Diving Specialities
AWARE - Fish Identification Course Speciality
This course is designed to introduce divers to the most common families and species of fish found in temperate and tropical waters.
Specific areas include:
* The project AWARE philosophy about protecting worldwide aquatic ecosystems.
* Fish family groupings and common characteristics of fish species found in the local area.
* Fish surveying techniques and strategies for collecting valid data.
* The planning, organisation and procedures for identifying fish families and species while diving.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £60 (Speciality manual included)
Boat Speciality
This course is an introduction to boat diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of boat diving.
* Proper boat diving etiquette - storage of personal equipment, personal conduct and considerations for care of the boat.
* Basic, common boat terminology.
* Specific boat diving laws and/or ordinances.
* Local boat diving laws and/or ordinances.
* Overview of emergency / safety equipment needed on board private diving vessels.
Open Water Training: 2 dives from a boat.
Cost: £60 (excluding cost of boat trip)
Deep Speciality
This course covers the knowledge, skills and techniques for deeper diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of deep diving.
* Risk factors and decompression-tables review.
* Safety stops and emergency decompression procedures.
* Special equipment, descent lines and buoyancy control considerations.
* Procedures for flying after diving and high-altitude diving.
* Orientation for recompression chambers
Minimum Qualification - Adventure Diver.
Required Equipment: torch, slate, reel, SMB.
Open Water Training: 4 dives on 2 days.
Cost: £150 (Speciality manual included)
Drift Speciality
This course is an introduction to drift diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of drift diving.
* Special equipment - floats, lines, reels.
* Proper procedures for buoyancy control, navigation and communication.
* Site selection and overview of aquatic currents - causes and effects.
* Techniques for staying close to a buddy or together as a group.
Required Equipment: reel, SMB.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £60(Excluding cost of boat trip)
This course covers the knowledge, skills and techniques for deeper diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of deep diving.
* Risk factors and decompression-tables review.
* Safety stops and emergency decompression procedures.
* Special equipment, descent lines and buoyancy control considerations.
* Procedures for flying after diving and high-altitude diving.
* Orientation for recompression chambers
Minimum Qualification - Adventure Diver.
Required Equipment: torch, slate, reel, SMB.
Open Water Training: 4 dives on 2 days.
Cost: £150 (Speciality manual included)
Drift Speciality
This course is an introduction to drift diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of drift diving.
* Special equipment - floats, lines, reels.
* Proper procedures for buoyancy control, navigation and communication.
* Site selection and overview of aquatic currents - causes and effects.
* Techniques for staying close to a buddy or together as a group.
Required Equipment: reel, SMB.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £60(Excluding cost of boat trip)
Dry Suit Speciality
The purpose is to be an introduction to dry suit diving and help the diver to develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for dry suit diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of dry suit diving.
* Proper procedures for buoyancy control.
* Ascent and descent technique training.
* Routine, user-level, preventative maintenance and performance checks on dry suits.
Minimum of one pool session plus Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £95 (Speciality Manual)
Multi Level Speciality
This course covers the knowledge and techniques of multilevel diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of multi level diving.
* Definition and advantages of multi level diving.
* Methods of calculating multi level dives (The eRDPML and / or dive computers).
* Review of decompression sickness theory.
* Review of emergency decompression procedures.
* Guidelines, rules and procedures for multilevel diving with the eRDPML and / or diving computers.
* Care and maintenance of dive computers.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £75 without eRDPML; £95 with eRDPML
Night Speciality
This course is an introduction to night diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of night diving.
* Proper procedures for buoyancy control, navigation and communication.
* Use of dive lights and buddy-system techniques.
* Disorientation and emergency procedures.
* Orientation to nocturnal aquatic life.
Required Equipment: torch, backup torch.
Open Water Training: 3 dives over 2 days.
Cost: £125 (Speciality manual included)
Enriched Air (Nitrox) Speciality
This course covers the knowledge, skills and techniques for diving with enriched air.
Specific areas include:
* The theoretical and operational considerations involved with enriched air diving.
* PADI Enriched Air Diver Manual - completion of knowledge reviews.
* Completion of Enriched Air Diver Exam.
Open Water Training: 2 Enriched Air dives optional.
Cost: £125 with dives; £85 without dives (Enriched Air diver crew pack included)
This course is an introduction to night diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of night diving.
* Proper procedures for buoyancy control, navigation and communication.
* Use of dive lights and buddy-system techniques.
* Disorientation and emergency procedures.
* Orientation to nocturnal aquatic life.
Required Equipment: torch, backup torch.
