ISLAND DIVERS HAWAII DIVE REPORTS

Kendal Vercoe

Skimmins Reef – Oahu’s Rarely-Visited East Side Drift Dives with Island Divers

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When we get breaks in the winter weather, Island Divers is perfectly positioned minutes away from the doorstep to the long reef wall surrounding Hanauma Bay, which spans from the tip of Portlock Point (sometimes known as “China Walls”) all the way to Lanai Lookout. With Spitting Cave, Sea Cave, Baboon Nose, Palea Point, Skimmins Reef, Marioworld, and Lanai Lookout dive sites all in your back yard and variable winds on the forecast, you know where we’re going…

Schooling Pennant Butterflyfish at Skimmins Reef

scuba diving club members
Matt Zimmerman

2025 Oahu Scuba Diving Club Events

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Scuba Diving Club Events for 2025

The Oahu Scuba Diving Club has been around since 2000, so this will be its 25th year!  While this calendar may change as the year goes on, you may want to bookmark this page:  Club Event Booking Calendar  The events that are being added to the calendar as we speak are listed on this page.  Here is what the scuba diving club calendar looks like right now:

 

planned Scuba Diving Club 2025 events

January 1 – New Year 3 Tank Dive

January 11 – Club Whale Watch 

January 12 –  China Wall Clean Up drift dive (all of these dive in partnership with Ocean Defenders Alliance)

January 19 – 3 Tank Club Dive

January 25 – Molokai 3 tanker

 

Febuary 1 –  Club 2 Tank dive

February 8 –  Club Whale Watch

February 9 –  China Wall Clean Up drift dive

February 16 – 3 Tank Club Dive 

February 22 –  Pool try dive

 

March 1 – Club 2 Tank Night Dive (Night Specialty)

March 8-9 – Stress & Rescue, React Right

March 9 – Nagaoka Fireworks, Sunset & Whale Watch

March 16 –  Club 3 Tank 

March 16 –  China Wall Clean Up drift dive

March 29 – Club 2 Tank Dive

 

April 6 – Molokai Trip

April 13 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

April 19 – Easter Egg Hunt

April 26 – 2 Tank Double Drift (Drift Diver Specialty)

 

May 3 – 1 Tank Beer fridge night dive $10 and a 12 pack

May 11 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

May 18 – Triple Deep (Deep Specialty)

May 26 –  Memorial Day Wreckspedition 4 Tank

May 31 –  Club 2 Tank

 

June 8 – Club 3 Tank Dive

June 15 – Fathers Day 3 Tank – Fathers Dive Free with Paid Club Member.

June 22 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

June 28-29 – Stress & Rescue, React Right

 

July 4 – Fireworks Cruise BYOB

July 12 – Club 2 Tank 

July 19 –  Womans Dive Day $49 One Tank Barge Dive – Bring a Non Cert Friend Same Price

July 20 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

July 27 – Club 3 Tank

 

August 2 – Club 2 Tank Dive

August 9 – Club Full Moon 2 Tank Night Dive

August 10 – OChina Wall Clean Up drift dive

August 17 – Club 3 Tank Dive

August 24 – Sharks Cove Club Dive

 

September 1 – Labor Day Club 3 Tank – Rabbit Island

September 7 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

September 13 – Club 2 Tank

September 21 – Molokai 3 Tank

September 28 – Club 3 Tank

 

October 4 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

October 11 – Club 2 Tank Dive

October 19 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

October 25 – Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest

October 26 – Club 1 Tank Haunted Wreck Twilight Dive

 

November 2 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

November 10 – Veterans Dive @ Club Rate

November 15 – Club 1 tank Night Dive

November 27 – Turkey Fry

 

December 6 – Club 2 Tank Dive

December 7 – China Wall Clean Up drift dive

December 14 – Wreckspedition 4 Tank

December 25 – Christmas 3 Tank Dive @ 11am

Makaha lava tubes inside caverns
Matt Zimmerman

Get the local newsletter if you are local!

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Sign up for the local newsletter

The local newsletter goes by default to people we certify.  If you would like to get more frequent updates about local events, use the Local Events checkbox.  Signing up for the email without the local events will get you less frequent emails, but you will still hear about international scuba trips and major shop updates.

