SSI Dive Courses
Click on the course for more info:
- Try Scuba Diving
- SSI Open Water Course
- SSI Adventure in Diving (Advanced Open Water)
- SSI Stress & Rescue Diver Course
- SSI Shark Diver Course
- SSI Deep Diver Course
- SSI Enriched Air Nitrox Course
- SSI Night / Limited Visibility Course
- SSI Perfect Buoyancy Course
- SSI Master Diver
- SSI Dive Con (Divemaster) Course
- SSI Experience Levels
Have fun and happy diving!
SSI Diver Diamond
What Every Diver Should Know... Decades of experience have taught us that there are four requirements to serious diving and serious fun. There is a strong correlation between the quality of your training and the amount of fun you will have.
Proper Knowledge
There are certain diving skills that must be learned. With a professional teaching system, you can study the information at your own pace. An instructor is always available for assistance.
Proper Equipment
The most comfortable, convenient and enjoyable way to dive is with your own set of properly-fitted equipment. As you become familiar with your equipment, your ability level increases. Annual servicing assures your equipment’s performance and minimizes malfunctions.
Proper Skills
You must develop ability with basic scuba skills, such as moving in the water and equipment handling. The best way to learn is from a qualified instructor at a professional scuba school. Review and practice time reinforces the skills.
Proper Experience
While education helps develop knowledge and skills, the key to becoming a comfortable and confident diver is simply to dive as much as possible. Your experience and ability increase as you seek out different diving locations, meet new friends, have new adventures and explore new worlds. That is why SSI’s motto is “Serious Diving, Serious Fun!”
SSI Dive Courses:
Scuba Diving is easy and fun. One reason for our success is that we keep our classes really small and give outmost attention to every single student. Here are the courses:
SSI TRY SCUBA DIVING
Diving is much much easier than you might think! Be ready to enjoy the experience and dive into a new world!
TRY SCUBA DIVING the program to begin your diving career. A well trained SSI Instructor will teach you the proper knowledge and skills required for your experience in the underwater world. At the end of this program you will experience an unforgettable dive with your SSI Instructor.
It is very simple to become an independent diver with SSI as we are one of the largest diving associations with more than 2000 Facilities in more than 90 countries – and SSI has been a leading training agency for more than 35 years. Just choose your SSI Facility at home or in a resort destination and get your adventure started...
As soon as you have finished your TRY SCUBA Program you will be awarded with your TRY SCUBA certificate – SSI and your Instructor congratulate you for this achievement.
Just ask your instructor to register you officially in the "ODiN" System. Once you are registered, you can experience and actively participate in the SSI World online.
You have been able to collect a first impression of your new recreational sports "Diving". We hope you enjoyed gliding through the endless blue with your Instructor. Now it is already time to think about your personal career in diving and the next steps. Your way to become a serious and independent diver is easy. Simply contact your your local SSI Facility to move on to the next level of training: SSI SCUBA DIVER or SSI OPEN WATER DIVER.
SSI SCUBA DIVER
TO OPEN WATER DIVER IN 2 STEPS
Learn the Basics of Diving!
Scuba Diver is the perfect course for those who do not have time to complete an entire Open Water Diver Program. The content of this program represents about half of the Open Water Diver Program. You can then complete the second half and become a certified diver at another time, anywhere that is convenient for you.
The Scuba Diver Program will be fully credited towards the Open Water Diver Program. This way you will not have to redo any part of the program twice. After a short skill update you can complete your Open Water Diver rating.
Certified Scuba Divers are entitled to go diving under the direct supervision of a Dive Leader up to a maximum depth of 40 feet/12 metres. This allows you to have a lot of fun and gain further diving experience even without continuing your education.
At the end of the program you will receive your SCUBA DIVER Certificate indicating the successful completion of this program. This certificate entitles you to take part in guided dives all over the world. If you ever decide to continue your training and become a certified diver just contact your local SSI Training Facility for details on how to complete your SSI OPEN WATER DIVER rating.
SSI Open Water Diver Course
The SSI Open Water Diver Certification: Your SSI Student Manual, DVD and water training sessions combined will help you learn everything you need to know to start your adventure the fun and correct way. The SSI Student Manual includes study guide questions at the end of each section to help you retain your new knowledge and test your retention. During your SSI Open Water Diver training sessions you will learn all of the necessary skills and safe diving procedures to be a comfortable confident diver. SSI Open Water Diver certification cards are recognized throughout the world. They entitle you to dive with other certified divers, enable you to purchase/rent equipment and obtain air fills anywhere you choose to dive.
