SSI Equipment Techniques Specialty

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KShandkman

Registered
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
27
Reaction score
5
Location
Olathe, Kansas, United States
# of dives
50 - 99
Does anyone know if this specialty has a dive component to it?

Long story short here, is that I have 5 specialties and 52 dives for the Master Diver Program. However, one of my specialties is the Science of Diving, which for whatever reason does not count as a specialty for Master Diver. I need another specialty and because of my land locked situation, I would prefer one that did not have a dive component and will count. If anyone can chime in please and let me know.

I have done: Night/Low Vis, Nitrox, Stress Rescue, Navigation, and Science of Diving.

Jason
 
Science of Diving counts towards your Master Diver.

SSI's Standards read:

Prerequisites: In order to receive a Master Diver rating, students are to successfully complete any four specialty programs and a Diver Stress and Rescue Program and log a total of at least 50 open water dives.

Page Tec-24 of the 2013 Standards.

Any Four.

Congratulations!

Equipment Techniques has no required dive component. And is a great course as well....

Safe diving
 
SSI's standards read:
13. Credits: Each Specialty program, in order to qualify towards Specialty, Advanced Open Water or Master Diver Ratings, is to include at least two open water specialty training dives. Non-diving Specialty may not count towards Specialty, Advanced Open Water or Master Diver ratings, if no dives were conducted for certification.

page REC-21 of the 2013 Standards.

Equipment Techniques is a non-diving specialty.
 
Last edited:
SSI's standards read:
13. Credits: Each Specialty program, in order to qualify towards Specialty, Advanced Open Water or Master Diver Ratings, is to include at least two open water specialty training dives. Non-diving Specialty may not count towards Specialty, Advanced Open Water or Master Diver ratings, if no dives were conducted for certification.

page REC-21 of the 2013 Standards.

Equipment Techniques is a non-diving specialty.

SSI seems to contradict itself in the standards since the standards for AOW and Master Diver say "any" four specialties count...

2. Requirements: In order to receive an Advanced Open
Water Diver rating or Junior Advanced Open Water
Diver rating, students are to successfully complete
any 4 Specialty programs and log a total of at least 24
open water dives for certification.

2. Prerequisites: In order to receive a Master Diver
rating, students are to successfully complete any
4 Specialty programs and a Diver Stress & Rescue
program and log a total of at least 50 open water
dives prior to certification. Only 1 Unique Specialty
program may be applied towards the Master Diver
rating.
 
My apologies to our original poster. I believe WheelsUSN is correct. Here is the page I referenced. Number four refers you to the page he correctly used to answer your question.

MASTER DIVER STANDARDS

1. General: The knowledge and skills to be covered for the Master Diver rating are those provided in the SSI Specialty Instructor Manuals and Specialty student materials.

2. Prerequisites: In order to receive a Master Diver rating, students are to successfully complete any 4 Specialty programs and a Diver Stress & Rescue program and log a total of at least 50 open water dives prior to certification. Only 1 Unique Specialty program may be applied towards the Master Diver rating.

3. Minimum Age: The minimum age for receiving a Master Diver rating is 15 years old.

4. Standards: All Training Standards for Specialty programs—including provisions for Junior Specialty programs—the Enriched Air Nitrox Diver program— provisions for the Junior Enriched Air Nitrox Diver program and the Diver Stress & Rescue program apply to the SSI Master Diver rating.

Good luck with your future diving. I hope you find some water soon and can complete your goal of becoming a Master Diver.

There is plenty to learn in the Equipment Techniques class to keep you busy until then....
Thanks to WheelsUSN for reminding me to read every word.

Safe Diving
 
My problem is the standards contradict themselves all over. If equipment counts but there is no dives needed, than why could the Science of Diving not count as my fifth specialty? It does not have a dive requirement either? Very confusion and frustrating.
 
I am taking the SSI Equipment specialty this week from the owner of my SSI LDS. He told me there are no dives with this specialty and to get SSI AOW I need four specialties, three of which must have dives. To go from AOW to Master Diver he said I need to add the Stress and Rescue course.
 
I earned an advanced Open Water certification, however, you have to be really careful on what specialties you take. Evidently the Science of Diving is not counted as a specialty for the Master Diver. You have to read the actual standards to figure this out. Even though it is contradicted as well. I was hoping to pick up my master diver card in pursuit of my Dive Con certification. I *thought* a master diver certification was necessary to become a dive professional, but that doesn't appear to be correct either.

I just do not understand how the equipment specialty could be used but the science of diving cannot be used? A specialty should be a specialty? If the Science of Diving is not a specialty, then it should be removed as a listed specialty.
 

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