SSI SPECIALTY COURSES
WHY STUDY
SPECIALTY
COURSES?
Specialty courses are an excellent way to improve your scuba skills while learning new ones and developing a better understanding of the underwater world.
Whether you are new to diving or an experienced veteran, specialty courses teach you proper technique and safe diving practices.
With over 15 specialties to choose from – you'll never want to leave!
WHY STUDY IN
THE BAY ISLANDS,
HONDURAS?
Isla de las Bahia (the Bay Islands) are part of the 2nd largest reef in the world, the Meso American Barrier Reef, and feature vibrant corals, multi-colored tropical fish, sponges as big as refrigerators and pelagics such as manta rays, sea turtles and whale sharks.
The Bay Islands are actually the mountaintops of an underwater mountain range called the Bonacca Ridge.
Divers enjoy warm tropical waters year-round, warm and friendly people, and great visibility! The primary languages are English and Spanish which makes getting around a breeze!
WHY CHOOSE
UTILA CAYS
DIVING?
No island in the Caribbean offers more distinctive or easily accessible dive sites than Utila. Our reefs and drop-offs are packed with colorful marine life and ideally suited for novices and experts alike.
You can see virtually every creature that lives in the Caribbean – whether you’re snorkeling near the surface, diving Utila's grand walls, or swimming through the Halliburton wreck.
Utila Cays Diving is the ONLY shop located near the NORTH side of the island, which means we are already half-way to the BEST sites in the Bay Islands!
BOAT DIVING
Boats allow you the opportunity to explore spectacular dive sites far from shore. This program covers the additional knowledge you need to make your first boat diving vacation a true success, and the techniques necessary to dive properly from all sizes and types of boats. Enhance your dive trips!
Requirements
Minimum age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 Day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
DEEP DIVING
Many of the more exciting and intriguing dive sites are located in deeper water. Without proper training, this kind of diving can put you at risk. Deep Diving program will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and experience required to make these types of dives safely and comfortably. Explore the big blue!
Requirements
Minimum Age 15
Duration
2 days
(3 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
Learn everything you need to know to be a successful underwater photographer! Digital Underwater Photography will teach you the proper photography techniques to get better results instantly and teach you how to optimize your camera system with valuable accessories.
Many of you may already have a digital camera system and a proper underwater housing. As such, it s likely you are asking yourself how to take better pictures. Now a structured program is available to answer your digital underwater photography questions which means more fun and satisfaction in diving.
Requirements
Minimum age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
EQUIPMENT TECHNIQUES
Your Total Diving System is like a buddy underwater who you need to be able to rely on at any time. You will learn about equipment selection best suited for you, care and maintenance of your equipment, and how to properly store it; to ensure performance and extend the lifetime of your equipment.
Requirements
none
Duration
a few hours
Includes
Digital Materials, Taxes, Professional Instruction and Diving certification
NAVIGATION
To become a safe and confident diver, it is critical to develop an understanding of navigation. You will learn how to navigate with a compass, and how to apply natural navigation skills, estimate distances, navigate different search patterns, find your way to marking points, and be able to get back to the exit point.
Have you ever asked yourself, "How does my instructor manage to find the way back to the exit point or to the boat?"
If so, the NAVIGATION Program is what you need to learn this skill for yourself.
Requirements
Minimum Age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
NIGHT & LIMITED VISIBILITY
Whether it's day or night, limited visibility can be an adventure. Just because the visibility is limited doesn't mean the opportunities have to be. This program is filled with information about planning and conducting night and limited visibility dives for fun, adventure, and exploration.
While diving at night you can discover a different side of this world and you can experience it from a completely different viewpoint.
It is an unbelievable feeling to discover the mysteries held underwater when the sun goes down.
With the right equipment and a powerful torch there is a lot to discover. Night diving is a whole new way to experience the underwater world.
Requirements
Minimum Age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
2 Days
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
PERFECT BUOYANCY
Proper buoyancy control can only be mastered with proper training. The Perfect Buoyancy program will improve your swimming position and reduce your effort which will lead to less air consumption. In addition, proper buoyancy control is the best skill for environmental protection. The destruction and harm caused by divers with weak buoyancy skills is having an impact on reefs worldwide. Additionally, perfect buoyancy control is a prerequisite for nearly all Specialty Courses.
Requirements
Minimum age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 Day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
SCIENCE OF DIVING
Science of Diving addresses all the areas of diving knowledge in a detailed and comprehensive manner: Physics, Physiology, Decompression Theory, Aquatic Environment, and Diving Equipment. If you are simply interested in diving or plan to become a Dive Professional - the Science of Diving program is what you need!
Requirements
Minimum age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
2-3 days
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
SEARCH & RECOVERY
Whether it's the gold of a sunken ship, a lost ring or simply your buddy s dive light that was accidentally lost, there are times in which the appropriate training to search for lost objects underwater would be beneficial.
SSI offers a structured program for SEARCH AND RECOVERY where you will learn to perform different search patterns with the help of ropes and compasses, and to plan search and recovery operations in a team.
You will also learn the correct handling of one or more lifting bags in order to bring heavy objects securely to the surface.
Requirements
Minimum Age: 10
Adventure Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 Day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Digital Manual, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction & Diving Certification
SHARK DIVING
Sharks have always captivated the attention of mankind. This program will help you to separate fact from fiction and learn the truth about these fascinating creatures. You will also learn how to react properly when diving or snorkeling with sharks. Caring for nature is also key for this outstanding program.
SSI is donating 10% of the income from the SHARK DIVING Specialty Program to shark preservation. As a participant in the program you are making an active contribution to help secure the survival of sharks.
Requirements
Minimum age: 15
Adventure Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
2 days
Includes
Digital Materials, Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction and Diving certification
WAVES, TIDES & CURRENTS
Water motion can have a tremendous effect on your enjoyment during your dives. Adequate training is critical to handling the various water motion conditions you may encounter. You will learn to interact with waves when entering from shore, how to react in a rip current and other water conditions.
Adequate training in current diving is the key to this kind of experience and therefore WAVES, TIDES & CURRENTS is a must for any ambitious diver.
Requirements
Minimum age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction and Diving certification
WRECK DIVING
It is an unbelievable experience to see a big ship from a bird's eye perspective and to glide towards the captain's bridge.
Diving on wrecks is exciting and there are some potential risks too, but with the right training WRECK DIVING will become a great adventure.
During the WRECK DIVING SPECIALTY COURSE you will learn where and how to get background information on wrecks, how to locate wrecks and how to prepare for a wreck dive. During the 2 mandatory dives you will apply the correct wreck diving techniques, as well as evaluate and avoid the potential risks while diving on wrecks.
Requirements
Minimum age: 10
(Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification from another organization)
Duration
1 day
(2 Open Water Dives)
Includes
Taxes, Reef Fees, Professional Instruction and Diving certification