Even with plenty to see above 60 feet, deep dives can provide excitement when exploring deeper dive sites. The Deep Diver Specialty will provide you with the ability and knowledge to safely dive to 130 feet. During the course, you will learn what specialty equipment you may need and how to plan for a deep dive with your buddy. Additionally, you will also build on previous knowledge of managing air supply and how to prevent/manage gas narcosis. These skills are practiced over four dives.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 15 years old with a PADI Adventure Diver certification or higher.

The PADI Enriched Air Specialty will help you extend your dive times and allow you to get back in the water sooner. During the class, you will learn diving with “Nitrox” gives you more bottom time. You will also learn about the equipment considerations associated with enriched air diving. You will also learn about managing oxygen exposure and altering your dive computer to take enriched air into consideration. Finally, you will practice analyzing oxygen in your scuba tank to prevent any problems while diving.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 12 years old with a PADI Open Water Certification.

Knowing where you are and where you are going is a useful skill. The Underwater Navigator specialty will fine-tune your observation and navigation skills. The course also will provide information pertaining to the more accurate use of a compass underwater. During three dives you will learn methods for measuring distance underwater, navigating using a compass, and finding a submerged object.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 10 years old with a PADI Open Water Certification.

Our local dive site at Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, NM is an altitude dive site. Everyone who dives at altitude should know how to safely participate in a dive. The PADI Altitude Diver Specialty gives you the information needed to plan and execute a dive at altitude. You will learn about the effects of pressure at altitude and how to adjust your dive computer for altitude, which is a crucial part of diving at altitude. You will complete two dives during this course.

This course is open to anyone with a PADI Open Water Certification or higher and at least 10 years old.

The Project AWARE Specialty course is an introduction to the global AWARE movement for ocean protection. It focuses and expands on the 10 Tips for Divers to Protect the Ocean Planet. Through interactive discussions, you’ll learn how you can make a difference in ocean protection every time you dive or travel. A dry, ‘fins off’ course, this specialty is ideal for divers and non-divers alike to gain insight into how decisions above and below the surface impact our water planet.

There are hundreds of wrecks around the world to be explored. The PADI Wreck Diver Specialty will provide knowledge and safety considerations for navigating and exploring wrecks. Additionally, you will learn how to use penetration lines to guide exploration and techniques to avoid kicking up silt to maintain visibility. These skills are practiced during four dives.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 15 years old with a PADI Adventure Diver certification or higher.

Staying warm is often the key to an enjoyable dive. By utilizing a dry suit, instead of a traditional wet suit, you will stay warmer. A dry suit seals you off from the water that will cool you down. During the Dry Suit Diver specialty, you will learn the components of a dry suit and how to get it on and off with minimal assistance. You will also learn how to master buoyancy and safety procedures when wearing a dry suit. This specialty is completed during two dives.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 10 years old with a PADI Open Water Certification.

During the Digital Underwater Photographer course, you’ll learn how to take underwater photos you’ll be proud to share with others.

Avoid beginner mistakes and shorten the learning curve with tips from the pros. Learn how to use underwater photography lights (strobes), avoid backscatter and enhance color.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 10 years old with a PADI Open Water Certification.

Diving at night opens up a whole new type of diving. The underwater world comes to life at night, with nocturnal creatures becoming very active. In the Night Diver Specialty course, you will learn how to control buoyancy by feel, light handling, and communication. You will learn about the special night dive equipment needed and how to navigate in the dark. These skills are practiced over three dives.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 12 years old with a PADI Open Water Certification.

Bubblemaker is as fun as it sounds – a chance for kids to blow bubbles by scuba diving. Children who are at least 8 years old can use scuba gear to breathe underwater and swim around in shallow water.

Bubblemakers get a chance to:

Experience scuba diving under the direct care and supervision of a PADI Pro. Take their first breaths underwater in water shallower than 2 metres/6 feet. Learn about and use scuba diving equipment made for children – not adults. And most importantly have lots of fun!

*This is not a specialty but a program for children to be introduced to diving.

