Which PADI specialties are useful and which ones are "underwater basket weaving"?

[black_sea]

I would never be able to rescue my basket as I was weaving underwater if I had not taken Rescue, Nitrox and Advanced!
I think for most divers headed out to warm waters, Nitrox is a must. You can do it online now. Extends your range and cuts down on the risk of deco. Mace sure your buoyancy skills are good as you definitely do not want to exceed your depth limits with nitrox.
My SO said that her confidence in water improved after she took advanced open water. Somehow going to deeper water made her more confident staying at 20 meters or so, which is her preferred range.
Rescue is very recommended since it gives you the confidence in the water to help yourself and others.
A good instructor is key.
Insist on: -
guaranteed small number of students
Guaranteed skill mastery I personally guarantee to my students that we will do the course as long as it takes -before they get certified, they must master all the skills required. If not, they get a chance to retake the class or money back, out equipment rental, booking and transportation expenses.

 

[ChrisMan]

I've done a reasonable amount of specialty courses. Deep, Wreck, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search and Recovery, Underwater Navigator, Rescue, Full Face Mask, Enriched Air etc, and have found them all useful. Wreck, I think is a must if you intend to penetrate, and a good Rescue course will really start to change the way you dive.

One thing though, alot of people mention instructor quality, but I would also think about conditions you'll be training in! For example I did my Underwater Navigator and Search and Recovery in low vis conditions with some strong currents. I think that helped and made me much better at it, as I can't see the point of learning in near perfect conditions where you can see anything within 50 metres of you! It gives you a sense of elation when you can swim 30 fin kicks in a current, on a given bearing and find a 2 inch weighted float in 4 or 5 foot vis!

 

[openmindOW]

Rescue

Peak Performance Buoyancy

Nitrox

Deep

Cavern

 

[RTee]

Aware, photography, video and naturalist...probably useful for those who have an interest in those particular fields.

Search and recovery, Nitrox, ice, drysuit and to some extent wreck (if a pre requisite for advanced wreck diving) I personally find them uselful

Night, navigation, Deep, Master of buoyancy ( these being contained somewhat in AOW) I see very little value added. The last two were covered more than adequately when I did my AN/Deco proc

Boat, drift, Multilevel (I fail to see any value). Going to Cozumel will give you more than enought exposure and experience on the first two and you will be thoroughly briefed as to the charters 's SOPs, boat set-up, divers casting and recovery, etc. As for the latter, an erdp, dive computer or dive planning software will greatly enhance whatever knowledge that was imparted in you during your OW and AOW courses.

 

[joewr]

I would never be able to rescue my basket as I was weaving underwater if I had not taken Rescue, Nitrox and Advanced!
I think for most divers headed out to warm waters, Nitrox is a must. You can do it online now. Extends your range and cuts down on the risk of deco. Mace sure your buoyancy skills are good as you definitely do not want to exceed your depth limits with nitrox.
Rescue is very recommended since it gives you the confidence in the water to help yourself and others.
A good instructor is key.
Insist on: -
guaranteed small number of students
Guaranteed skill mastery

Hey, Gang,

This looks like my kinda thread: funny, but informative...
Back in the day we used to refer to PADI and all its cards as "Put Another Dollar In"! But, I liked Black Sea's answer. Of all the skills that I think merit attention, Nitrox and Rescue are at the top.

Back when I got EAN certed, you had to do a face-to-face course with an DM, but in our Brave New World, the 'net seems the way to go. My only advise on Nitrox is, that if you are a new diver, it is important to work on your breathing skills and bottom times. Without long bottom times, Nitrox is somewhat of a waste. There use to be a toothpaste called Pepsodent with the motto, "You'll wonder where the yellow went with Pepsodent!"
The same is true with Nitrox.

Rescue is an interesting course because it really depends on the teacher. I learned life saving as a Boy Scout in the 50's (Yes, I am that old!) and the one thing that stuck in my mind was learning how a drowning person can take you right with him. A good Rescue course will teach you how to deal with a diver who just wants to be saved...even at the expense of both your lives. Done right, it is a tough course...and worth it.

Now, as for the cards, I carry one: my EAN card...that's really all the folks I deal with want to see...and some do not care...dive in the 3rd world and you will learn all sorts of new and scarry safety rules!

joewr...these guys are smart, have senses of humor...and if they are well-heeled, maybe they will sponsor this part of my signature...the price is right..

 

[theduckguru]

If you are a PADI LDS, all the specialties are valuable (profitable).

 

[Serge Tao]

If they can make money out of it, they'll teach it as a speciality.

 

[japan-diver]

I would say most specialties would be worthless as I see them taught.
Classes like photo are better taught by a photo pro than an instructor (there are a few photos pros that are instructors that may teach a good course)
Courses such as Deep taught by a instructor that goes way beyond the minimum required would make a good course but as written the minimums are pretty light.
Most Intro to Tech level course (GUE Fundies, UTD Essentials, among others) would be much better than PPB.
Courses such as Boat and Night are generally fluff- Navigation- if this was not covered in your OW and AOW by your instructor taking a Nav course from the same instructor probably not a good idea.

 

[Davemohio]

If they can make money out of it, they'll teach it as a speciality.

OMG.

I was laughing out loud at these!

 

[Sheri SGR]

Depending on how comfortable you are after your basic course, you should take the courses that interest you not another course just so that you have an instructor to take you diving. However, Rescue is a must it increase your skills in the water and make you a desireable buddy. usually an advanced certification is a prerequesite so if /when you take the advanced class make sure you choose the optional dives that interest you or cover skills you specifically need. Nitrox is another must especially if you plan on traveling and doing alot of dives at destinations. Dive Dive Dive