Course Director

PADI Co-Founder John Cronin once observed, “PADI Course Directors are the crème de la crème.”

PADI Course Directors are instructor trainers who conduct PADI Instructor Development Courses and other instructor-level training, holding the highest and most respected rating in recreational scuba diving. Those who join this elite group of professionals pass through a stringent screening process that examines their experience and training just to get into the demanding, intense two week Course Director Training Course. Rise to the top. Reach for the PADI Course Director rating.

Prerequisites include:

• Renewed teaching status PADI Master Instructor for at least six months.
• Conduct all PADI certification courses and experience programs using methods consistent with PADI Standards and philosophy as outlined in the PADI Instructor Manual.
• Exclusively use the complete PADI System of diver education including all appropriate PADI training materials.
• Certified as a PADI IDC Staff Instructor
• Certified as a current Emergency First Response Instructor.
• Experience working with a PADI Center or Resort.

Emergency First Response

Take a step toward emergency preparedness and meet PADI Rescue Diver prerequisites with Emergency First Response. As one of the foremost international CPR and first aid training companies, Emergency First Response gives you the confidence to respond to medical emergencies -- not just in the diving world, but in your every day world with your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers too.

Emergency First Response courses encompass:

• CPR for adults, children and infants
• First aid for adults, children and infants
• Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training
• The Emergency First Response Instructor and Instructor Trainer courses

Project Aware Specialist

The underwater world needs heroes. You can be one of them by championing the causes of the world’s most fragile and important aquatic ecosystems. Sign up for the Project AWARE Specialty course to learn about some of the most pressing problems facing these vulnerable environments and everyday actions you can take to help conserve them. It’s informative, interesting and most importantly, you learn how to make a difference.

Project AWARE Foundation is the dive industry’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the aquatic environment through education, advocacy and action. Besides completing the Project AWARE Specialty course, you can become a partner in the efforts to preserve the underwater environment. Click here to find out how.

• The ocean commons and coastal zone issues
• Fisheries challenges and sustainability
• Coral environment overview and inhabitants
• The role of the diver in protecting aquatic environments
• Materials: You’ll need AWARE: Our World, Our Water

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

Coral Reef Conservation

The AWARE - Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course teaches divers, snorkelers and nondivers about the vital role of coral reefs in the marine environment. The course also familiarizes participants with the current state of the world's coral reefs and how they can help.

There are no dives or age limits. Divers and nondivers alike enjoy learning about the aquatic environment. Click here for your local PADI Dive Centre or Resort and sign up today.

• An introduction to the Project AWARE Foundation
• Covers the importance of coral reefs to marine ecosystems and coastal areas
• Coral reef biology, association and competition
• The status of the world's coral reefs
• How participants can help, including responsible diving and snorkelling practices

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

Altitude Diver

Any time you’re diving at 300 to 3000 metres/1000 to 10,000 feet above sea level, you're altitude diving. If you want to explore the hidden world of a mountain lake, the PADI Altitude Diver Specialty course is for you. The PADI Altitude Diver Specialty course familiarizes you with the rules and procedures necessary for altitude diving, including how to use the Recreational Dive Planner at altitude.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization) 
• Altitude dive planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards
• Recreational Dive Planner procedures for diving at altitude
• Safety stops and emergency decompression procedures at altitude 
• Special equipment is necessary for altitude diving 
• Two open water training dives

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

AWARE Fish Identification

Have you ever asked yourself, "What was that?”

The PADI Project AWARE Fish Identification Specialty course provides you with the fish identification basics so that next time, you know the answer.

During two dives you gain hands-on experience in looking for and identifying the fascinating fish you see underwater. You can learn more about Project AWARE by going to www.projectaware.org.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
• Covers Project AWARE and aquatic protection worldwide
• Characteristics of local fish families and species will be explained
• Fish survey techniques and strategies
• Fish identification dive planning, organization and procedures will be practiced
• Including the two open water training dives, the course lasts about 12 hours
• Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

Boat Diver

Whether you’ve never made a boat dive or you’ve logged dozens, the PADI Boat Diver Specialty course can benefit almost every diver because different boats in different parts of the world do things differently. The PADI Boat Diver Specialty course familiarizes you with the various ways you stow gear, enter and exit the water, use surface lines and more, depending upon the type boat and the location.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
• Covers techniques for diving from boats ranging from small inflatables to giant live-aboards
• Discusses how dive boats differ from place to place
• Gives you focused experience and training for diving from boats in your local area
• Covers basic boat safety equipment and use
• Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver

These things are a blast to ride!

