It’s a rare diver who hasn’t felt the urge to dive deep. Deep diving opens the door to many new exciting dive sites like deeper wrecks, reefs and walls. As a rule, divers tend to be adventurous people, and deep diving – whether to visit a wreck or take photos – can certainly be called adventurous. It’s only natural that like most divers, you have some interest in deep diving. Deep diving is a means to an end. You make a deep dive to see, to do or to experience something that you can’t on a shallower dive. There’s no reason to make a deep dive if you can make essentially the same dive at a shallower depth. Unlike shallower dives, deep dives tend to be short since time and air supply is limited. Therefore, you don’t have a great deal of time to do much so you’ll need to make smart decisions about a dive objective and dive accomplishments. Keep that thought, the focus of this course is on making smart decisions for a stress free, deep diving experience with an emphasis on safety. Thus, the goal of this course is to bring to light the necessary equipment needed to support deep diving activities, to discourage thrill seeker attitudes and encourage the proper deep diving behavior of following appropriate limits, and on a systematic, methodical approach to enjoying deep diving. You will develop the techniques involved in deep diving within recreational limits (between the depths of 60 feet and 130 feet) while avoiding disturbing delicate marine life.

The best way to learn Deep Diving procedures and to apply them is by doing it. This course expands your knowledge about deep dive planning and organization, the basics of deep diving, hazards to avoid, deep diving support equipment, and how to interact responsibly with the aquatic life you will see while deep diving. While taking the course you will apply the knowledge you gain by reading the PADI Deep Diver Manual and watching the companion video by going on at least four open water dives while practicing and demonstrating the practical aspects of deep diving.

This course can be taught stand-alone. However, for those who may reside on the Gulf side of Florida, it may also be advantageous to think about taking it in conjunction with the Boat Diver specialty course. The reason is simple... deep water is relatively hard to find in the Gulf without traveling 20 miles or more offshore. Conversely, Aqua Clara Dive can make arrangements for a weekend trip to South Florida where the boat trips are only a few miles, the visibility conditions most often better and the goals of the dives more enjoyable (e.g., wreck exploration in conjunction with the training dives).  

As is mentioned in the Boat Diver specialty page, Bob Murphy is uniquely qualified to teach the Boat Diver course as a former U.S. commissioned naval officer. He has logged several hundred dives in excess of 60' on numerous South Florida dive sites. In addition, he has in excess of 1,000 dives from commercial dive charter boats in multiple countries around the world.

Click below to inquire about our next Boat Diver class.

"We feel strongly that divers who choose to dive in the 60' to 130' area of the water column should have additional training. It is for two primary reasons, safety and enjoyment. In terms of the former, diving should not be about how deep, how long and how risky you have made your dives. Required techniques should not be acquired via near misses.  Many boastful divers are no longer around to tell their tales. In terms of the latter, some of the most beautiful dives sites you will encounter are on walls and deep reefs."

-- Aqua Clara Dive, 2012