Use this form

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Local Events

Some pics of the Mahi wreck from June 2024

The Mahi wreck images above were taken on a club dive on June 29th 2024.  They are typical of the images collected from the kind of local events you would be notified of if you signed up for the local newsletter.

school of horse eye jack on the raja Ampat Trip with Island Divers
Matt Zimmerman

Video from the February 2024 Island Divers trip to Raja Ampat

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Video from Raja Ampat

February 2024 with Island Divers

Please enjoy this video made with pictures and videos our travel group took while on the Raja Ampat dive trip aboard the Damai liveaboard.

Link to the 2026 trip, booking now!

Link to all upcoming trips.

Full link details on that trip and more pics.

Bespoke scuba lesson client diving at fantasy reef in Oahu Hawaii
Matt Zimmerman

Bespoke Scuba Lessons

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Bespoke Scuba Lessons

If you are looking for normal semi private 2 day scuba lesson, this is not the right page.  Go here.

Bespoke scuba lessons are available for anyone willing to invest in their new hobby by purchasing equipment.  However, if you have not yet done your first dive, the process will begin with a pool session and an open-water dive.  Executive-level private try dive instruction is $500.  Further training costs are reduced by this amount.

the kinds of people bespoke scuba diving lessons graduates meetCost of Bespoke Scuba Lessons

$1500 plus $750 per extra person in your private group.  Too much? Follow this link for no-purchase training starting at $595.  Bespoke lessons with 5 boat charters and private training are actually less expensive than retail. You are leveraging your equipment purchase with us.

Each client will purchase, at MSRP, a full set of scuba equipment with a minimum value of $3000.  This is not hard to achieve with a quality equipment purchase.  You will be advised in that purchase by your private instructor who will guide your purchases to fit the kind of diver you intend to be.  All set up of the equipment, and training in its use will be an integral part of your growth as a diver.  Scubapro, Aqualung, Oceanic, Mares, and Garmin, are some of the brands we deal with.

What is included in bespoke scuba lessons?

  • all private instruction
  • as much pool time as needed – your pool or ours
  • training in the use of YOUR new equipment
  • up to 5 boat charters – 10 dives (only 2 charters are required, the rest is our investment in your development)
  • Nitrox training (every diver should have this)

Who will be my private scuba instructor?

You may choose your staff member if you have met someone you admire.  Otherwise, our general manager will speak with you about your needs and we will assign one of our most experienced instructors.  Of course, you may change instructors if you wish.  It does not escape our notice that clients that are requesting this service are excellent customers, we will put you with our best, and OUR best are pretty awesome because they are all great.  If you would like to be trained by the owner, Dr. Matthew Zimmerman, it will need to be coordinated with the international dive trip schedule.

What will the schedule look like?

That is really up to you withing the constraints of the requirements.  Your private instructor is a working professional so you will need to be respectful of their time and not cancel last minute on them (reasonable emergencies excepted), but basically, you can decide on the schedule. Once and instructor is assigned and you have an idea of time required, the two of you can make a bespoke schedule.

You will have your private instructor on the water with you on regularly scheduled boat charters.  Private charters would incur an additional cost ($500 off the $1700 normal rate).  Equipment setup can occur in your home or at the shop (the shop would be better equipped to deal with any adjustments, it is also stocked with accessories you may find that you need/want).  The pool is yours or ours, whenever is convenient for you.  Your instructor is available for up to 5 2 tank boat charters and unlimited pool time.  Boats depart twice daily 7 days a week, so scheduling those is not an issue.

What certifications will I earn with bespoke scuba lessons?

Lifetime Open Water Certification is the primary certification you will earn.  If you have that already we will advance your ratings from where you are currently.

You will also earn a Nitrox certification.  Next, we will be spending a lot of time on buoyancy control. Enough to earn the Perfect Buoyancy rating as well.  Part of the dive education you will receive includes the difference between the two types of Advanced ratings. You will earn one or be on the way to the other, your choice.  Earn additional ratings at a small cost.

What’s next?

Many people come to us with a trip somewhere already booked and they want to dive when they get there.  Bespoke scuba lessons training will prepare you for that.

