can someone please explain to me what exactly do you learn in Boat Diver and Underwater Naturalist courses?
Won't comment on boat.
Underwater Naturalist is about what you see, what it is doing, where to find it and when, and what else you might find in conjunction. I see there are a lot of "haters" on this course, and also Fish ID. Well for me, I love them both. I work in a tropical location with lots of life. Our divers (i daresay ALL divers) have more fun and dive more if they have positive experiences while they're diving, and here at least, seeing critters is a big part of that. Knowing that if you look inside a corkscrew anemone you'll often find a snapping shrimp is cool. JMO. Knowing what a corkscrew anemone is, and what a snapping shrimp is are also cool, and things not everyone gets immediately. Knowing what fishy sex looks like. Knowing what egg casings are, where to find yellowheaded jawfish, knowing whether you saw a sea snake or a sharp tailed eel... these are things that you'll learn in UW Naturalist. How to find a painted elysia. Where to look for seahorses. What conch eyes look like. What was that bar jack doing swimming on top of that ray? Where do I find juvenile spotted drums? Why does that eel open and close its mouth all the time? Where's the best place to find xxxx?
That's what you learn. Maybe you know all of that already, and if so, that's fantastic. :blinking:
kari