PADI Specialty Courses

We offer over 20 PADI Specialty courses so there will be something to interest everyone. There are many benefits of taking Specialties:

• Specialties let you engage in new activities and try new equipment under the guidance of an experienced instructor
• You will extend your diving abilities and have increased awareness of the underwater environment.
• If you have already done one of the specialty dives as part of the Advanced course, you can credit this towards the specialty, and vice versa, saving you time and money.

Enriched Air Nitrox

Learn to dive breathing Nitrox. Enriched Air enables you to dive longer and is PADI's most popular specialty course. Find out why Malapascua is the perfect place for Nitrox. E-learning available. Two dives.

Digital Underwater Photographer

With today's easy to use underwater cameras, many divers think that all you need to do it point and shoot. But they sometimes come away disappointed with their results. Learn how to easily improve your underwater photos and how to use editing software. If you have ever felt your underwater pictures could be better, let us teach you how to improve your underwater photos drastically. Course price includes the manual and an invaluable White Balance Slate. E-learning available. Two dives.

Thresher Shark Diver

The PADI Thresher Shark Diver Distinctive Specialty is unique to TSD!  It will teach you all about sharks, in particular threshers. Included are two during during which you will make observations of the sharks and you will lead dives to find thresher sharks. Two/three dives.

Wreck Diver

Malapascua has several excellent wrecks and so is a great place to learn more about wreck diving, whether or not you have dived on wrecks before. Learn the techniques for diving on wrecks, for using reels and lines, tying off and penetrating exciting underwater wrecks! If you are going to Coron to dive their WWII wrecks this is excellent preparation. Four dives.

Deep Diver

Deep dives give you access to many dive sites you may not otherwise reach. We can take you deeper at Shark Point to look for hammerhead sharks. Or to explore our wrecks and see new kinds of aquatic life. Learn to notice the effects of nitrogen narcosis on your body under the watchful eyes of our instructors. Gain the knowledge, skills, and techniques for diving deeper and learn about its planning, techniques, and hazards. Maximum depth 40m/130ft. Four dives.

Night Diver

It is a different world down there at night. See your favorite dive site in a completely new light. Octopus, squid, and lobsters come out at night, as do other marine creatures you are unlikely to see during the day. Three dives.

Multilevel and Computer Diver

Throw away your RDP Table and plan multilevel dives to extend your bottom time!  You will learn to use the eRDPml 'Multilevel' -the RDP 'computer' - as well as how to use dive computers. A must for anyone thinking about Divemaster. Two dives.

Peak Performance Buoyancy

We believe that good buoyancy control is the most important skill you can learn as a diver. It is an essential part of a safe and comfortable dive. It will extend your bottom time, and protect the fragile underwater environment as well as protect expensive dive equipment. Fine tune your buoyancy with PPB. Two dives.

Underwater Naturalist

Learn more about and then identify local marine life. We will pour over the marine life identification books, then see how much you can remember underwater. You will learn about relationships between marine animals. You have seen "Finding Nemo" - did you know the sea anemones / clownfish relationship is true? How about goby and the shrimp? Do you know how to recognize cuttlefish when they are mating? Where to find commensal shrimp? How to approach squid closely? This and much more. Two dives.

Underwater Navigator

Learn the important skill of underwater navigation and start to dive without a professional. This will increase your confidence immensely, you will feel more in control on guided dives, and enable you to start diving without a guide if you wish. Three dives.

Drift Diver

What a great feeling to just hang motionless mid water and let the current take you along as you watch the underwater world go by. Learn the techniques and procedures for drift diving. Two dives.

Search and Recovery Diver

You will develop the techniques involved in locating and retrieving lost articles, large and small, within recreational limits and while avoiding disturbing delicate marine life. You will learn search patterns and how to use lift bags, putting all of this into practice on real "missing" items. The mechanics of the search are truly an art; while the principles applied to the operation are firmly grounded in science. Four dives.

SMB Diver

During this two dive course, you will learn how to safely deploy a surface marker buoy whilst underwater. You will have the chance to use different types of SMB's and reels, and learn the techniques and reasons for using them.Two dives.

Reef Shark Awareness

During this course you will learn about commonly encountered reef sharks and the threats to them. There will be one classroom presentation, encompassing information about shark biology, conservation issues and how to identify sharks to sex and species. There will then follow two open water dives. Two dives.