One reason for our success is that we keep our classes really small and give our outmost attention to every single student. The Open Water provides you with the knowledge and skills you'll need to safely visit the underwater world. Upon successful completion of this course you will be awarded the SSI Open Water Diver
certification card.
Your Confined Water Training will be held nearby a tropical reef, after each of your 5 confined water sessions and in your 4 Open Water Dives you will be able to discover the underwater world right away. Our principle in scuba teaching is: learning by doing. We have to do some classroom work, but we want to spend as much time in the water as possible. Whenever environmental condition allow it, we start scuba instruction right away at our housereef instead of a swimming pool. We start instructions in shallow water, just chest deep, to get aquainted to the u/w world, and then do some skills. After skill development we usually have still some time left, and air in our tanks, so we dive right away over to the coral garden teeming with fish at the drop off of our steep coral wall. We make sure you leave us as a confident suba diver. The course fee encludes everything to complete the course, no hidden charges or registration fees. However, if you like to buy material you can purchase books, dive tables, dive computer as well as other scuba diving equipment in our dive center.
Bring a medical statement from your doctor that you're fit for diving if you take any medications. You need 3 - 4 days to complete the course. And if you have to abort the course for any reasons, you don't have to pay the full price of the course, only the parts which you have done.
SSI Advanced Diver Ratings
How Far Do You Want to go?
To be a diver that is completely prepared for any diving situation that may occur, you will need the experience and training gained from SSI Specialty courses. Taking our courses is your chance to begin a journey that explores beyond the surface of diving.
Each course will provide you with the proper knowledge and skills to truly consider yourself an experienced diver. Our goal is to prepare you for the adventure that lies ahead, as well as make sure you have a good time doing it!
Taking a specific number of specialties and continuing your pursuit of dives allows you to earn higher levels of diver ratings. SSI’s ratings are the only ratings in the industry that combine training and experience requirements, proving that SSI ratings are truly earned.
SSI Advanced Adventurer
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Directly after the Open Water course Advanced Adventurer is the entry to continuing education, especially for those divers who cannot decide which specialty courses they want to learn. During the Advanced Adventurer Program you will have the chance to try out 5 different specialties. You will complete one open water training dive per specialty in order to get a better understanding for each specialty area. Later, you can choose to complete all or just a few of your selected speciaties through a Specialty Course by completing the second dive and finishing all academic requirements. This course is PADI's Advanced Open Water rating.SSI SPECIALTY COURSES
The primary goal of any SSI Specialty course is to teach you important skills in a fun environment. All courses are taught using home study, short academic sessions, and in-water training.
SSI DIVER STRESS & RESCUE
“Be prepared for those unexpected emergencies."
Stress is a major contributor to rescue situations and diving accidents. Through this course you will learn accident prevention, as well as how to handle problem situations if they occur.
The program is about avoiding, recognizing and solving problems on the surface and under water. The course runs two - four days in which you will participate in academic and in-water sessions in the pool and in the open water. As a prerequisite for certification you need to have a valid CPR & First Aid certificate.
If you want to learn more about DIVER STRESS & RESCUE, you can buy the manual or the DVD even if you don't want to sign up for the course.
Content:
- What Is Stress?
- Stress In Diving:Causes And Prevention
- Detecting And Dealing With Stress
- Accident Management
- Skills Needed To Deal With Panic And Rescues
- Conditions That Complicate Rescues
SSI SPECIALTY SHARK DIVER
"If the Sharks die, the Sea dies!”
SSI and SHARKPROJECT have decided to actively support the positive image of sharks by founding the SHARK DIVER Program.
Experience the fascination of sharks in an unforgettable way! Divers and non-divers have the chance to find out more about sharks and to learn the correct techniques when meeting sharks. Dives are optional in this program and therefore it is a perfect “holiday-prep-specialty” before your diving vacation starts. You will be able to apply the knowledge you have gained to future shark dives.
SSI is donating 10% of the income from SHARK DIVER Specialty Program to shark preservation. As a participant in the program you are making an active contribution to help secure the survival of sharks.
Fearcination Shark
- Biology
- Ecology
- Diving with Sharks
- Different types of Sharks
Combine other specialties while taking the SHARK DIVER course! DIGITAL UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY or WAVES, TIDES & CURRENTS are great add ons. The possibilities are limitless!
