PADI Specialties

Enriched Air Nitrox

Enriched air, also known as nitrox or EANx, contains more oxygen and less nitrogen than regular air. Breathing less nitrogen means you can extend your no-stop decompression limits, offering the potential for longer allowable dive times and shorter allowable surface intervals. Alternatively, it can be a tool for divers to make diving safer by reducing the risk of decompression illness.

Enriched Air Diver is the most popular PADI specialty and while it is a valuable asset for any diver, is an ideal choice for divers who:

1.) have superior air consumption who want to safely do longer dives

2.) do repetitive dives (more than one dive in a day). Especially useful for liveaboard diving.

3.) have higher susceptibility to decompression sickness (older, overweight, have a genetic predisposition, have experienced symptoms of decompression sickness in the past, etc.).

Not only is Enriched Air Nitrox highly recommended, it is a requirement to join us on our Advanced Long Range dives (Introduction to Nitrox is also available). Divers who complete their Enriched Air Nitrox eLearning and join us for their checkout get to dive nitrox for free during their trip (limitations apply).

Peak Performance Buoyancy

Excellent buoyancy control is what defines skilled scuba divers. Glide effortlessly, improve your air consumption, fine-tune your weighting needs and move through the water column safely and efficiently. Advanced buoyancy techniques such as breath control and fin techniques can allow divers to more easily observe aquatic life without disturbing it or their surroundings.

Peak Performance Buoyancy is recommended for all divers, of any experience level and instructors can cater the class to your specific needs. Continue your journey toward relaxed, confident and controlled diving and dive like the professionals do.

Night Diver

While you are not required to have the PADI Night Diver Specialty in order to dive at night, proper training will make your night dives more enjoyable. Learn how to navigate and communicate with your dive buddies after dark while observing the weird and wonderful wildlife that only comes out after the sun goes down.

Underwater Navigator

It’s easy to get disoriented underwater if you don’t know how to use a compass or natural navigation clues. Learn how to easily find your way back to the boat or shore without returning to the surface and avoid long, exhausting swims. The PADI Underwater Navigator course fine-tunes your observation skills and teaches you to more accurately use your compass underwater. Valuable for any diver, but should be considered essential for divers diving without a dive professional, especially from shore. Especially crucial for divers in low-visibility environments.

Deep Diver

We don’t believe in doing deep dives just to see numbers on a computer, but sometimes there are incredible features and marine life to see for those who venture a little deeper. When diving deeper than 18 metres/60 feet, there are special safety procedures to adhere to. If you’re ready to learn how to safely expand your boundaries, the PADI Deep Diver Specialty can help you gain the skills and confidence to go deeper (maximum 40 metres/130 feet).

Digital Underwater Photography

During the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course, you’ll learn how to take underwater photos you’ll be proud to share with others. Avoid beginner mistakes and shorten the learning curve with tips from the pros. Learn how to use underwater photography lights (strobes), avoid backscatter and enhance color. Learn tips for taking great photos underwater and the best way to capture video while scuba diving with a GoPro (or other action camera).

Underwater Naturalist (eLearning not available)

Take the PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty course and you’ll see new things, even at the most familiar dive sites. Learn about local symbioses, ecology, and aquatic plant and animal habitats. Observe behaviors and see creatures you may have previously missed. Learn more about the local ecosystem and take a closer look on your next scuba diving adventure.

Fish Identification (eLearning not available)

A question we get all the time on our boat after diving is “What was that fish?” Dives are so much more fun when you know what you’re looking at. With the PADI Fish Identification Specialty course you can learn to recognize the creatures that you see by identifying the main fish families and their characteristics. If you know what fish family it belongs to, you can narrow down your search to more easily look up the local name. This class helps hone your underwater observations to prepare you for the kinds of details that will make it easier to correctly identify your fish later (Ex: Was the fish alone or in a school? What kind of habitat did you see it in? Was it swimming or settled on the bottom? Etc.) This class is ideal for fish nerds and here in Hawaii we have lots of endemic critters that you’ll only find in the islands.