SDI Standards and Procedures

Part 3: SDI Specialty Standards

4. Advanced Adventure Diver

4.1 Introduction
The purpose of this course is to give the diver an overview of 5 different
specialties, 2 core, and 3 additional SDI Specialties. The two core specialties
are, SDI Deep and Navigation. One dive, from each of the specialties, may
apply toward a complete specialty certification. Overhead environments
and non-diving specialties are not allowed, and do not count toward the 3
chosen specialties. If one of the elected specialties is computer nitrox, dry
suit, night-limited visibility, full face mask, DPV, search and recovery, and/
or Sidemount, the instructor must hold the corresponding SDI Specialty
Instructor rating. It is recommended for the student to work on advanced
buoyancy during this program, it may even count as one of the five
specialties required to receive the Advanced Adventure Diver rating.

4.2 Who May Teach

Any active SDI Open Water Scuba Diver Instructor

4.3 Student to Instructor Ratio

Academic
1. Unlimited, so long as adequate facility, supplies and time are provided to
ensure comprehensive and complete training of the subject matter
Confined Water (swimming pool-like conditions)
1. N/A
Open Water (ocean, lake, quarry, spring, river or estuary)
1. A maximum of 8 students per instructor; it is the instructor’s discretion
to reduce this number as conditions, or chosen specialty dictate (unless
chosen specialty dictates a lower ratio i.e. for DPV it is 2:1)
2. The instructor has the option of adding 2 more students with the
assistance of an active assistant instructor or divemaster
3. The total number of students an instructor may have in the water is 12
with the assistance of 2 active assistant instructors or divemasters, unless
chosen specialty states lower numbers

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4.4 Student Prerequisites

1. SDI Open Water Scuba Diver, SDI Junior Open Water Scuba Diver, or
equivalent; juniors can only take specialties approved for their age
2. Minimum age 18, 10 with parental consent. Junior students are to train
and dive under the direct supervision of a parent, guardian, or active
dive professional

4.5 Course Structure and Duration

Open Water Execution
1. Five dives are required with complete briefs and debriefs by the
instructor
2. One dive must be deeper than 20 metres / 60 feet but not deeper than 30
metres /100ft; divers between the ages of 10 through 14 cannot exceed 21
metres / 70 feet
3. One dive must be a navigation dive
4. Dive plans must include surface interval, maximum no-decompression
time, etc. to be figured out and logged
5. Each dive will be the first dive of each of the specialties i.e. dive one of
deep course, dive one of navigation course, etc
6. All dives are to be under the direct supervision of an active SDI
Instructor
Course Structure
1. SDI allows instructors to structure courses according to the number of
students participating and their skill level

4.6 Administrative Requirements

Administrative Tasks:
1. Collect the course fees from all the students
2. Ensure that the students have the required equipment
3. Communicate the schedule to the students
4. Have the students complete the:
a. SDI Liability Release and Express Assumption of Risk Form
b. SDI Medical Statement Form
Upon successful completion of this specialty the instructor must:
1. Issue the appropriate SDI certification by submitting the SDI Diver
Registration form to SDI Headquarters or registering the students online
through member’s area of the SDI website.

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4.7 Training Material

Required Material:
1. SDI Advanced Adventure Diver Manual and IQ Review Booklet (or eLearning
course)
2. SDI Advanced Adventure Diver Instructor Guide
Optional Materials:
SDI Advanced Adventure Diver PowerPoint Presentation

4.8 Required Equipment

Basic open water scuba equipment as described in section three of this manual,
and any other equipment that may apply to the chosen specialties

4.9 Approved Outline

The outline that is to be used for this specialty is an abridged version of each of
the 2 core and 3 chosen specialties. The material covered must be an overview
and introduction. This is just an outline and is not intended to be taught in any
particular order.
Deep Diving
1. Diving Tables and Computers
a. History of dive tables and computers
i. No-decompression
ii. Usage of the decompression schedule according to your computer
iii. Safety stops
b. Practical problem solving
2. Specialty equipment for deep dives
a. Cylinders; different sizes
b. Regulators
c. Buoyancy compensator device (BCD)
d. Redundant gas supplies
3. Physics and physiology for deep divers
a. Special considerations for pressures greater than 3 atmospheres (ATA)
i. Air consumption
ii. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) factors
iii. Nitrogen narcosis
iv. Oxygen (O₂) toxicity
v. Decompression sickness

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4. Emergency Procedures for Deep Divers

a. Usage and techniques for safety cylinders
b. Recompression chamber listing for area
5. Review of First Aid
a. Oxygen treatment
b. Treat for shock
Navigation
1. The Aquatic Environment
a. Vision
b. Light
c. Sound
d. Tides
e. Currents
f. Waves
g. Surge
2. Natural Navigation
a. Bottom contours
b. Depth
c. Amount of light
d. Surge
e. Currents
f. Underwater objects; rocks, wrecks, etc
3. Compass
a. Types
i. Analog
ii. Digital
b. Features
i. Lubber line
ii. Bezel
iii. Luminous dial
c. Use of compass
i. Out and back
ii. Squares
iii. Triangles
4. Estimating Distance Underwater
a. Kick cycles
b. Time

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4.10 Required Skill Performance and Graduation

Requirements
Students are required to successfully complete the following:
1. Students must perform the skills listed for dive 1 for each of the 2 core,
and 3 chosen specialties. Specific course outlines for the respective
specialties are listed later in this section of the SDI Standards.
Deep Dive
1. Open Water Dive 1
a. Test and check all equipment, i.e. depth gauges, bottom timers/
watches and computers
b. Familiarization with area
c. Descend to planed depth and do not exceed any pre-planned limits
d. Dive according to plan at a depth limited to 30 metres / 100 feet
for first dive. Divers between the ages of 10 and 14 cannot exceed
21metres / 70 feet
e. Ascend to safety stop
Navigation Dive
1. Open Water Dive 1
a. Skills are generally done with more success if practiced on the
surface from shore. Using the shore or descent line as a starting /
reference point makes keeping track of students easier
b. Plan dive
c. Enter water from boat or shore
d. Practice out and back technique on surface
e. Squares and triangles on surface
f. Perform square on bottom
g. Perform a triangle on the bottom
h. Ascend and exit

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