDI Wreck Diver course, we will discuss and use equipment and techniques commonly employed while wreck diving.  This course may be taught as a 1) non-penetration (2 total dives) or 2) limited-penetration (3 total dives) course.  In the event of “Limited Penetration Training,” limited penetration is defined as “swim through or within the ambient light of entry point,”.  Your SDI Instructor will teach you how to safely plan and execute wreck dives in a fun and enjoyable way.

Master Scuba Diver Development Program   Cost varies

You have already shown that diving is the sport for you by completing your Open Water Scuba Diver certification, Advanced Scuba Diver certification, Rescue Diver certification and you have logged 50 total dives, now take the next step.  The SDI Master Scuba Diver Development Program is an earned certification and the highest non professional level of certification. Visit your local SDI facility and bring along all your accomplishments in diving, don’t forget the logbook with your 50 dives, the friendly staff will reward all of your hard work by submitting for your Master Scuba Diver certification.  So now that you have earned the highest of non professional training what’s next?  You can continue to take SDI specialties that interest you like Computer Nitrox, Diver Propulsion Vehicle Specialty, Dry Suit Diver, and many more or sign up for the first professional level of training SDI Divemaster.

Professional Level Courses

Divemaster Course            Cost  $525

The SDI Divemaster Course is the first professional level certification. During this course you will be challenged and learn what it is like to work with divers as they experience the underwater world for the first time and you will learn how to lead already certified divers and show them some of your favorite critters or dive sites.  Your SDI Instructor will also teach you how to manage divers, work the dive deck of a boat, and conducting safe and enjoyable dives.  Other things you can expect to learn is diving Physics and Physiology, and being a professional SDI Divemaster.  Your skills will be refined to demonstration quality and your knowledge increased to that of a professional.  After you have completed the SDI Divemaster course you can move onto the SDI Assistant Instructor Course where you will learn more about academic presentations and have the ability to teach certain SDI specialties.

Assistant Instructor Course        Cost $550

The SDI Assistant instructor course is designed for you to gain practical teaching experience with an active SDI Instructor or Instructor Trainer. You will help an Instructor teach an Open Water Scuba Diver course, Advanced Diver Course, and Rescue Diver Course. Your SDI Instructor will also teach you to

• Prepare lesson plans
• Give academic presentations
• General dive management techniques.

Upon completion of the course you may teach and certify Skin Divers, conduct the Inactive Diver Program, and conduct the knowledge Quest review in the Open Water Diver Course.  With some additional training, you could go on to teach the following SDI courses;

• Altitude Diver
• Boat Diver
• Computer Diver
• Equipment Specialist
• Marine Ecosystems Awareness Diver
• Shore/Beach Diver
• Underwater Photographer Diver
• Underwater Video Diver
• Visual Inspection Procedures
• CPROX Administrator
• CPR1st Administrator