SSI SPECIALTY COURSE DEEP DIVING
Dive in places where only a few have explored before! Get the experience of diving on a wreck below 100 feet/30 metres! To do these dives safely, you need the right skills and the right knowledge and that is exactly what DEEP DIVING provides you.
Without proper training this kind of diving is an uncontrollable safety risk. To plan your dives properly you must first know about all of the potential risks involved in DEEP DIVING. SSI’s DEEP DIVING course will provide you with the skills, knowledge and experience required to make these types of dives safely and comfortably.
If you want to learn more about DEEP DIVING, you can buy the manual or the DVD even if you don’t want to sign up for the course.
Content:
- Your Total Diving System & Deep Diving
- Planning Your Deep Dive
- Your Deep Dive
- Potential Hazards
- Repetitive Deep Diving
Combine other specialties while taking the DEEP DIVING course! WRECK DIVING or PERFECT BUOYANCY are great add ons - both courses will be used in your deep diving adventures. The possibilities are limitless!
SSI SPECIALTY COURSE ENRICHED AIR NITROX
Have you ever dreamed of having longer no-decompression limits to take pictures or explore a wreck? Did you ever want to be safer while diving concerning the potential risk of decompression sickness?
Nitrox is the key. Due to the reduced fraction of nitrogen in your breathing gas, your body will have less work and the desaturation times will be reduced.
In your ENRICHED AIR NITROX program you will learn all the necessary rules for planning dives with Nitrox and using Nitrox in a safe way. An important key point in the entire program is analyzing your own tank prior to any Nitrox dive.
"Nitrox for free“ is a slogan in a lot of resorts. This means that you do not have to pay a surcharge for Nitrox, but all diving operators will want to see a valid Nitrox certificate before you can dive.
ENRICHED AIR NITROX contains optional dives and therefore it is a perfect “Winter Specialty” before your diving holiday starts. This will allow you to go diving immediately and enjoy the advantages of diving with Nitrox.
If you want to learn more about ENRICHED AIR NITROX, you can buy the manual or the DVD even if you don’t want to sign up for the course.
Content:
- Introduction to Nitrox
- Nitrox, Your Body and the Underwater World
- Your Total Diving System and Nitrox
- Planning Your Nitrox Dives
SSI SPECIALTY COURSE NIGHT / LIMITED VISIBILITY
"Diving at night means excitement, adventure and fascination all at the same time!"
The underwater world is a new and mystical world for us. While diving at night you can discover a different side of this world and you can experience it from a completely different view.
It is an unbelievable feeling to discover the mysteries held underwater when the sun goes down. With the right equipment and a powerful torch there is a lot to discover. Night diving is a whole new way to experience the underwater world.
If you want to learn more about NIGHT AND LIMITED VISIBILITY, you can buy the manual or the DVD even if you don't want to sign up for the course.
Content:
- Night vs. Limited Visibility Diving
- Special Equipment
- Preparing For The Dive
- The Dive
- Advanced Techniques
Combine other specialties while taking the NIGHT AND LIMITED VISIBILITY course! NAVIGATION or SEARCH AND RECOVERY are great add ons. The possibilities are limitless!
SSI SPECIALTY COURSE PERFECT BUOYANCY
"Every diver wants to be a "good diver" - Perfect buoyancy control is the first step in this direction.”
Improving your buoyancy control skills is highly recommended. Every diver who wants to improve diving skills and at the same time wants to perform active environmental protection should take a PERFECT BUOYANCY course.
Nearly every diver who wants to dive on great spots on holiday is requested to do a Check-Dive and buoyancy control is one of the essential skills that has to be performed. This isn't done to stress you out at the start of your vacation. It is done to protect the reefs you will be diving around. The destruction and harm caused by divers with weak buoyancy skills is having an impact on reefs worldwide. Additionally, perfect buoyancy control is a prerequisite for nearly all Specialty Courses.
Content:
- The Equipment for Buoyancy Control
- The Basic Knowlege of Buoyancy
- Controlling your Buoyancy in the Water
- Perfect Buoyancy Control as an Active Contribution to the Underwater World
SSI SPECIALTY COURSE WRECK DIVING
"Diving on wrecks means diving in the past – and it is always related with a certain thrill…"
It is an unbelievable experience to see a big ship from a bird’s perspective and to glide towards the captain`s bridge. But there are also tragedies related to wrecks. Diving on wrecks is exciting and there are some potential risks too, but with the right training WRECK DIVING will become a great adventure.
