COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to altitude diving and to help the student diver develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for altitude diving.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Altitude Specialty Instructor

Boat Diver Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to boat diving and to help the student diver develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for boat diving.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Boat Diver Specialty Instructor

Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to introduce divers to the skills and excitement of using diver propulsion vehicles. The course familiarizes student divers with the knowledge, planning, organization, procedures, techniques, potential problems and hazards associated with using DPVs.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 12
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1
Minimum Instructor Rating: DPV Specialty Instructor

Eight Drift Diver Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to drift diving and to help the student diver develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for drift diving.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 12
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1
Minimum Instructor Rating: Drift Diver Specialty Instructor

Dry Suit Diver Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to dry suit diving and to help the student diver develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary for dry suit diving.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior
Open Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Dry Suit Diver Specialty Instructor

Enriched Air Diver Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to qualify recreational divers to use enriched air ("nitrox") for no stop recreational diving. The program addresses the use of enriched air with 22 percent to 40 percent oxygen, with emphasis on enriched air with 32 and 36 percent oxygen.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver* or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 15
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 Enriched Air Dives.
Student to Instructor Ratio: 8:1
Minimum Instructor Rating: PADI Enriched Air Instructor

Equipment Specialist Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW

This course is designed to be an introduction to new types of equipment and to familiarize divers with the operation and maintenance of equipment.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI (Junior) Scuba Diver, Open Water
Diver, Junior Open Water Diver or
qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: none required
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: not applicable
Minimum Instructor Rating: Equipment Specialist Instructor

AWARE - Fish Identification Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW

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.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student to Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: AWARE - Fish Identification Diver
Specialty Instructor


Multilevel Diver Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to multilevel diving and to help the student diver develop the necessary skills, knowledge and techniques.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 12
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1
Minimum Instructor Rating: Multilevel Diver Specialty Instructor

Night Diver Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to night diving and to help the student diver develop the skills, knowledge and techniques necessary to safely participate in night-diving activities.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 12
Minimum Open Water Training: 3 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1
Minimum Instructor Rating: Night Diver Specialty Instructor

Peak Performance Buoyancy Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW

The purpose of the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course is to polish a diver's buoyancy control beyond the Open Water Diver level. The goal of PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy training is to enhance the student diver diver's buoyancy control abilities through knowledge development and practical skills practice.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Teaching status PADI Assistant Instructor+

Underwater Naturalist Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to the underwater aquatic environment and to help the student diver develop safe and responsible interaction with aquatic life.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Underwater Naturalist Specialty Instructor

Underwater Navigator Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to underwater navigation and to help the student diver develop the skills and knowledge necessary for use in underwater navigation.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 3 dives
Student-to-Instructor ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Underwater Navigator Specialty Instructor

Underwater Photographer Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to be an introduction to basic underwater photography and to help the student diver develop the skills, knowledge and practical techniques necessary to enjoy this interesting activity.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior
Open Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor Ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: Underwater Photographer Specialty Instructor


Underwater Videographer Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to introduce student divers to the selection, use and care of underwater videography equipment, and the basic principles of underwater video production.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 3 dives
Student-to-Instructor ratio: 8:1
Minimum Instructor Rating: Underwater Videographer Specialty Instructor

National Geographic Diver Specialty Course
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
This course is designed to increase a diver's understanding of the importance of the aquatic realm and broaden the diver's awareness while scuba diving.

Prerequisite Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open
Water Diver or qualifying certification
Minimum Age: 10
Minimum Open Water Training: 2 dives
Student-to-Instructor ratio: 8:1*
Minimum Instructor Rating: PADI Instructor teaching through a PADI
National Geographic Dive Center

Distinctive Specialty Courses
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
Certification in specialty areas other than those detailed in the foregoing standards is possible through the Distinctive Specialty program. Some topic areas require special training and should be sanctioned. Distinctive Specialty Courses allow the instructor to develop courses important to the particular area or circumstances.

Instructors who wish to be certified to teach a Distinctive Specialty should see the General Standards and Procedures section for further details. Some Distinctive Specialties, approved by PADI, allow participation by 10
and 11-year-old student divers. When conducting these courses, see Section One - General Standards for Specialty Diver Courses, Special Requirements for 10 and 11- year-old Divers.

Master Scuba Diver Rating
COURSE STANDARDS AND OVERVIEW
The Master Scuba Diver rating is the highest recreational diver rating in the PADI program, and denotes superior achievement and proficiency.

DAN stands for Divers Alert Network, or as it is familiarly known the 'diver's safety net' DAN was born in 1980 following the initiative of certain scientists and university professors of international standing, in the USA and in Italy, who had understood that the managing of a diving emergency requires a special knowledge, not commonly found as part of normal medical structures.