Specialty Courses

Advanced Buoyancy Course

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

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+GST)

Boat Diver Course

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.

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+GST and charter costs)

Computer Diver

The SDI Computer Diver course is for divers how have not yet used a dive computer or for divers that want to learn a little more about the computer they are using. During the course and the two dives that go along with it, your SDI Instructor will cover

• Computers vs. tables
• Display information
• Types of computers
• Downloading information
• Utilizing planning modes
• Programming computers

Personal Dive Computers are used by the vast majority of divers today and have proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring and documenting dives

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+ GST)

Computer Nitrox Diver

The SDI Computer Nitrox course is a great next step after the Open Water Diver certification and is structured in an easy to understand manner by making use of a Nitrox programmable computer. Nitrox as a breathing gas has a lot of benefits for both new and experienced. The course will cover the use of Nitrox mixtures from 22 to 40 percent oxygen. The benefits of using Nitrox include

• Increased safety margins
• Reduced post dive fatigue
• Extended no-decompression times

# of dives - none
Cost $160
On-line $119USD
To do the course on-line, simply click on the Computer Nitrox picture on the right - it will take you to the SDI course registration page. Sign-up and begin your course. When you are done, come into Nanaimo Dive Outfitters to analyze and sign-off on a nitrox tank.

Deep Diver Course

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.

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Drysuit Diver Course

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

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Equipment Specialist

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

# of dives - none
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Night-Limited Visibility Diver Course

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.

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Nitrox Diver

The Nitrox course is an entry level course for divers wishing to utilize enriched air nitrox as a breathing gas. Little else has impacted recreational diving more than the introduction of nitrox, allowing more time underwater. During this course, you will learn the benefits, hazards and proper procedures for diving with EAN 22 to EAN 40 your TDI Instructor will also cover

• Equipment considerations
• Cylinder labeling
• Analyzing of Nitrox

The course follows an easy to read and understand diver manual titled Understanding Nitrox and water proof tables for quick on site reference.

# of dives - none - 2 nitrox fills included
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Search and Recovery Diver Course

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

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Underwater Navigation Course

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

# of dives - 2
Cost $160 (+ books and GST)

Wreck Diver Course – limited penetration

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.

# of dives - 3
Cost $400 (+ books, GST and charter fees)

Master Scuba Diver Development Program

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.

Cost varies