NAUI Master Scuba Diver Course

NAUI Master Scuba Diver Course

At Deep Exposure we're happy to offer the NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver course in cozy Cozumel. We embrace NAUI's motto; "Dive Safety through Education." The Advanced Scuba Diver class is an excellent opportunity for divers to increase their knowledge and abilities, while gaining experience under the supervision of a NAUI professional. Read on to learn more about this excellent program.

OVERVIEW

The course is a continuing education certification course for divers who wish to increase their understanding and enjoyment of diving. Emphasis is on student participation and practical application of knowledge in open water after a classroom discussion of subjects. This course is an excellent progression toward NAUI Leadership roles. Some subject areas are a review and expansion of material from previous courses. Each subject area is a progression in study not a definitive study in the particular diving activity. However, instructors will specify performance objectives for related course diving activities, for example, during a navigation dive the student will swim a reciprocal course to within 10 feet (3 m) of its origin. The course may be divided and taught in sections with the student’s Diving/Training Log being signed off for each activity until all requirements are met. Upon successful completion of this course, graduates are considered competent to engage in open water diving activities without supervision, provided the diving activities and the areas dived approximate those of training.

PREREQUISITES FOR ENTERING THE COURSE

• Age. Minimum is 15 years.
• Diver Certification. NAUI advanced certification or the equivalent is required. The instructor is to ensure adequate student knowledge and capability before any open water training and shall use skill or other evaluations to do so.
• Equipment. Students shall furnish and be responsible for the care and maintenance of their own diving equipment. The instructor shall initially assist the student in checking all student gear to insure it is adequate and in proper working order.

COURSE POLICIES

• Ratios. Standard ratios apply (see “Policies Applying to All Courses”). If dives are made to depths greater than 80 feet (24 m), the maximum number of students that shall accompany one instructor is four. If one or more active-status assistants are used this maximum may be increased to eight.
• Hours. Academic - 23 hours estimated. This includes classroom sessions and on-site discussions, briefings and debriefings as necessary to prepare for or conclude a dive’s activity in confined or open water.
• Deep Dives. No dives are to require actual stage decompression.
• Open Water Dives. A minimum of eight open water dives is required. A maximum of three dives per day shall be applied toward course requirements. No more than one skin dive may count toward the eight dive minimum.
• Deep Dives. No training dives are to be conducted in excess of 130 feet (40 m). No dives are to require actual stage decompression. However, simulated stage decompression may be added to the ascent of a no-required stop decompression dive. Any simulated decompression time spent deeper than 25 feet (7.6 m) must be included in the actual dive time. The instructor is to accompany students during the first training dive in excess of 60 feet (18 m).
• Projects. Assignment of independent projects outside of classroom may be utilized to enhance the learning of the students.

SKILL REQUIREMENTS

Skill requirements shall be targeted toward the specific activities of the dives conducted and shall be performed at a level significantly higher than that expected of divers at previous levels. The following considerations can be utilized in determining required dives and associated skills: Sites. The greatest possible variety of diving situations shall be used, such as: boat, shore or dock; lake, ocean, quarry, reservoir, or river; surf, or current; weeds, kelp, sand, reef, wreck, rock, mud and so on. Dives. Open water diving activities shall follow as closely as possible after the academic preparation on the subject and include those listed below. The required dive topic areas listed represents five separate dives of the minimum eight required. The remaining three dives shall be planned by choosing from that list, from the electives listed or from interest areas of the class. Dive topics may be combined or repeated to complete the minimum of eight open water dives: Required Dives:

• Emergency procedures and rescue
• Deep/simulated decompression diving
• Limited visibility or night diving
• Underwater navigation
• Search and recovery – light salvage

Elective Dives:

• Skin diving
• Review of basic scuba skills
• Environmental study or survey
• Air consumption (practical application)
• Boat diving
• Shore diving
• Hunting and collecting
• Special interest

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

• Applied Sciences - This area is a review and continuation of the material covered in the NAUI Scuba Diver and Advanced Scuba courses. Included are physics, physiology, medical aspects and fitness. Emphasis must be placed on the applied aspects, so that the diver is able to perform diving skills and tasks involving buoyancy control, pressure changes, air consumption and personal limitations.
• Diving Equipment - this area reviews and expands upon the information presented in the Scuba Diver Course by covering the care of equipment, detailed functioning, specialized gear and applications, plus additional gear to be used in the Master Diver Course. Technical information on scuba mechanics may be included.
• Diving Risks - This is to cover rescue, first aid and emergency procedures as applied to diving in open water. Underwater communications, orientation and navigation, the environment, dive planning and safety measures, including the benefits of emergency oxygen first aid, are also to be covered. First aid is to include the definition, types, cause, prevention, signs, symptoms and care of: shock, wounds, drowning, heart attack, fractures, sunburn, overheating, exposure, hypothermia, lung overpressure injuries, decompression sick-ness and seasickness. Rescue training is to include problem recognition, diver assists, rescues, in-water rescue breathing techniques, transports, carries and an orientation to CPR.
• Diving Environment- This area is to provide the diver with a better understanding and appreciation of both the physical and biological aspects of the environment which affect or en-gage the diver. Coverage is to include: plant and animal identification, relationships, dangers, regulations and uses; conservation, preservation and pollution; water movement and characteristics; shore, bottom and surface conditions; and diving locations.
• Underwater Navigation- This area provides the diver with the skills needed to use a compass and natural aids for orientation in order to: establish relative position, swim in pre-scribed directions for set distances and find particular locations while submerged and at the surface.
• Limited Visibility Diving-This area prepares the diver to function safely and effectively in dirty water or at night. The problems, techniques, skill levels, hazards and safety procedures are to be covered.
• Search and Recovery- This area provides the diver the information and training needed to select an appropriate search pattern and method for a given area and then perform a search using proper techniques. The problems, planning, methods, techniques and equipment are to be covered.
• Light Salvage- This area prepares the diver to recover intermediate-sized objects with limited or basic equipment. Theory, problems, hazards, methods, gear, rigging, calculations and principles involved are to be covered.
• Deep and Simulated Decompression Diving - This area enables the diver to anticipate and prevent problems, utilize concepts, methods, and equipment used in this type of diving. The diver is to acquire a thorough knowledge of the dive tables. Deep diving in this case is defined as any actual or simulated dive made between 60 and 130 feet (18 and 40 m).