PADI Speciality courses enhance your dive technique and teach you new skills. These PADI courses enable you to become a PADI Master Scuba Diver, the highest non-professional qualification in the PADI system. To become a PADI Master Scuba Diver you need to complete 5 Speciality courses. On completion of each course you earn another PADI PIC for that speciality. In all there are 28 standard speciality courses available from PADI as well as many more Distinctive Specialities, full list below.
Dive the Volcano at Ilopango
Altitude Diver
(Min age 10 years)
Have you ever been hiking in the mountains and come across a seemingly crystal clear lake and wondered what is under the surface? Ever seen a dam that has created a reservoir in the mountains and wondered if there is a sunken village to explore? If that lake or reservoir is at an altitude of over 300m/1000ft then the Altitude Diver course will help you prepare to go and discover what is in that body of water. Here at El Salvador divers we often go to the volcanic crater lakes of Ilopango and Coatapeque which are at altitude. Come with us and complete your Altitude Diver speciality course whilst discovering the wonderful rock formations created by long ago lava flows.
Maximum depth for Recreational non decompression diving is 40m
Deep Diver
(Min age 15 years)
This course focuses on making smart decisions for a stress free, deep diving experience with an emphasis on safety. Most divers are adventurous people and the deep diver speciality is a means to an end. It will enable you to visit the wreck that is out of reach for reqular divers as well as to go to that elusive wall. Student divers will develop the techniques involved in deep diving within recreational limits (between the depths of 18 metres and 40 metres) while avoiding disturbing delicate marine life.
What am I?
Fish Identification
(Min age 10 years)
This course is designed to introduce divers to the most common families and species of fish found in temperate and tropical waters. Divers learn basic fish identification and scientific surveying techniques. Through an overview of Project AWARE and other preservation and research efforts, such as the REEF Fish Survey Project, divers also learn the importance of personal involvement in aquatic environment conservation.
Some creatures can only be seen at night.
Night Diver
(Min age 12 years)
The goal of this course is to teach student divers a systematic, methodical approach to enjoying diving at night. Student divers will develop the techniques involved in night diving within recreational limits while avoiding disturbing delicate marine life. This course expands student diver knowledge about night diving equipment, evaluating dive conditions at night, using and maintaining dive lights, night navigation techniques, and how to interact responsibly with the aquatic life they’ll see while night diving.
Extend your bottom time.
Enriched Air/Nitrox Diver
(Min age 12 years)
By completing this course you will be certified to use an enriched air blend of up to 40% Oxygen. Divers will learn the benefits, and dangers, of diving with air that has added Oxygen. This will benifit the diver by extending their bottom time before they reach the no stop limits. It will also bring into play the dangers of Oxygen Toxicity. Students will learn how to analyse the contents of their cylinder and calculate the safe diving limits for that mix.
Buoyancy either way up!
Peak Performance Buoyancy
(Min age 10 years)
The Peak Performance Buoyancy Speciality Diver course polishes a diver’s buoyancy control beyond the Open Water Diver level. It’s goal is to make a diver more efficient – saving air and energy – and help the diver avoid damage to the aquatic environment. Students will learn how to fine tune their buoyancy underwater and how to distribute their weights to give a better diving position and enhance their comfort.
Navigating with compass and mapping route.
Underwater Navigator
(Min age 10 years)
This course focuses on fun and challenging underwater navigation dives with an emphasis on safety. Whether your first navigation dive or your hundredth, few moments in diving compare with the satisfaction and pride you feel when you navigate a distance or specific navigation pattern and hit your mark dead-on. Thus, the goal of this course is to teach student divers a systematic, methodical approach to enjoying underwater navigation. Student divers will develop the techniques involved in navigating underwater within recreational limits and while avoiding disturbing delicate marine life.
Get the best shots!
Underwater Photographer
(Min age 10 years)
Ever wanted to take that perfect shot of the fish you saw so you could show your family and friends. Whether you are a David Baily wannabe or just a happy snapper, there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to get yourself set for the perfect shot. Underwater this becomes both more difficult as you cannot always control the environment, or the subject, and slightly easier as you can use your buoyancy to get into the perfect position.
Recovering the line when leaving the wreck.
Wreck Diver
(Min age 15 years)
This course is all about fun, safe wreck diving. Diving on wrecks appeals to most divers, though for many different reasons. Underwater photographers love wrecks for their picture potential, while those interested in nature like the fact that wrecks quickly become artificial reefs. Students will learn about wreck diving law, hazards to avoid, how to research wrecks, wreck diving equipment, the basics of penetrating a wreck and how to interact responsibly with the aquatic life they’ll see while wreck diving.
Self-Reliant Diver with spare air.
Self-Reliant Diver – A Distinctive Speciality
(Min age 18 years)
(Minimum requirement 100 logged dives)
The purpose of the Self-Reliant Diver speciality course is to recognize and accept the role of the buddy system and its contributions to diver safety while identifying and developing self-reliance and independence while diving. Prerequisites for this course are to be over the age of 18, be a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and to have logged 100 dives.