If you want personalized travel advice related to scuba diving we will put you in touch with the owner, Matthew Zimmerman, who runs the international dive travel program.  You can just get advice on where to go, or you can join a group trip.

Get started!

Send an email to info@islanddivershawaii.com and mention you are interested in bespoke scuba lessons.  That will start the private instruction and guided equipment purchase process.

 

 

Matt Zimmerman

Why Nitrox on Shallow Dives?

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Why Nitrox on shallow dives?

A deep dive (pun intended) into the physics of nitrogen as a breathing gas and you will find a co efficient that measures the narcotic effect of the gas. How does this relate to the use of nitrox on shallow dives? What I do remember from my days as a younger open circuit technical diver hungry for information was clearly cemented in my mind by the example of nitrous oxide. That gas has a high coefficient that has measurable effects at normal atmospheric pressures. This piece of information made nitrogen narcosis, something I had never experienced, more real to me.

nitrox on shallow divesRegardless of whether you feel it or not, your body and brain is being effected by nitrogen the deeper you go. That’s just straight physics and not really an arguable point.  The body responds to a gas according to its partial pressure at the depth you are diving, not as the percentage in the original mix.  This explains why oxygen can become toxic when you go deep enough. Even though 100% oxygen at the surface is just fine. It also explains why the use of nitrox on shallow dives results in less nitrogen in the body.

Take Home Message about Diving Nitrox

Take home message: less nitrogen in your gas mix, i.e. nitrox, means less nitrogen goes into your body compared to the same dive on air.

So, if money is not a constraint, why not reduce the amount of nitrogen partial pressure you experience while going diving? Even if it is just a shallow dive? Some people report decreased fatigue after diving nitrox, some don’t.  But everyone that dives nitrox vs air on the same profile is putting less nitrogen into their tissues. I can tell the difference post dive in how I feel, not everyone reports that. That is pretty subjective. However, on the same dive profile, what is not subjective is that the nitrox diver put less nitrogen into their tissues that someone who dove air.

For information on a Nitrox course click here.  Only $125 (as of 5/22/2021)  and eLearning is completed prior to or after you nitrox diving experience.

2021 Master Diver Challege
Matt Zimmerman

2021 Master Diver Challenge

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The 2021 Master Diver Challenge

SSI has updated their 2021 Master Diver Challenge program and now there are three prizes to win in 2021.  One each for Master Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver and Specialty Diver.  This is an awesome opportunity to win free trips around the world just for doing the dives and courses you already want to do this year!  At our shops there are group courses planned every weekend and we can organize a scuba certification course for you at any time added onto our daily boat charters. You can qualify for a Specialty Diver rating with only one charter if you have 12 logged dives. This program is truly for everyone.

How to earn the free certifications

SSI - Scuba Schools International - my.divessi.com - Register Now

In the SSI system Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver and Master Diver are all free ratings. You get there by booking specialty courses and logging dives in your MySSI App.  You can click on the picture here to get the free app and start a variety of free programs right away.  Enter to win these prize by earing these FREE certifications:

  • Specialty Diver
    • 12 logged dives
    • 2 specialty certifications
  • Advanced Open Water
    • 24 logged dives
    • 4 specialty certifications
  • Master Diver
    • 50 logged dives
    • 5 specialty certification one of which much be Stress and Rescue

The 2021 Grand Prize for Master Diver2021 Master Diver Challenge Grand Prize

group photo from 2007 Egypt dive tripThe Grand Prize is a liveaboard trip for 2 people to the Red Sea on an Aggressor liveaboard.  Can be completed anytime in 2022.  The prize has a value of $5400.  That is pretty amazing.  Island Divers did a liveaboard trip to the Red Sea in 2007.  The diving was fantastic and we added on a week to go explore the antiquities of Egypt.  We used another operator but I know that Aggressor can arrange this extra week as well.  It was a combination of the upper Nile temples and tombs and Cairo for the pyramids.  The upper Nile was our favorite.  Karnak temple being the highlight in our opinion.

 

Here is a high quality link Red Sea Master Diver Challenge for 2021 to the prize description.

