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Advanced Adventure Diver Specialty
Introduction
The purpose of this course is to give the diver an overview of five (5) selected SDI specialties. This course is intended to be an introduction to each of the five (5) specialties and not complete comprehension of the chosen specialty. One (1) dive from each of the chosen specialties may apply towards a complete specialty certification. Overhead environments and non diving specialties are not allowed and do not count towards the five (5) chosen specialties.

Who May Teach
Who may teach this course?
  1. An active SDI Instructor that has been certified to teach the chosen specialties.


Student – Instructor Ratio
Academic:

  1. Unlimited, so long as adequate facility, supplies and time are provided to insure comprehensive and complete training.

Confined Water (swimming pool-like conditions):

  1. N/A.

Open Water (ocean, lake, quarry, spring, river or estuary):

  1. A maximum of eight (8) students per Instructor. However, it is the instructor’s discretion to reduce this number as conditions, or chosen specialty dictate (unless chosen specialty dictates a lower ratio i.e. for DPV it is 2:1).
  2. The Instructor has the option of adding two (2) more students with the assistance of an active Assistant Instructor or Divemaster.
  3. The total number of students an instructor may have in the water is twelve (12) with the assistance of two (2) Assistant Instructors or Divemasters, unless chosen specialty states lower numbers.

Student Pre-Requisites

  1. Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver.
  2. Ten (10) years or older, unless chosen specialty states otherwise.
  3. If under eighteen (18), parental consent is required.

Course Structure and Duration
Open Water execution:

  1. Five (5) dives are required with complete briefs and debriefs by the Instructor.
  2. Dive plans must include Surface interval, Max no-deco time, etc. to be figured out and logged.
  3. All dives are to be under the direct supervision of an approved instructor.

Course Structure:

  1. SDI allows instructors to structure courses according to the number of students participating and their skill level.

Administrative Requirements
Administrative Tasks:

  1. Collect the course fees from all the students.
  2. Ensure that the students have the required equipment.
  3. Communicate the schedule to the students.
  4. Have the students complete the Liability Release and Medical History Forms.
  5. The Instructor should review the Liability Release and Medical Forms before starting on the course.

Upon successful completion of this specialty the instructor must issue the SDI Advanced Adventure Diver Specialty Certification card. The Instructor must:

  1. Use either a SDI Diver Registration Form or a Pre-paid Diver Certification Form to file for the specialty certification card.
  2. Award card.

Required Equipment
Basic SDI Open Water SCUBA equipment as prescribed earlier in this manual and any other equipment that may apply to the chosen specialties.

Approved Outline
The outline that is to be used for this specialty is an abridged version of each of the five (5) chosen specialties. The material covered should be an overview and introduction.

Required Skill Performance and Graduation Requirements
Students are required to successfully complete the following:

  1. Students must perform the skills listed for dive one (1) for each of the five (5) chosen specialties. Please see part three (3) of your SDI Instructor Manual for the respective specialty outlines.

Updated 09 August 2003