The PADI Seal Team is for young scuba divers who are looking for action-packed fun in a pool by completing exciting AquaMissions. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to dive with flashlights, take digital pictures underwater or float effortlessly like an astronaut? Beyond learning basic scuba skills, there are specialty AquaMissions, such as wreck diving, navigation, buoyancy, environmental awareness, and more.

PADI Seal Team includes doing some cool stuff in the pool, meeting friends, and sharing in the adventure of the underwater world. To join the PADI Seal Team, a child must be 8 years of age or older. No prior experience with scuba diving is necessary, but kids should be comfortable in the water. Parental approval is required.

Everyone likes to scuba dive or snorkel in warm, clear water on a vibrant coral reef, yet many people know little about what they’re seeing or the importance of reef ecosystems. The Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course helps you appreciate the complexity of these habitats and teaches you how you can help conserve these vital systems.

Anyone who has an interest in the aquatic world can take this course. There are no prerequisites or age restrictions and no water sessions are required to earn this non-diving certification.

“What was that fish?” is a common question heard after a dive. If you want to be the scuba diver with the answers, instead of the one asking the questions, then take the Fish Identification Specialty course. You’ll enjoy your dives even more when you recognize the creatures that you see and can identify the main fish families and their characteristics.

If you’re at least 10 years old and a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll in the PADI – Fish Identification course.

Knowing how and when to administer emergency oxygen is a valuable skill to have in a dive emergency. PADI® Emergency Oxygen Provider prepares you to offer aid and teaches you to recognize scuba diving injuries and illnesses requiring emergency oxygen.

This is an excellent course for scuba divers, boat crew, lifeguards, freedivers, mermaids, or anyone who spends time in and around water. No age restrictions or water sessions are required.

With proper training, equipment and the right attitude to accept the risks involved in independent diving, an experienced diver can responsibly engage in dives without a buddy. Self-reliant diving is an adventure activity that is not for everyone but does have its place. If you have the mental discipline and commitment to learn and follow self-reliant diving techniques, you’ll bolster your skills and confidence when diving alone, in a dive pair, or as part of a team.

You need to be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver who is at least 18 years old and has 100 logged dives to enroll in the Self-Reliant Diver course. You’ll also complete a skills assessment with your PADI Self-Reliant Diver Instructor before diving into the course.

Skin diving is snorkeling while making breath-hold dives to observe aquatic life, up close and personal. It’s a great way to explore the underwater world when you’re not able to scuba dive or if scuba diving just isn’t your thing. The PADI Skin Diver course teaches you how to enjoy watching life below the surface and comfortably venture underwater for short visits, whether you dive in a local freshwater lake or the big blue ocean, at home, or on holiday at a dive destination.

To enroll in a PADI Skin Diver course, you must be at least 8 years old. You need adequate swimming skills and comfort in the water. No prior experience is required.

If you have previously dove from a boat or are diving for the first time, you can benefit from this class. The PADI Boat Diver Specialty teaches you how to safely enter/exit the water and important terms to communicate while doing so. You will also learn how to properly use surface lines to initiate or conclude your dives. You will complete this course by doing two dives.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 10 years old with a PADI Open Water Certification.

Working divers, such as public safety divers, use full face masks because they protect the eyes and nose from contaminants in the water, provide comfort in cold water, and allow for communication. If you’re interested in public safety diving, scientific diving, or venturing into extremely cold water, then learning to dive with a full face mask is definitely for you. Because full-face masks allow you to breathe from your nose, they are also beneficial for those who have difficulty using standard scuba masks. Diving with a full face mask offers a different experience and that alone may be a reason to give it a try.

You need to be a PADI Open Water Diver who is at least 12 years old to enroll in the Full Face Mask Diver course.

The next time someone loses an item underwater, you can be the hero that finds the missing object.

In the PADI Search and Recovery course, you’ll learn how to find lost objects underwater. You’ll practice different types of underwater search patterns and learn how to use a lift bag as you plan and execute mock search operations.

This course is open to anyone who is at least 12 years old with a PADI Advanced Open Water certification or higher.