PADI Specialty Courses

PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Specialty

Enriched Air (Nitrox) is air which has been ‘enriched’ with extra Oxygen. The principal benefit being that you won’t be exposed to as much Nitrogen whilst breathing this gas and will therefore enjoy the benefit of an extended no-decompression limit.

It is very common not to use the gas for this benefit, however. Many divers prefer to use Enriched air whilst diving to air limits in order to factor in an extra margin of conservatism to their regular dives. This is especially beneficial to those divers who are not as young and fit as they once were.

Enriched air is particularly good for those with a heavy diving schedule, as it helps to limit Nitrogen loading. It also benefits deep dives where the no-decompression limit could be so short as to end the dive too early.

This course covers both theoretical and operational considerations of using enriched air with 22% – 40% oxygen.

Following certification, we will provide you with Nitrox for free throughout the remainder of your holiday (usual price €5/cylinder).

Number of dives: 0

Duration: 3 hours

PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty

Think back to when you learned to dive – of how effortlessly your instructor glided through the water and was able to control their position as if by magic.

Buoyancy control is a crucial skill for divers to master but unfortunately it is the one which takes the most attention, practice and patience to master.

Proper buoyancy control reduces air and energy consumption and allows divers to dive gracefully and efficiently. See how weight distribution, breathing, streamlining and fitness all affect your buoyancy.

You are practically guaranteed to dive with less weight after this course, and you’ll feel the improvement immediately!

Number of dives: 2

Duration: 1 days

PADI Wreck Diver Specialty

Ships, airplanes and even cars are fascinating to explore and usually teem with aquatic life. Each wreck dive offers a chance for a new discovery. The PADI Wreck Diver specialty Course teaches you everything you need to know when planning or carrying out a dive on a wreck.

Whether purpose-sunk as an artificial reef for scuba divers, or lost as the result of an accident, wrecks are fascinating windows to the past. Ships, airplanes and even cars are fascinating to explore and usually teem with aquatic life. Each wreck dive offers a chance for discovery, potentially unlocking a mystery or spying something others have missed. The PADI Wreck Diver Specialty course is popular because it offers rewarding adventures while observing responsible wreck diving practices.

If you’re at least 15 years old and have earned a PADI Adventure Diver certification or higher, you can enrol in the Wreck Diver Specialty course.

Here in Tenerife, you will make the four dives exploring 3 different wrecks – el Condesito, el Meridian (both boat dives) and el Penon in Tabaiba (shore dive)

There are many different types of wrecks, some of which are protected by laws that guard their historical and cultural significance. Your training starts by reviewing guidelines for researching and respecting wrecks. During four dives you’ll learn:

Safety considerations for navigating and exploring wrecks.
Surveying and mapping a wreck.
Using penetration lines and reels to guide exploration.
Techniques to avoid kicking up silt or disturbing the wreck and its inhabitants.

Number of dives: 4

Duration: 2 days

PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty

Capture your memories and share your underwater world with non-divers by learning how to use an underwater camera, and how to use a camera underwater!
You will learn about:

Preparing the underwater housing for a dive
Positioning yourself in the water to take shots whilst respecting the fragile marine environment and avoiding personal harm
Composing photos and compensating for the effects of limited light at depth
Evaluating your shots and caring for the camera and housing after the dive

Number of dives: 2

Duration: 1 day

PADI Sidemount Diver Specialty

Sidemount diving is a style of equipment configuration which has been gaining tremendous popularity over the past few years.

Traditionally, of course, Scuba divers carry their air on their backs. Sidemount (SM) divers carry their gas along the side of their bodies. For comfort and balance it is most common to dive with two cylinders.

This ethos originated with cave divers, who encountered problems trying to squeeze through narrow gaps with a back-mounted cylinder. Wearing the tanks under the arms not only reduces the diver’s profile, but makes the tanks more accessible. It becomes easy to move the cylinders into any desired position, or even to remove them entirely during a dive.

These days, SM diving is hugely popular, even among divers who have no interest in squeezing through tight spaces.

SM diving is also particularly popular with those who experience leg, hip, arm or back problems. This is due to the fact that it is possible to don and doff the cylinders whilst in the water. Furthermore, the ability to carry significantly more gas makes this approach popular with divers who finish their air quickly too.

If you are at all curious about Technical diving then the Sidemount Course is very complementary. Not only are there many similarities in the equipment configuration, but gas management is a skill which will be developed for both disciplines. Getting comfortable diving with more than one cylinder now will also benefit you later when you transition into Technical diving.

Number of dives: 5 – 6

Duration: 3 – 4 days

PADI Drift Diver Specialty

The course teaches you how to enjoy going with the flow as you scuba dive down rivers and use ocean currents to glide along.

