Not quite. Adv Buoyancy Control *can * be done in a pool, but what is it that makes that not a dive?
I said that because I asked at my LDS if the pool visit for the ABC cert counted as a dive that I would log in my book - i.e. 1 of the 25 I need for ASDDP. They told me no, because it was in Confined Water.
Computer Nitrox is the *only* non-diving specialty that can be counted....the standard states: "Overhead environments and non-diving specialties are not allowed, and do not count toward the 3 chosen specialties." Computer Nitrox is given as the only exception. You may be confused with the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program which does allow a non-diving specialty (in addition to Computer Nitrox).
You obviously have more info than I have. I was looking at the web page for Advanced Adventure Diver:
https://www.tdisdi.com/sdi/get-certified/advanced-adventure-diver/
It does not mention the requirement for non-diving specialties.
OTOH, the web page for the Advanced Scuba Diver Development Program DOES say that only 1 non-dive specialty counts (in addition to allowing Nitrox).
Anyway, the difference between 2 or 4 dives doesn't really matter (to me - regarding this point). The point is/was that you can get AAD with VERY few dives after getting your OW cert. And that plus 92 or 94 more dives of any type is, apparently, all the qualification and training that you need to take the Solo Diver course and get that C card.
So, 4 OW cert dives, 1 deep dive, 1 u/w nav dive, 1 drift dive, and 1 marine ecosystem dive, plus 92 more dives in the Caribbean at 30 feet, and you are qualified to take the Solo Diver course. Given that and the OP's info, I don't see what the big deal is about an instructor reviewing his history and log and approving him for the Solo Diver course. Maybe I would understand that better if I had been through instructor training, though...
The SDI Advanced Adventure Diver cert aligns very nicely with the PADI AOW...it is almost identical, except the SDI cert is for a Specialty, whereas the PADI cert is for a rating (in between OW and Rescue). There is no equivalent PADI cert for the SDI Advanced Diver cert; also SDI allows Rescue right out of OW if you have 40 logged OW dives. Things don't get back into sync until the Master Scuba Diver certs from the two orgs....both require Rescue Diver and 50 dives, but PADI requires 5 specialties whereas SDI only requires 4.
Right. I already have Nitrox and Adv Buoyancy. So, in theory, I could take the Deep Diver specialty any time now. Keep diving until I've got 40 logged. Then take Rescue Diver. Keep diving until I hit 50 logged, and then get my Master Diver card, without ever getting an Advanced Adventure or Advanced Scuba card or taking the Underwater Nav specialty (or any others), correct? Not that I would or would advocate anyone else to do this. I'm just trying to understand the rules. Honestly, this seems like kind of a hole in the SDI program that they should address so that a person with a Master C card has had to undergo a bit more specialty training than that.