The purpose of this specialty course is to familiarize divers with the skills, knowledge, planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems, hazards, and enjoyment of drift diving. The Drift Diver Specialty course is intended to serve as a safe, supervised introduction to open water diving where there is a current.

COURSE COST

• $180.00 per person
• $280.00 per person - Private

REQUIRED AGE/CERTIFICATION LEVEL

• Minimum age 12 years old with PADI Open Water certification/Junior Open Water certification or proof of equivalent certification by another training agency.

COURSE OVERVIEW

• There are knowledge reviews in the PADI Adventures in diving Manual, which must be completed prior to diving, and will be reviewed by the Instructor
• This course can be credited as one of the specialty courses needed to achieve the Master Scuba Driver rating and is a great way to become familiar with the hazards of diving in the open sea.  It is a favorite diving technique as students do not need to find the way back to the dive boat.

There are two dives in the Drift Diver Course:

1.    Open Water Training Drift Dive One - By the end of this session, students will:

• Perform an entry specific to the particular environmental conditions and the plan for the drift dive.
• Maintain dive buddy contact and neutral buoyancy during the drift dive to avoiding unintended and/or destructive contact with the bottom. •
• Perform a safety stop at 5 meters/15 feet for at least three minutes prior to surfacing from the drift dive.
• Exit the water specific to the conditions and the plan for the drift dive.

2.    Open Water Training Drift Dive Two - By the end of this session, students will: •    

• Perform an entry specific to the particular environmental conditions and plan for the drift dive.
• Maintain dive buddy contact and neutral buoyancy during the drift dive, avoiding unintended and/or destructive contact with the bottom
• Determine the direction of the drift, and relative strength of the current present during the dive.
• Ascend at a rate not in excess of 18 meters/60 feet per minute without physical contact with a float reference line
• Perform a safety stop at 5 meters/15 feet for at least three minutes prior to surfacing from the drift dive.
• Perform an exit specific to the particular environmental conditions.

STUDENTS TO SUPPLY:

• Mask, fins, snorkel, dive knife, and whistle or other surface signaling device.
• BCD, regulator, secondary air source, pressure gauge, compass and tanks can be rented from Lauderdale Diver.