 

 

2021 prize for earning Advanced Open Water2021 Master Diver Challenge Prize for Advanced Open Water

The prize for earning you Advanced Open Water in 2021 is a single space at the Blue Angel dive resort in Cozumel.  It is based on dbl occupancy, so you’ll need to bring a buddy or pay for a single supplement, but it is still a great prize.  Island Divers Hawaii Dive Travel plans a trip here every couple of years.  Here is a past example.

2021 Master Diver Challenge Prize for Specialty Diver

2021 prize for earning Specialty Diver

The prize for earning your Specialty Diver rating is 4 days of diving and 5 nights hotel at the Looe Key Reef Resort in Florida.  Also based on double occupancy.  What is great about this prize is that almost everyone can enter to win.  Without even coming to Hawaii you could book a Nitrox Course and a Marine Ecology course, have logged at least 12 dives, and SSI will issue you a free Specialty Diver rating and automatically enter you to win.  That is pretty amazing.  We can set this courses up for you at anytime, from anywhere, just give us a call.

I love it, how can I get started?

Easy.  Keep logging your dives in the free MySSI app.  SSI regularly updates your profile with courses and dives and automatically applies your free earned ratings and enters you to win.  Prizes are awarded in January of 2022 after everyone that earned the rating that year is entered.  So all you need to do is start earning those specialty certifications.  If you are visiting Oahu and booking dives with us, the easiest to add on is Nitrox for $125.  That is the world’s most popular specialty and a good one to have.  Nitrox does not require dives, so you can actually do it remotely. However, most people want to dive the gas during the course.  Another easy way is to add on a fully online Ecology course, like the Marine Ecology course we have planned for March 20th.   For dive club members, probably the best way is to join one of are Group Continuing Education courses that happen all year long on weekends.


 

 

Marine debris rapid response team
Matt Zimmerman

Marine Debris Rapid Response Team

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Marine Debris Rapid Response Team makes its debut

Marine debris rapid response teamOceans Defenders Alliance (ODA) and Island Divers Hawaii have teamed up to form the Rapid Response team.  These partners, while a team of dedicated volunteers, have been doing cleanups in Maunalua Bay since 2017.  The Rapid Response team is new.  The idea comes from the occasional drifting net that is observed during the daily Island Divers boat charters. These things are marine life killers.  We are removing them!

How it works

Basically, Island Divers (or anyone really), reports a new to team leaders Ken Staples or Glenn Roberts and Island Divers finds a captain for one of our dive boats.  The time frame is short as these babies are often time on the move.  Ken and Glenn make some calls to organize a group of volunteers and the boat gets underway.  Ocean Defenders Alliance and Island Divers Hawaii team up to defray the boat operating costs.  Thank you ODA financial supporters!

Recovering the ghost net in Maunalua Bay

ghost net in Maunalua BayIn this case the net was spotted on the morning charter from Island Divers.  Bonus, it was snagged on the bottom so we were fairly confident that it would be there at the end of the day.  Captain Tim grabbed the GPS coordinates and put the team into action.  It being a holiday week and it being the first time, there were limited folks available, but the net wasn’t too huge for a small team.  The boat was ready to go just before sunset and the divers were equipped to dive at night.  That ended up being a good thing as it definitely ended up being at least part night dive.  Here is a link to the rapid response team entering the water and seeing the underwater portion of the debris for the first time.

By the time the net was recovered it was fully dark and the boat made it way back in. Island Divers Hawaii has made some initial contacts with state representatives regarding disposal of the nets.  There is rumor of a grad student that is actually studying them.  Hope to get that contact soon.  Reaching out at 4:30pm on a holiday week didn’t work to well this time.

All in all it was a successful outing.

Monthly marine debris cleanups

Want to get involved?  We have been doing monthly single dive cleanups along the popular fishing spots along the Portlock wall since 2017.  These are somewhat challenging dives as they involve drift diving in currents from the boat, handling of lead weights that effect buoyancy, and using lift bags to float debris.  Lead fishing weight, abandoned fishing line, and some trash is the usual haul.  To participate, you need a rescue diver certification from a recognized training agency and we ask for a $10 donation to Ocean Defenders Alliance (the majority of cost is covered by major ODA donors).  Check here for the schedule.

