Advanced Scuba Diver Development Program vs Just taking specialty classes you want?

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Kairoos

Contributor
Messages
212
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28
Location
West Palm Beach, Florida
# of dives
100 - 199
I'm not really understanding the point of taking the SDI Advanced Scuba Diver Development Program compared to just taking the specialty courses that you want. Say I only want to get deep dive certified, I can go take the SDI Deep Diver class. If that's the only specialty I'm really interested in doing, am I really missing anything by not doing the Advanced course? Say 8 months now I decide I would like to get night dive certified, I can just go take that specialty class, and if I never want to get night dive certified, I never have to touch the course.

With SDI, from my understanding, the Advanced cert is not a part of the path to Dive Master. I'm OW and nitrox certified (with PADI), I can go do the Deep Diver cert with SDI that I want, then when I reach 40 dives, I would be able to take Rescue Diver, and then on to Dive Master if I so chose to. Please correct me if I'm wrong!
 
You'll need your Advanced Open Water to move into the professional levels. There are certain ones you'll need to take.

SDI Divemaster graduation requirments:

3.5 Student Prerequisites
  1. Minimum age 18
  2. Certified SDI Advanced Diver or equivalent; advanced certification must include verifiable experience in deep, navigation, night, and limited visibility specialties
  3. Certified SDI Rescue Diver or equivalent
  4. Provide proof of current CPR, first aid and oxygen provider*, where local law permits
  5. Provided proof of at least 40 logged dives (see 3.11 for number of dives/hours required for graduation)
    *Note: SDI CPROX, CPR1st or CPROX1stAED courses may be combined with the SDI Divemaster
program by qualified instructors


Below is the requirements for AOW. Once you meet these you just apply for your Advanced card:

SDI Advanced Diver Certification procedures for students:
  1. Completion of 4 SDI Specialty Courses or equivalent; only 1 course without dives, may be credited towards the advanced diver development program, with the exception of nitrox
  2. Proof of 25 logged dives
 
You'll need your Advanced Open Water to move into the professional levels. There are certain ones you'll need to take.

SDI Divemaster graduation requirments:




Below is the requirements for AOW. Once you meet these you just apply for your Advanced card:


Ah, I meant to write master diver! Dive master doesn't quite interest me. Master diver requires 4 specialities and a minimum of 50 dives? I'm not really one to chase certifications (otherwise I'd have a bunch of VMware ones), just curious about how things line up. I like how the advanced cert works for SDI

I think SDI's deep diver cert is what I'm looking for. I'm looking to get certified for greater than 60' dives since the charter I go out with requires you to be certified for their 70-90' dives and I don't want to deal with any hassle on vacations either!
 
In that case you just need your 4 specialties, your rescue course and 50 logged dives then just pay the fee for processing and you'll get your card. Most people will grab their Advanced card and use that, since by having that operators know you have Deep Diver training. Some people choose to get the MSD for the accomplishment and that's about it.

The Deep course is really a must for me, most of my dives are probably around the 60' mark when I go to the Caribbean but I enjoy going deeper when I head out to the coast and dive the wrecks. Navigation is worth while as well, underwater nav is pretty basic compared to land nav but if your not used to shooting a bearing or basic compass work it's a good course.

12.3 Graduation Requirements Master Scuba Diver Certification procedures for students:

  1. Completion of 4 SDI Specialty Courses or equivalent; only 1 course without dives, may be creditedtowards the master diver development program, with the exception of nitrox
  2. Provide proof of 50 logged dives
  3. Completion of the SDI Rescue Diver Course or equivalent
 
In that case you just need your 4 specialties, your rescue course and 50 logged dives then just pay the fee for processing and you'll get your card. Most people will grab their Advanced card and use that, since by having that operators know you have Deep Diver training. Some people choose to get the MSD for the accomplishment and that's about it.