DPV’s offer a thrilling way to see a lot of underwater territory in a brief amount of time. They scoot you through the water without kicking. Want to visit that offshore reef from the beach? A DPV may be the way to go.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization) and 12 years old
• Diver propulsion vehicle dive planning organization, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards
• Equipment considerations
• Diver etiquette and how to avoid harming fragile aquatic life
• The PADI Diver Propulsion Vehicle Diver certification counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating.

Drift Diver

The PADI Drift Diver Specialty Course introduces you to the coolest magic carpet ride you’ll ever experience. This course shows you how to enjoy rivers and ocean currents by “going with the flow,” staying with your dive partner, communicating with the dive boat and knowing where you are the whole time.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or have a qualifying certification from another training organization) and be at least 12 years old
• Planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of drift diving
• An introduction to drift diving equipment -- floats, lines, reels
• Buoyancy-control, navigation and communication for drift diving
• Site selection and overview of aquatic currents – causes and effects
• Techniques for staying close to a buddy or together as a group

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating

Dry Suit Diver

Wanna stay warm and toasty on a dive? Then stay out of the water. What? Stay out of the water? Yes! Unlike a wetsuit, a dry suit seals you off from the outside water. In the PADI Dry Suit Diver Specialty course, you'll learn how to use a dry suit. And that keeps you warm! Even in very cold water.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or hold a qualifying certification from another training organization) and at least 10 years old
• Don and doff techniques specific to your dry suit
• Dry suit buoyancy control skills
• Dry suit maintenance and storage
• Undergarment (fleece or overall-type garments worn under the dry suit) options 
• The PADI Dry Suit Diver certification credits toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating

Enriched Air Diver

Welcome to one of PADI’s most popular specialties – the PADI Enriched Air Diver course. Diving with enriched air nitrox lets you safely extend your no stop time beyond the no decompression limits for air. Diving with enriched air means more time underwater – but you need to be certified as an Enriched Air Diver to get enriched air fills.

Whether you’re into underwater photography or wreck diving, on vacation in some tropical paradise or just out for a leisurely day of diving at your local dive site, the PADI Enriched Air Diver course helps you get more out of diving by giving you more time underwater.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization).
• Learn to analyze cylinder contents.
• Plan enriched air dives using tables and dive computers.
• Safely increase your no stop time.

Certification counts toward the Master Scuba Diver rating

Equipment Specialist

Want to know about how your dive gear works? Then the PADI Equipment Specialist course is for you. This course familiarizes you with the operation and maintenance of your dive equipment. The more you know about how your gear works, the more comfortable you are with it, the more performance you get from it and the better you can care for it.

• Must be a PADI Scuba Diver or Junior Scuba Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
• Reviews the theory, principles and operation of dive equipment
• Routine, recommended care and maintenance procedures, and equipment storage
• Common problems with equipment and recommended professional maintenance procedures (may include a demonstration of repair procedures)
• Simple suggestions for comfortable equipment configurations and an introduction to new gear (may include optional confined water dive to try new or unfamiliar equipment)
• No dives are required, so you can take the Equipment Specialist course any time of the year
• The PADI Equipment Specialist Course is not an equipment repair course, but it provides the foundation you’ll want if you’re interested in learning equipment repair

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

Multilevel Diver

Do you want to maximize your dive times? (Of course). Want to get the most out of your dive computer and The Wheel^TM? (Naturally). Then the PADI Multilevel Diver Specialty course is for you.

In this course, you learn how to plan dives that extend your bottom time by crediting you for slower nitrogen absorption when you ascend to a shallower depth. That’s the way you really dive, after all. You’ll learn to use The Wheel^TM version of the RDP for planning multilevel dives, making it a great companion for your dive computer (as well as a way to make multilevel dives if you forget to bring your computer).

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or have a qualifying certification from another training organization) and 12 years old
• Plan and execute multilevel dives (different depths on the same dive)
• Back up your dive computer and plan multi-level dives with The Wheel^TM
• Maximize your no stop time

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

Night Diver

As the sun sets, you don your dive gear, slip on your mask and bite down on your regulator. A deep breath and you step off the boat – into the underwater night. Although you’ve seen this reef many times before, this time you drop into a whole new world and watch it come to life under the glow of your dive light.

The adventure, thrill and excitement of night diving can be yours when you complete your PADI Night Diver Specialty course. You learn about night dive planning, equipment and navigation. You practice these on three night dives, plus introduce yourself to the whole new cast of critters that comes out after the sun goes down.

• Must be a PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization) and 12 years old
• Number of Dives: Three
• Dive lights and night diving equipment
• Entries, exits and navigation at night
• Nocturnal aquatic life
• Communication and light handling
• Materials: You’ll Need a Night-Pak, which includes PADI Night Diver Manual and the award-winning PADI Night Diving video.

Go night diving and see the underwater world in a whole new light – a dive light.

Certification counts toward the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.