Keep going
Focused adventures that make you a more versatile diver — and count toward Master Scuba Diver.
Get more infoPADI Specialty Diver courses let you focus on the kind of diving you love most. Each one builds skills and knowledge for a particular interest, like enriched air, wreck, night or deep diving.
Most specialties are short, practical and flexible, and they can count towards the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating. Scubaversity offers a range of specialties so you can follow your own interests.
| Theory (knowledge development) | Knowledge development is usually done through PADI eLearning or self-study, depending on the specialty. |
| Pool / confined water | Some specialties include a confined water session, depending on the topic. |
| Open water | Open water dives are completed with an instructor. Most specialties involve two to four dives. |
Usually PADI Open Water Diver, with some specialties requiring Advanced Open Water or Adventure Diver.
Minimum age: Varies by specialty, usually 10 to 15 years old.
Training dives: Usually two to four dives, depending on the specialty.
Typically one to three days per specialty.
Divers who want to build on their certification in a direction they enjoy.
Each specialty is a short, focused course: Deep, Night, Wreck, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Fish Identification, Shark Conservation, Sidemount and more. Most take a day or two and sharpen a specific skill.
The most popular specialty of all. Learn to dive with enriched-air blends to extend your no-decompression time — done almost entirely as theory, so you can add it to any trip.
Combine five specialties with your Rescue Diver certification to earn Master Scuba Diver — the highest recreational rating PADI offers.
Manage and plan deeper dives with confidence.
Mysterious, yet so alluring — the ocean after dark.
Recognise and identify what you're actually looking at.
Protecting marine ecosystems, one dive at a time.
Learn to make basic repairs and care for your kit.
Your first step toward discovering freediving.
Wrecks are fascinating windows to the past.
Glide effortlessly and use less air.
More flexibility and better streamlining options.
Extend your bottom time and dive for longer.
The underwater world needs heroes.
CPR and first aid — open to divers and non-divers alike.
Your first professional PADI rating.
Qualify to teach Emergency First Response.
Teach specialties, right up to Master Scuba Diver.
Help train the next generation of instructors.
The highest recreational rating PADI offers.
Reactivate your diving in less than a day.
Specialty courses let you go deeper on the diving you enjoy most — literally, in some cases.
Combine five specialties with your Rescue Diver rating and a set number of logged dives, and you can become a PADI Master Scuba Diver — the highest recreational rating.
Most specialties are short, focused courses that take a day or two — Enriched Air (Nitrox) is almost entirely theory-based and can be done in a single session, while dive-based specialties like Deep or Wreck involve a couple of confined-water sessions plus supervised open-water dives.
Yes, you need at least PADI Open Water Diver (or equivalent) for most specialties, and some — like Deep Diver — require Advanced Open Water. Check the individual specialty page for its specific prerequisite, or get in touch and we'll confirm what you qualify for.
Most specialties are R4 398 for club members and R4 548 for non-members, with Nitrox and Freediver priced separately as shown in the price table above. Prices include PADI materials where applicable; club members save on most courses.
Classroom and pool sessions run at our Gauteng base, with certification dives typically completed at Bass Lake or Miracle Waters. Some specialties, like Deep or Wreck, are also well suited to our coastal trips to Sodwana Bay or Aliwal Shoal — ask us about combining a specialty with an upcoming trip.
Book any specialty through our enquiry form, or get in touch via our contact page if you'd like advice on which specialties to combine. Five specialties plus Rescue Diver earns you PADI Master Scuba Diver, the highest recreational rating.
Peak Performance Buoyancy, Enriched Air and Deep are popular first choices.
Yes, five specialties are one of the requirements.