During the WRECK DIVING SPECIALTY COURSE you will learn where and how to get background information on wrecks, how to locate wrecks and how to prepare for a wreck dive. During the 2 mandatory dives you will apply the correct wreck diving techniques, as well as, evaluate and avoid the potential risks while diving on wrecks.
If you want to learn more about WRECK DIVING, you can buy the manual or the DVD even if you don't want to sign up for the course.
Content:
- Selecting a Wreck
- Wreck Diving Equipment
- Locating the Wreck
- Diving the Wreck
- Advanced Wreck Diving
Combine other specialties while taking the WRECK DIVING course! UNDERWATER DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY or DEEP DIVING are great add ons. The possibilities are limitless!
SSI Dive Control Specialist (DiveCon)
In 1978, SSI introduced the original Dive Control Specialist course with an ambitious goal: to combine assistant instructor and divemaster training. At that time, those were the two main courses offered, and SSI felt that both were important to the development of a good dive leader and instructor candidate.
In 1985, SSI introduced the Dive Control Specialist handbook, which was part of a complete teaching system featuring candidate and instructor materials. Over the years, the handbook served DiveCon candidates well, providing a reference that was supported with extensive handouts from the DiveCon Instructor. The eventual development of the Open Water Diver, Diver Stress & Rescue, and Specialty Diver materials outshined the handbook, however, and it became apparent that candidates deserved upgraded materials.
The revised DiveCon manual is true to the original concept—a program combining assistant instructor and divemaster training—yet it goes even further. The new manual incorporates diving physics and physiology, decompression theory, and leader stress and rescue. Training for conducting SSI programs, such as Scuba Skills Update and Snorkeling, is also included. This thorough training makes the SSI DiveCon a well-prepared, well-educated, versatile and marketable dive leader.
Devoted divers who are motivated to pass along their love of recreational scuba diving to others will find the Dive Control Specialist course a challenging but satisfying experience that will add a new, rewarding dimension to the sport. Much as the Open Water Diver course opened the door to scuba, the DiveCon course will open the door to leadership, which allows the DiveCon to enjoy diving on an entirely different level and to earn the respect of other divers. Also, the advanced education provides the DiveCon with a deeper understanding of all aspects of diving, from DCS to specialty dives, as well as a new perspective on equipment and rescues.
The training also makes excellent background for the SSI Instructor Training Course (ITC), should the DiveCon decide to proceed to the next level. The DiveCon course was designed so the ITC candidate could pass the General Diving Knowledge Review by studying the DiveCon manual. The manual can also be used as an exceptional reference during the Instructor Training Course.
As a certified SSI Dive Control Specialist (DiveCon) you can:
- Work on Dive Boats, in Facilities and Resorts.
- Take people diving, lead trips and tours
- Assist SSI Instructors in the pool and open water
- Teach skills in the pool under the supervision of an instructor
- Teach independently Scuba Skills Update, Snorkeling, Try Scuba Diving and selected SSI Specialty Courses like Equipment Techniques, Boat Diving, Photography & Digital Underwater Photography and Shark Diver. With additional training a DiveCon can also become SCUBA RANGERS Instructor.
EXPERIENCE LEVELS
SSI Levels of Experience - A Symbol of Success!
Be sure to reward yourself as you reach new milestones in your diving adventures. Utilizing SSI's Levels of Recognition is a great way to do this. It's an opportunity to commemorate your hard-won accomplishments and show the world you are one of diving's elite. Whether certified through Scuba Schools International or another agency, you are eligible for SSI's recognition program.
In order to achieve higher levels, just set goals and track the results. Every time you reach a new level, reward yourself with an upgraded recognition card. These cards symbolize excellence, commitment and loyalty in diving. The more dives you complete the higher levels of recognition you will earn. No additional training beyond Open Water Diver is required. All you have to do is get out there and dive!
A Level 5 Diver that has logged 100 Dives may be awarded with the Century Diver Card and a Level 9 Diver that has logged 500 dives or more, qualifies for the Gold 500 Diver Status. The Platinum 1000 Diver (Level 10) has logged 1000 dives or more.
The Platinum Pro 5000 Diver recognition level can only be reached by logging 5000 or more dives. Very few divers have the privilege to be called SSI Platinum Pro 5000 Divers, as it is the highest recognition level in diving. This group represents the “Who’s Who“ of the entire diving industry. Most are either recognized scientists, manufacturers, instructors and/or facility owners and are considered the ambassadors of diving.