Open Water Training: 3 dives over 2 days.
Cost: £125 (Speciality manual included)
Enriched Air (Nitrox) Speciality
This course covers the knowledge, skills and techniques for diving with enriched air.
Specific areas include:
* The theoretical and operational considerations involved with enriched air diving.
* PADI Enriched Air Diver Manual - completion of knowledge reviews.
* Completion of Enriched Air Diver Exam.
Open Water Training: 2 Enriched Air dives optional.
Cost: £125 with dives; £85 without dives (Enriched Air diver crew pack included)
Peak Performance Speciality
The purpose is to polish a diver's buoyancy control beyond the Open Water Diver level.
Specific areas include:
* Peak performance buoyancy fundamentals: buoyancy check; fine-tuning buoyancy underwater: weight position and distribution and streamlining.
* Use of PADI's Basic Weighting Guidelines.
* An opportunity to polish buoyancy control beyond the Open Water diver level: positioning and distributing weight for comfort and desired body position (trim in the water): visualisation techniques prior to dives: establishing neutral buoyancy during all segments of a dive: hovering.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £95 (Peak Performance Buoyancy DVD included)
Digital Underwater Photography Speciality
This course is a two part introduction to Digital Underwater Photography. The course helps student divers to develop the knowledge, skills and practical techniques necessary to obtain excellent photgraphs with their digital camera.
Specific areas for Level 1 which takes place in a pool environment include:
* Equipment needed to take great underwater photos.
* How to prepare and underwater photo system.
* Basic underwater photo techniques while diving in an environmentally friendly manner.
Level 2 is undertaken both within the classroom and Open Water. Specific areas include:
* A workshop to learn how to download and backup images, organise, process, and share images.
* Expand knowledge on file format, resolution settings, getting good colour, and making images lighter or darker.
* Dive in Open Water to practice skills learnt.
Open Water Training: 1 dives for Level 2.
Cost: Level 1 £50 (Crew pack included)
Level 2 £60 (Must be preceded by Level 1)
The purpose is to polish a diver's buoyancy control beyond the Open Water Diver level.
Specific areas include:
* Peak performance buoyancy fundamentals: buoyancy check; fine-tuning buoyancy underwater: weight position and distribution and streamlining.
* Use of PADI's Basic Weighting Guidelines.
* An opportunity to polish buoyancy control beyond the Open Water diver level: positioning and distributing weight for comfort and desired body position (trim in the water): visualisation techniques prior to dives: establishing neutral buoyancy during all segments of a dive: hovering.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £95 (Peak Performance Buoyancy DVD included)
Digital Underwater Photography Speciality
This course is a two part introduction to Digital Underwater Photography. The course helps student divers to develop the knowledge, skills and practical techniques necessary to obtain excellent photgraphs with their digital camera.
Specific areas for Level 1 which takes place in a pool environment include:
* Equipment needed to take great underwater photos.
* How to prepare and underwater photo system.
* Basic underwater photo techniques while diving in an environmentally friendly manner.
Level 2 is undertaken both within the classroom and Open Water. Specific areas include:
* A workshop to learn how to download and backup images, organise, process, and share images.
* Expand knowledge on file format, resolution settings, getting good colour, and making images lighter or darker.
* Dive in Open Water to practice skills learnt.
Open Water Training: 1 dives for Level 2.
Cost: Level 1 £50 (Crew pack included)
Level 2 £60 (Must be preceded by Level 1)
Search and Recovery Speciality
The purpose is to be an introduction to search and recovery diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of search and recovery diving.
* Limited visibility diving and underwater navigation techniques.
* Proper techniques and safety considerations for object location, including the use of various search patterns, lines and reels.
* Proper techniques and safety considerations for recovery of objects using various lifting devices.
Minimum Qualification - Advanced Open Water (AOW) / Junior AOW or Open Water / Junior Open Water with Underwater Speciality certification (or qualifying certifications).
Open Water Training: 4 dives on 2 days.
Cost: £150 (Speciality manual included)
Underwater Naturalist Speciality
This course is an introduction to aquatic life including an overview of responsible human interactions with aquatic life.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of diving in different aquatic environments.
* A basic overview of major aquatic life groupings (kingdoms and phyla).
* Factual information that dispels myths of potentially dangerous aquatic life.
* An overview of basic aquatic life interations and associations.
* Responsible human interactions with aquatic life.
* Diving technique used to help preserve bottom dwelling aquatic life and minimise aquatic life disturbance.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £60
The purpose is to be an introduction to search and recovery diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of search and recovery diving.
* Limited visibility diving and underwater navigation techniques.