Reef Diver Specialty

You will learn about corals and coral reefs, and how to dive on them whilst minimizing your impact.

Oxygen Provider

New PADI Specialty course focusing on providing emergency oxygen. Very useful for all divers, but particularly for Dive Professionals. Non-diving.

Equipment Specialist

Learn how to maintain and repair your scuba equipment. Non-diving.

Gas Blender Course

Learn how to blend nitrox/trimix safely. This is a great course for anyone who wants to become or already is a dive professional. Along with Equipment Specialist, it will make you a much more employable dive shop worker. Non-diving.

Self Reliant Diver

The Self-Reliant Diver specialty course recognises and accepts the role of the buddy system and its contributions to diver safety while identifying and developing self-reliance and independence while diving. This course covers applicable diving alone situations, the need to compensate for those situations, and includes dive planning, life support system readiness, adaptive training, equipment and responsibility.

This course is perfect for photographers who often get left alone, and serves as a great stepping stone between recreational diving and Tech Diving. It is also a very useful qualification for Divemasters and Instructors who may find themselves having to dive alone at times, especially when working as guides. Must be AOW with 100 logged dives. Three dives.

Cavern Diver

Cavern diving is defined as any dive conducted within the light zone of a cave. The light zone of a cave is defined as that part of the cave from which natural light illuminating the entrance is visible at all times. The course have four dives. During the first, you will practice the use of lines, reels and emergency procedures. The other three dives will include real cavern penetration dives. Must be AOW and over 18 years old. Four dives.

Sidemount Diver

Sidemount is a scuba diving equipment configuration which has tanks mounted alongside the diver, below the shoulders and along the hips, instead of on the back. it is becoming a very poular way to dive, more so given you only need to be Open Water certififed with 10 dives to take the course! Find out more.

Discover Tec

For those who want to get a taste for technical diving, this course is a great choice and lets you try technical diving equipment and procedures. One or Two dives.

IANTD Recreational Trimix

Another great intro to technical diving, though still a recreational course, this will teach you the basics of diving on trimix. Rec Trimix is very similar in structure to Nitrox and is the next logical progression. No special equipment is required - the course can be completed using recreational dive equipment and a single tank. Max depth is 30m/39m depending on students maximum depth certification and all dives are no-stop dives. Two dives.

Underwater Photographer

The appeal of underwater photography does not need to be explained. Take home permanent memories of that wonderful other world and be the envy of all! This course is suitable for film cameras as well as digital. Two dives.

Underwater Videographer

Learn how to use an underwater camcorder and shoot your own video! The ultimate way to take home all your memories. You will learn about different video systems and different shooting techniques. We will review your footage after each dive so you will learn from your mistakes. An optional part of the course is to learn about digital video editing software and how to edit your own video. You can take home your footage on MiniDV tape, video tape, DVD or CD. Three dives.

Boat Diver

In your future as a diver, you are almost guaranteed to dive from a boat. Say goodbye to long surface swims and surf entries and learn all the ins and outs of boat diving. Two dives.

Project AWARE Coral Reef Conservation

Project Aware is PADI's non-profit marine conservation organization. Find out more about the plight of worldwide aquatic ecosystems and learn what you can do to protect our aquatic resources. These are courses for divers and non-divers.

Project Aware Fish Identification

Learn basic fish identification and survey techniques.

Marine Resource Management

Our seas and our coral reefs are in grave environmental trouble. Learn more about the ecology and biology of reefs, why they are in trouble and what can be done to help, particularly from a diver's perspective. This is a non-diving course aimed at dive professionals and marine park managers.

Master Scuba Diver

Become the ultimate diver!!! Master Scuba Diver is the highest non-professional rating in the PADI system. It defines a well-rounded diver who has acquired dive experience and knowledge by participating in a variety of courses and logging a minimum of 50 dives. Complete Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, and five specialty courses. Special packages are available if you wish to complete the whole program. Go from non-diver to Master Scuba Diver in as little as three weeks.

Find out more from about the following Specialty Courses:

AWARE Fish ID, AWARE Coral Reef Conservation, Boat Diver, Deep, Digital Underwater Photography, Enriched Air Nitrox, Equipment, Multilevel, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search and Recovery, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Navigation, Underwater Videographer, Wreck, Master Scuba Diver