Specialities
Become an Advanced Diver & Ocean Steward with SSI Specialty Programs
Whether you're a curious snorkeler, a budding underwater naturalist, or a certified diver ready to level up, our SSI Environmental Specialty Programs offer a powerful way to deepen your connection to the ocean. Explore topics like Marine awareness & ecology or whether you want to just enhance your skills. These courses are suitable for families and children aged 10 and older, with open water sessions and online flexibility—making them perfect for ocean lovers of all levels.
Become an SSI Deep Diver
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The SSI Deep Diving Specialty will teach you all you need, to dive to depths between 18 and 40 meters, through a mixture of academic sessions and open water dives.
You will learn to plan and safely complete your deep diving adventures.
Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore beautiful deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI Specialty is also a prerequisite for some advanced training, making it the next logical step to take in your dive education.
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Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
15
Amount of Academic Sessions
5
Amount of Open Water Sessions
3
Maximum Training Depth
40 m / 130 ft
Suggested duration (h)
10 to 15
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become a Science of Diving Specialty diver
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Join the SSI Science of Diving specialty and you will develop a complete understanding of the underwater world and its effects on the human body.
This specialty is required training for most SSI Professional programs, as well as some Extended Range programs, and is an essential way to expand your dive knowledge. Available online, you can earn your SSI Science of Diving specialty certification from home and get ready to begin your dive professional career.
Upon completion, you will be halfway to earning the coveted SSI Divemaster rating and earn the SSI Science of Diving specialty certification.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
5
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
10 to 15
Certification Prerequisites
Advanced Open Water Diver
Buoyancy program today
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The SSI Perfect Buoyancy specialty is the best way to improve your buoyancy and get the most from every dive.
Buoyancy is an essential dive skill, but any diver will tell you it takes time to perfect. The Perfect Buoyancy specialty will teach you advanced buoyancy skills and techniques, so you can master your buoyancy more quickly and enjoy more relaxed dive adventures. In this fascinating program, you will also learn new skills that protect the environment and work in every diving situation.
Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty certification. With better buoyancy skills, you will soon be able to hover with ease and take the underwater photographs you dream of!
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
4
Amount of Pool/Confined Water Sessions
2
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
5-10
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become a Certified SSI Boat Diver
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Some of the world’s most breathtaking dive sites lie far beyond the shoreline—accessible only by boat. With the SSI Boat Diving Specialty, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to dive from a variety of vessels, from small personal boats to luxurious liveaboards.
Discover remote offshore sites teeming with schooling pelagics and majestic marine megafauna
Enjoy the thrill of liveaboard adventures, sunset cruises, and uncrowded dive experiences
Learn through a blend of online theory and hands-on open water dives
This program teaches you everything you need to know to dive safely and comfortably from boats. Once certified, you’ll be ready to explore the ocean’s hidden gems—anywhere in the world.
Earn your SSI Boat Diving Specialty certification and set sail for adventure. Start your journey today!
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
5
Amount of Open Water Sessions
2
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
5-10
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Start your Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty adventure
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The SSI Diver Stress and Rescue specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers.
You will learn how to identify stress, how to prevent accidents and be taught practical techniques to conduct rescues and provide emergency care. With a combination of pool and open water practice sessions, you will become well prepared and confident at handling emergency and rescue situations.
Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
12
Amount of Academic Sessions
6
Amount of Pool/Confined Water Sessions
3
Amount of Open Water Sessions
3
Maximum Training Depth
18 m / 60 ft
Suggested duration (h)
10-15
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification, First Aid certification Valid for 2 years
Become an SSI Nitrox Diver
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Ready to dive longer, safer, and smarter? With SSI’s Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty, you’ll unlock the benefits of diving with oxygen-enriched air—giving you extended bottom times, reduced nitrogen absorption,
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Spend more time exploring underwater and less time waiting between dives
Boost your safety margins and dive efficiency
Learn to plan and execute dives using Nitrox mixtures up to 40% oxygen​
This course expands your diving knowledge and teaches you how to safely use enriched air—perfect for repetitive dives or those seeking more time at depth.