 

Matt Zimmerman

Oahu Scuba Diving – Baby Barge and Turtle Canyons Drift Dive

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Oahu Scuba Diving drift diving the Baby Barge and Turtle Canyons

In this post COVID-19 world Oahu Scuba Diving goes on.  Today I had some friends from Texas join us for their first of 4 days of diving.  Their story about getting here was good to hear.  They had filled out there “hawaii safe travels” Hawaii travels form prior to getting on the plane and got their negative covid test results.  Once they got to Oahu Hawaii they showed their QR codes on the app and were delayed only 5 minutes at the airport.  It is good to hear that visiting Hawaii isn’t that hard.  So this Oahu Scuba Diving is for them and our other guests, but it for the rest of you too.  Because we are open and doing some awesome Oahu Scuba Diving!

Starting the Day

We showed up at the shop for the advanced wreck and drift dive about 7:15am, a bit early as Terry and Cody needed to size rental gear for the boat charter.  After getting on board captain Tim and crew gave us our boat diving safety briefing and we got underway at 8am.  The day started out pretty dang cool, we got a light rain and a double rainbow coming out from under the bridge.  The wind was pretty standard for Hawaii, about 10-15 knots out of the NE, with swells about 1-3ft.  After a brief discussion on what Oahu scuba diving sites people were interested in, we decided to go for the Baby Barge dive site, as it is one of the shallower wrecks so you get a little more bottom time.  After a dive briefing in route and then about a 25 minute boat ride to the Baby Barge we were ready to dive.  Didn’t spot any whales yet, even though we are moving into whale season.

 

 

The Baby Barge

baby barge bowbaby barge sternThe Baby Barge is one of the smaller barges that was sunk in the 80’s for an artificial reef.   It has definitely come apart over the last 20 years, but it lies along a really nice reef ledge, so it is a great dive site.  After a current check Kevin, instructor of the day, told us that the current was moving toward the new barge.  Since we had only 5 guests and 3 instructors on board (2 fun diving) we decided to split up into small groups and do the first dive as a drift dive as well, in the direction of the New Barge.  Our group ended up a little low on air, so we didn’t hit the New Barge but hung a right and drifted over rock piles.  Rock piles isn’t found on the dive site list as there is no mooring there, but basically it is a large collection of Z blocks made of concrete that were also sunk as artificial reef.  We had a great dive.  Visibility was about 100ft.  We had an epic turtle encounter right up close and covered a lot of area.  We also passed by the memorial stone for Larry Hogan, who passed away in his bed some years back.

Right at the end of the dive while we were doing the safety stop we got to watch a Hawaiian stingray go by underneath us.  Now this is not a big deal in the rest of the world, but the Hawaiian on is rare and we don’t see them very often.  This was a small one and sometimes they get huge, like 5′ across huge.  hawaiian stingray

Drifting Turtle Canyons

Both groups surfaced at the same time after the Baby Barge drift and there was a delay picking up the first group (my reel unspooled), so a couple people were feeling it a bit by the time they got picked up.  We headed to Turtle Canyons which is a highly under rated drift dive in my opinion.  With 30′ average depth you get great bottom time. It is protected from the wind from the most part so it is not too choppy there as well.  Viz was probably only 50′ here, but we saw some great sea life.  The best part was the 67 minute bottom time.  Cody found an octopus too, but it was shy and we really did not get any good pics.

A big thank you

Thank you to everyone that is coming out diving with us these days.  We understand the getting to Hawaii can be a bit more complicated that it used to be, so it means even more when you choose to dive with us.  And thank you to Terry and Cody, who got the owner in the water for the first time since the Palau Trip in January!  It is good to get wet and remember why we do it!  Here’s to a better 2021!

 

Matt Zimmerman

How the SSI Master Diver program works

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How to achieve the Master Diver rating with SSISSI Master Diver challenge details

As Island Divers Hawaii shifts its training focus from PADI courses to SSI, one common questions is how does this affect my progress towards the Master Diver rating.  SSI calls this rating Master Diver and PADI calls it Master Scuba Diver.  They are very similar ratings.  However, the SSI rating has some pretty large advantages..