The Deep course is really a must for me, most of my dives are probably around the 60' mark when I go to the Caribbean but I enjoy going deeper when I head out to the coast and dive the wrecks. Navigation is worth while as well, underwater nav is pretty basic compared to land nav but if your not used to shooting a bearing or basic compass work it's a good course.
Do you happen to know if you get a card, or anything signifying completion of the Deep Diver specialty?
 
Yeah, you'll get a card for all specialties you complete.
 
From what I can tell, including everything written here, I don't see any NEED whatsoever for the Advanced Scuba Diver or Master Scuba Diver card. Those, in and of themselves, don't seem to get you anything. It's the specialties you have to take and the number of dives you have to log to get them that matter.

Kairoos, it seems to me that all you need to do is the Deep full specialty course. You'll have a card for that after you complete it, which you can show if a dive op asks. You may also need to log a certain number of dives to satisfy some dive ops. But, those wouldn't have to be any kind of training dives.

I've been looking at a night dive that requires prior night diving experience. If you were doing the same, you could also take the Night Diving specialty class, which should satisfy the requirement for that.

IOW, from what I've seen every dive that requires more than just OW requires something specific and if you have done the specialty courses for those specific things, it's not going to matter if you have an Advanced card or not. (though you still may need to have 25 or 50 logged dives)

Also, I just got back from the Caribbean. I told my dive op it was my very first diving since getting my OW card. And I told them I had already gotten my Computer Nitrox card. They took me to 85 - 89 feet on two different dives and they supplied me with Nitrox. And they NEVER looked at ANY of my C-cards or dive log. So, depending on where you go for vacation, I wouldn't worry too much about documentation issues preventing you from doing the dives you want to do. If it's in the U.S., I would expect dive ops to be sticklers - at least to some degree. Outside the U.S. - at least in places like the Caribbean - less so. After all, it's really all about liability and insurance, right? Other than an altruistic desire that a dive op MAY have to keep their customers from getting hurt, the only reason anyone checks documentation is to protect themselves from getting sued, right?
 
From what I can tell, including everything written here, I don't see any NEED whatsoever for the Advanced Scuba Diver or Master Scuba Diver card. Those, in and of themselves, don't seem to get you anything. It's the specialties you have to take and the number of dives you have to log to get them that matter.

What some of the cards get you is entry to the professional ranks, if that is of interest.

Also, I just got back from the Caribbean. I told my dive op it was my very first diving since getting my OW card. And I told them I had already gotten my Computer Nitrox card. They took me to 85 - 89 feet on two different dives and they supplied me with Nitrox. And they NEVER looked at ANY of my C-cards or dive log. So, depending on where you go for vacation, I wouldn't worry too much about documentation issues preventing you from doing the dives you want to do. If it's in the U.S., I would expect dive ops to be sticklers - at least to some degree. Outside the U.S. - at least in places like the Caribbean - less so. After all, it's really all about liability and insurance, right? Other than an altruistic desire that a dive op MAY have to keep their customers from getting hurt, the only reason anyone checks documentation is to protect themselves from getting sued, right?
Beware this advice, given by someone who has been to one dive shop in one location in the Caribbean, and has now generalized rather strongly. Many shops do indeed check cards, and you won't get in the water without one. The rather cynical view that it is all about insurance is a depressing attitude.
 
Personally I like shops that check for cards that support the dive. It at least gives me some , if little, comfort that the one will be buddied up with has more than 6 dives on his new OW card (including, OW training dives) when we do the 100 ft night dive at a wall on the buddies first ocean dive trip.
 
The Master Diver (in what ever agency) is a program designed to encourage folks to take more courses and to dive more. Many folks like to have a goal to work toward and the program provides one. The actual Master Diver card by itself does not do anything but let you know you have reached that goal. I picked up the SDI MD for those reasons. It was the actual diving and lessons along the way that were important. The DM PADI/NAUI/SDI or Divecon (SSI) are professional as noted. I have SDI, PADI, and SSI specialties. I found the DM a very different sort of beast in terms of emphasis from the specialties. For DM I read both the PADI and SDI material, but got just the PADI card.
 
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