Remember your first open water dive? More than likely, you were thrilled with your first venture beyond the pool, but perhaps somewhat disoriented. Depending upon the dive site, you might have been surprised to find out that even though you were turned around, your instruction knew exactly where you were all along. Your instructor demonstrated underwater navigation, an important diving fundamental that, as you discovered on your subsequent dives you learn and apply easily through a few principles and practice. The Navigation Dive takes the rudimentary skills you have picked up, and expands them so you can use them with greater accuracy and under wider circumstances. The Underwater Navigator dive will teach you to navigate with a compass and how to apply natural navigation skills.
DEEP DIVING (core dive)
Mention a “deep dive” and watch the reactions. Novice divers want to know what it’s like. More experienced divers who have been a bit deeper chat with excitement. There’s something a bit attractive, exciting and mysterious about “going deep”. As a new Open water diver, 60 feet marks the depth limit to which you’re qualified to dive. Even if you’ve only made a few dives, you may be curious about deeper dives, perhaps simply to visit specific dive sites below 60 feet. Get the experience of diving 70 to 100 feet during this dive!
NIGHT/LIMITED VISIBILITY (elective)
Night diving is a whole new way to experience the underwater world. Visiting a favorite or familiar dive site at night can be like visiting a whole new dive site. You may feel a bit anxious about going underwater in the dark but before the dive ends you will be fascinated with night diving and ready for your next night dive.
BOAT DIVING (elective)
Diving and boats make an obvious match, though there is lots of excellent diving from shore. Even where you can shore dive, divers often prefer to go by boat to enjoy several practical advantages - and because it adds to the fun and adventure. Boat diving gives you access to dive sites beyond a reasonable swim from shore. Boat diving is often easier in that it avoids surf, mud, or long hikes to and from the car with your equipment on.
PEAK PERFORMANCE BUOYANCE (elective)
Ask any diver professional what skill separates the upper and lower echelons of dive proficiency, and you’ll almost always get the same answer: buoyancy control. Divers who master buoyancy control move through the water gracefully. They seem to ascend, stop, hover and descent at will with hardly a fin flick or hand waves - as if they think it, and it happens. By contrast those without such control constantly kick, scull or wave to stay off the bottom. They constantly adjust their BCDs, and visibly expend effort with every depth change - they may dive safely and effectively, but not efficiently. Few skills can do as much for you as peak performance buoyancy. It’s a skill that reaches into every dive, no mater where or what you’re doing. It saves you energy and it makes your diving more fun. It helps you avoid damage to the environment, and it distinguishes you as a diver.
Other underwater electives include Underwater Photography, Dry Suit Diving, Drift Diving, and Fish Identification.