Complete the program and earn your SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 32% or 40% certification. Dive deeper into your passion today
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
4
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
3-6
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become an SSI Navigation Specialty Diver
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Never get lost beneath the surface. The SSI Navigation Specialty program equips you with the skills and confidence to navigate underwater like a pro.
Master compass uses and natural navigation techniques
Learn to estimate distances and follow basic navigation patterns
Practice returning to a designated point with precision
Combine multiple techniques to enhance your dive planning and execution
This course sharpens your underwater awareness, boosts safety, and ensures you get the most out of every dive. Whether you're exploring a reef or searching for a wreck, strong navigation skills make every adventure smoother and more rewarding.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
5
Amount of Open Water Sessions
2
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
5-10
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become an SSI Night Diver
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Discover the magic of the underwater world after dark. The SSI Night Diving and Limited Visibility Specialty is your gateway to exploring dive sites in a whole new light—literally.
Learn the unique skills required for night and low-visibility diving
Master the use of specialized equipment and lighting techniques
Practice safe entry and exit procedures in challenging conditions
Develop effective communication strategies with your dive buddy
Through a blend of online learning and hands-on open water training, you'll gain the confidence and competence to dive safely and comfortably when visibility is low or the sun has set.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
5
Amount of Open Water Sessions
2
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
5-10
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become a Certified React Right Specialty Diver
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React Right is SSI’s emergency first response course, designed to prepare you to act confidently in medical emergencies.
Learn key skills like first aid, CPR, oxygen administration, and AED use
Customize your training with flexible learning options
Gain hands-on experience through practical scenarios
Upon certification, you’ll be equipped to respond effectively in diving-related and general emergencies.
Get certified and be ready to make a difference when it matters most.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
12
Amount of Academic Sessions
6
Maximum Training Depth
0 m / 0 ft
Suggested duration (h)
8-12
Certification Prerequisites
No certification prerequisites
Become a Certified Wreck Diver
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Explore the ocean’s most captivating dive sites—wrecks teeming with marine life and history.
With SSI’s Wreck Diving specialty, you’ll learn to safely dive around wrecks and artificial reefs (non-penetration) up to 30 meters deep. Training includes:
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Academic and open water sessions
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Open water dives to build real-world skills
Earn your certification and dive wrecks with confidence.
Start your adventure today!
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Academic Sessions
6
Amount of Open Water Sessions
2
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
5-10
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become an SSI Waves, Tides & Currents Specialty Diver
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Unlock access to stunning dive sites shaped by waves, tides, and currents—from beach entries to river dives.
This specialty course teaches you how to:
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Navigate dynamic water conditions safely
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Dive from shore and in moving water
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Understand environmental factors that impact your dives
Boost your skills and dive with confidence in any current.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
10
Amount of Open Water Sessions
2
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
5-10
Certification Prerequisites
Open Water Diver certification
Become a Certified SSI Marine Ecology Diver
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Discover how ocean life connects and thrives.
In this specialty course, you’ll learn:
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How marine organisms interact
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The flow of energy through ecosystems
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Connections between ocean habitats
Deepen your understanding—and your appreciation—of the underwater world.
Start online and get certified today
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Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
6
Amount of Academic Sessions
6
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
3-6
Certification Prerequisites
No certification prerequisites
Fish Identification diver
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The world’s oceans are home to thousands of fish species, and you will encounter plenty of these fascinating creatures on your dives! In this course, you will be taught all the skills and concepts you need to identify common families of Caribbean, Indo-Pacific and Red Sea reef fish. Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Fish Identification specialty certification.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
6
Amount of Academic Sessions
8
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
3-6
Certification Prerequisites
No certification prerequisites
Become a certified SSI Coral Identification diver
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Coral reefs are prized among divers and rightly so; drifting over a healthy reef filled with bustling marine life is magical. These precious ecosystems are fascinating, and the SSI Coral Identification specialty program is the best way to learn more about coral reefs and get the most out of your reef dives.
In this coral dive specialty program, you will learn how to identify different corals and earn your SSI Coral Identification specialty certification.
Facts and Training Standards
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Minimum Age
6
Amount of Academic Sessions
7
Maximum Training Depth
30 m / 100 ft
Suggested duration (h)
3-6
Certification Prerequisites
No certification prerequisites