It feels like flying – except that you’re underwater using scuba equipment. Drift diving can be relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. If this sound like fun, then the Drift Diver course is for you. If you’re a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver who is at least 12 years old, you can enrol in the Drift Diver specialty course.

Along with drift diving techniques and procedures, you’ll:

Receive an introduction to drift diving equipment – floats, lines and reels.
Get an overview of aquatic currents – causes and effects.
Practice with buoyancy control, navigation and communication during two drift dives.
Learn techniques for staying close to a buddy or together as a group as you float with the current.

Number of dives: 2

Duration: 1 day

PADI Self-Reliant Diver Specialty

As the name suggests, the PADI Self-Reliant Diver Specialty prepares divers to be able to handle any situation independently. The idea of this course is not to encourage you to dive solo. Instead, the idea is simply to prepare you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to handle all aspects of the dive with no help.

How many times have you been buddied with someone only to be left alone by them throughout the dive? Do you enjoy the freedom of exploring a dive site without having to follow a guide or remain within a group of divers? The Self-Reliant specialty is all about encouraging you to think about all aspects of the dive, including what can go wrong, and prepare appropriately.

‘Plan the dive and dive the plan’ has never been more appropriate.

You’ll learn how to calculate the rate at which you breathe through your gas. With this knowledge you’ll be able to calculate how long you can spend at any given depth, returning with ample reserve.

Fine tuning your navigational skills will help you to avoid confusion and errors.

You’ll take responsibility for yourself, rather than blindly following your Instructor.

Gain some independence! Become a self-reliant diver!

Number of dives: 3

Duration: 2 days

Night Diver

The thought of dipping below the surface at night seems mysterious, yet so alluring. Although you’ve been scuba diving at a site many times before, at night you drop into a whole new world and watch it come to life under the glow of your dive light.

The scene changes as day creatures retire and nocturnal organisms emerge. If you’ve wondered what happens underwater after the sun goes down, sign up for the PADI Night Diver Specialty course.

PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers or higher, who are at least 12 years old, can enrol in the Night Diver specialty course.

Scuba diving at night teaches you to focus on what you can see in your light’s beam, on controlling your buoyancy by feel, on staying with your buddy and on paying attention to details you may overlook during the day. During three night dives, you’ll practice:

Light handling and communication techniques.
Entering, exiting and navigating in the dark.
Identifying how plants and animals differ or change behaviour at night.

Number of dives: 3

Duration: 2/3 nights

PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty

Fine-tune your underwater observation skills and learn to use your compass more accurately.

Be the scuba diver everyone wants to follow because you know where you are and where you’re going. The PADI Underwater Navigator course fine-tunes your observation skills and teaches you to more accurately use your compass underwater. If you like challenges with big rewards, take this course and have fun finding your way.

If you’re a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver who is at least 10 years old, you can enrol in the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course.

You’ll learn the tools of the trade, including navigation using natural clues and by following compass headings. During three scuba dives, you’ll practice:

Methods to estimate distance underwater.
Compass navigation while making at least five turns.
Marking or relocating a submerged object or position from the surface.
Underwater map making.

Number of dives: 3

Duration: 1 day

Search and Recovery

Retrieve lost items that have fallen overboard or over a dock. The PADI Search and Recovery course teaches you effective swimming patterns and how to use a lift bag for heavy objects.

It happens: People accidentally drop things from docks, off boats or even while scuba diving. If you’ve ever lost something in the water and wanted to go find it, then the PADI Search and Recovery Diver Specialty course is for you. There are effective ways to search for objects underwater that increase your chances of success. And there are good and better methods to bring up small, large or just awkward items. Search and recovery can be challenging, but a whole lot of fun.

PADI (Junior) Advanced Open Water Divers who are at least 12 years old can enrol in the Search and Recover Diver course. PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers with a PADI Underwater Navigator certification also qualify.

Gathering information and resources, then carefully planning a search are the first important steps you learn. During four scuba dives you’ll practice:

Swimming search patterns using your compass and natural navigation.
Locating large and small objects using various search patterns.
Using a lift bag for large or heavy objects, plus other recovery methods.
Planning a search operation based on facts gathered about a lost object prior to the dive.

Number of dives: 4

Duration: 2 days

PADI Boat Diver Specialty

The Boat Diver specialty will acquaint you with the names of the various areas of a boat and teach you how to locate items of emergency equipment.

You will analyse hazards both above and below the water’s surface, including sea conditions, and learn different exit styles suited to different types of boat.

Also you will learn about the use of various lines and how to drop and recover an anchor

Number of dives: 2

Duration: 1 day