Diving specialties

[TMHeimer]

Part of the problem with the list is where do you start?
There are so many things that should be standard with any open water program that aren't.
I was lucky that I was a freediver before I got certified so I had a lot of ocean skills and already knew what to expect.
But I feel for brand new divers that have never done any diving of any kind that go through open water and only get a very abreviated introduction to diving. There's a clear gap between what OW gives them and what they should have in addition.
All these so called "specialties" should really be part of a basic class before they should be going out in the big wild ocean. It's kind of like teaching someone to drive a car but their basic drivers license is only good to 25 miles per hour, they can only use first gear, they can't drive at night or in the rain. There are more specialties for that like night driver, rain driver, Manual transmission specialist (where you get to actually shift gears), and high speed driver (good to 65 MPH or top speed limit), And oh yeah I forgot "freeway driving specialty". Oh BTW, each additional driving class is $200, plus the book.

What a ripoff, I'm surprised any of them even continue.
Pay premium dollar for a basic dive class, then you are told you need to buy more to be safe and a better diver.

Agree that some of those specialties and Rescue should be part of OW as they apparently used to be with probably all agencies decades ago. Others (fish ID, etc.) mentioned need not be of course. With something like Navigation, an OW diver need not know how to navigate an octagon. In fact, in 9 years the only time I did a triangle was in the Nav Course. Agree that those taking OW without "ocean" skills are at a real disadvantage with just the basics. Am always curious as to why such folks jump right into scuba class. Agree about driving--aspiring drivers should at the very least be tested on the highway--that's crazy to get a license without that.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I based my answer (PPB) on what I have seen in my Florida/Tropical diving on reef, walls, wrecks and muck, as being BY FAR the most common flaw in newly certified divers, which is their inability to control bouyancy and trim. That is the first thing to fix, then rescue, nav, deep, nitrox can all follow.

I know, I know, they should have learned it in OW. Well, many instructors still teach skills vertical at the surface or on their knees on the bottom, for cryin' out loud!

When I took AOW (had to get "the card" so some shops will let me dive deeper than 60 fsw, log books of 800 dives no longer count, I guess), with a group of newly certified divers, buoyancy was mandatory. Of course, the buoyancy in AOW is only one dive compared to the 2 day specialty course. Still, the instructor did an excellent job, adjusting the weighting of each student with a near-empty tank and explaining how to adjust weighting if swiching tank types (AL to steel for example), and also teaching horizontal trim. I can tell you, even that limited training greatly improved all of the divers in the class. The specialty course, taught well, would be the best first step for a new diver.

It seems, to me, that navigation, deep, rescue or any other skills course would need excellent buoyancy control for the student to get the most out if it. So, PPB is my first choice.

 

[CT-Rich]

A lot of these things are more about practice than being taught. A lazy man makes sure he has plenty of lead to sink. You don't really need an instructor to tear off all that lead to get neutral. You can read up on how to use a compass, but you really need to take bearings before you get in the water and practice following a heading on every dive. Boat entries can be done correctly on a first try, but what is appropriate varies on type of boat and condition. EAN, Rescue, diving dry and computer (that isn't part of OW?) are all about safe diving, so I can see taking them to make sure you completely understand or have the skills. Most of the others are best learned through experience with a mentor, by reading or working it out with an other buddy (i.e. more experience). I just remember what I learned in Basic- you have air, it is not an emergency, don't panic, take your time.

Photography and fish ID are fun and will shortening the learning curve, but experience is still the best teacher. I had one pool session with a horse collar BC with only oral inflator. Didn't do it any other way until I bought my first Jacket BCD. If you approach diving incrementally, and don't go insane with adding new tasks, there is not a lot of to justify paying $200 to learn how to roll off a boat or take a compass heading. As far as low visibility... you have to be kidding.... I thought you learned that by showing up at the beach after a 2 hour drive and seeing the water conditions sucked. If you aren't comfortable in having visibility drop precipitously during a dive, you need to re-evaluate your diving.

 

[mike.chuanshi]

I can tell you, even that limited training greatly improved all of the divers in the class. The specialty course, taught well, would be the best first step for a new diver. It seems, to me, that navigation, deep, rescue or any other skills course would need excellent buoyancy control for the student to get the most out if it. So, PPB is my first choice.

I agree 100% with this. The course, especially when taught by a good instructor, allows a diver to make gains in core areas quickly. Buoyancy will affect your ability to do everything else, so to get the most out of other specialty courses it makes since to get your buoyancy down first.

 

[socc]

In my opinion if you are living somewhere where there is really cold then do the dry suit one first.
Then I would go with Nitrox for extended NDL and if you have problems with buoyancy, then the Advanced/Peek/Perfect Buoyancy seems to be a good one.

 

[Redshift]

What kind of courses are you taking?
On my basic course I learned about computer diving, boat diving and practiced buoyancy so that I would be ok to develop further from that point without needing a specific course.

A dry suit course, in my opinion, is not needed, get someone to give you some pointers and jump in the pool or a calm protected area.

Underwater photo / video I'd even say it should not be allowed to new divers. They already have enough on their plate just diving without the need for an extra distraction and tasks. The corals / wrecks / animals / buddies will also be grateful for that.

Navigation is an important specialty.

Rescue is as well, but usually not possible to take as a first specialty. Instead you are missing a kind of Basic Life Support & First Aid specialty.

Nitrox is always good

Night diving, I think it also shouldn't be a first specialty, it should come after navigation.

Equipment and fish id for later, if you want.