To achieve the Master Diver rating with SSI you need to

  • Log 50 dives
    • These dives need to be logged in the MySSI app.  Since not all divers are habitual dive loggers, this is the minor disadvantage mentioned earlier.  If you have been logging elsewhere, there is a shortcut that a dive center can help you with.  As an SSI dive center, we can access your SSI diver profile and manually change the number of logged dives in the system for you.  We’d are happy to do this for our divers that have logged dives elsewhere.
  • Complete the Stress and Rescue specialty
    • SSI treats the Rescue course as a specialty course.  There is no need to achieve the Advanced Open Water rating prior to starting the course.
    • A prerequisite for stress and rescue is React Right or an equivalent CPR First Aid certification
  • Complete 4 more Specialty courses
    • There is an extensive list of specialty courses available.  Interestingly with the SSI program, none of them have to be specialty courses that include diving.  Meaning that a diver that is interested in pursuing the Master Diver certification with SSI can complete many of the course requirements from the comfort of their home.  This includes Nitrox
    • We recommend that one of these specialty certifications be the online nitrox course.  Nitrox certification allows you to dive nitrox.  While all the specialty certifications are going to expand your knowledge base, there are only a few that are required for a certain type of diving.  Diving with nitrox is one of those that will require certification.
    • Currently, almost all our specialty courses are $125 without dives.  So, for ecology programs and the like that do not require diving, that is the final cost.  Most other specialties can be completed with one set of boat dives.  Again, if you are reading this from somewhere with no local diving, you can complete your online learning in advance and just schedule your dives when you are able to come to Hawaii.

Once these are completed, SSI will automatically recognize you with the Master Diver rating.  Meaning, once your instructor certifies your last specialty in the SSI system and you have 50 dives you will be automatically awarded the Master Diver Rating.  There is no $50+ application fee.  The fee that PADI charges for this is one of the reasons we believe the SSI system is better.

It is worth noting that along the way to Master Diver in the SSI system, you will also get the Level II Specialty Diver* rating and teh Level III Advanced Open Water Diver** rating for free.  Achieving each of these ratings is automatic upon getting the specialities and logging the dives and you also get entered to win dive trip prizes.

*12 dives logged and 2 Specialties  ** 24 dives logged and 4 Specialties

What do you get with the SSI Master Diver rating?

Entry into a yearly drawing for a liveaboard dive trip for 2 people.  Each year SSI takes all the people that achieved the SSI Master Diver rating and puts them into a drawing.  In early 2020 the winner for the 2019 Master Diver Challenge was announced.  Nate Kilgore is the lucky winner in the picture on the right.  He won a liveaboard trip for two on the Belize Aggressor.  In 2020 the winner will got a liveaboard trip for 2 on a liveaboard trip to Honduras.  Here are the 2021 prizes.

Master Diver rating is Level 4 diver in the SSI recognition path, Level 5 diver is the next recognition level with 100 dives.  The SSI Master Diver level is primarily a personal achievement.  It is also the goal of our dive centers to encourage people to shoot for this goal.  We have been doing this a long time.  Many people come out of their certification course and just stall, not sure what to do next.  We like Master Diver as a goal because it includes training that is going to help you be a better diver and be able to better assist dive buddies (Stress and Rescue).  Also, if you make the 50 dives logged goal you really gone from being certified to being a true diver.  For many of us that work here, this has been our primary hobby and source of friends and adventures for years.  It is a worthwhile goal.

If I’m currently holding PADI certifications, how can I switch?

SSI is pretty generous in this regard.  Your initial certification can be with ANY training agency.  SSI lets you count any two specialty courses with any other training agency towards the Master Diver rating.  Stress and Rescue and 2 other SSI Specialty courses must be part of your profile.

If you have specialty courses from another training agency SSI allows us to verify those certifications in the SSI app.  Let us know if you need this.  We will need photocopies of the card.  Big bonus for doing this is that your card will go into your SSI diver profile and be available for free for life!  Just like all of your SSI cards.

Remember, that as the dive center we call manually adjust your number of dives if you are not yet using the dive log on the MySSI App.