* Proper techniques and safety considerations for object location, including the use of various search patterns, lines and reels.
* Proper techniques and safety considerations for recovery of objects using various lifting devices.
Minimum Qualification - Advanced Open Water (AOW) / Junior AOW or Open Water / Junior Open Water with Underwater Speciality certification (or qualifying certifications).
Open Water Training: 4 dives on 2 days.
Cost: £150 (Speciality manual included)
Underwater Naturalist Speciality
This course is an introduction to aquatic life including an overview of responsible human interactions with aquatic life.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of diving in different aquatic environments.
* A basic overview of major aquatic life groupings (kingdoms and phyla).
* Factual information that dispels myths of potentially dangerous aquatic life.
* An overview of basic aquatic life interations and associations.
* Responsible human interactions with aquatic life.
* Diving technique used to help preserve bottom dwelling aquatic life and minimise aquatic life disturbance.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Cost: £60
Underwater Navigator Speciality
This course is an introduction to underwater navigation.
Specific ares include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of underwater navigation.
* Methods of estimating distances underwater.
* Natural navigation techniques.
* Using underwater patterns.
* Dive site relocation techniques.
* Compass navigation techniques
Open Water Training: 3 dives.
Cost: £125 (Speciality Manual included)
Wreck Speciality
This course is an introduction to wreck diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of wreck diving.
* The preparation and use of lights, air supplies, special equipment, penetration lines and reels.
* Limited visibility diving techniques and emergency procedures.
Minimum Qualification - Adventure Diver.
Required Equipment: torch, slate, reel, SMB.
Open Water Training: 4 dives on 2 days.
Cost: £150
Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Speciality
This course covers the knowledge and techniques for diving with an underwater propulsion vehicle.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of diving with an underwater propulsion vehicle.
* Equipment considerations including but not limited to battery care, maintenance and precautions.
* Proper procedures for determining a turnaround point, vehicle failure, runaway motor, descents and ascents and avoiding propeller entanglements.
* Techniques to avoid harming fragile aquatic life.
* Techniques for entering and exiting the water with a DPV.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Optional pool practice session.
Cost: £125 (Speciality Manual included)
*Costs exclude entrance to dive sites and boat trips where required.
If you have already completed an Adventure Dive in the Speciality area then this can usually be credited towards that course therefore the price will be reduced - contact us to discuss further
*Special package prices available - click here to view these
Once 5 specialities are achieved plus Rescue Diver and 50 dives, the Master Scuba Diver rating can be applied for.
This course is an introduction to underwater navigation.
Specific ares include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of underwater navigation.
* Methods of estimating distances underwater.
* Natural navigation techniques.
* Using underwater patterns.
* Dive site relocation techniques.
* Compass navigation techniques
Open Water Training: 3 dives.
Cost: £125 (Speciality Manual included)
Wreck Speciality
This course is an introduction to wreck diving.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of wreck diving.
* The preparation and use of lights, air supplies, special equipment, penetration lines and reels.
* Limited visibility diving techniques and emergency procedures.
Minimum Qualification - Adventure Diver.
Required Equipment: torch, slate, reel, SMB.
Open Water Training: 4 dives on 2 days.
Cost: £150
Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Speciality
This course covers the knowledge and techniques for diving with an underwater propulsion vehicle.
Specific areas include:
* The planning, organisation, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of diving with an underwater propulsion vehicle.
* Equipment considerations including but not limited to battery care, maintenance and precautions.
* Proper procedures for determining a turnaround point, vehicle failure, runaway motor, descents and ascents and avoiding propeller entanglements.
* Techniques to avoid harming fragile aquatic life.
* Techniques for entering and exiting the water with a DPV.
Open Water Training: 2 dives.
Optional pool practice session.
Cost: £125 (Speciality Manual included)
*Costs exclude entrance to dive sites and boat trips where required.
If you have already completed an Adventure Dive in the Speciality area then this can usually be credited towards that course therefore the price will be reduced - contact us to discuss further
*Special package prices available - click here to view these
Once 5 specialities are achieved plus Rescue Diver and 50 dives, the Master Scuba Diver rating can be applied for.
Certain restrictions apply with regards to students under the age of 15. Please contact us for more information.
To get in touch with us:
Email - info@northamptonscubaschool.co.uk
Tel - School - 01604 785251 Shop - 01604 755888
Through the "Contact us" page or find us on Facebook
Email - info@northamptonscubaschool.co.uk
Tel - School - 01604 785251 Shop - 01604 755888
Through the "Contact us" page or find us on Facebook
