Description

Learn to relax and let the current do the work on some of the most effortless, exhilarating dives out there. This course covers how to enter and exit moving water, how to stay with your buddy and group, what to do if you need to leave a current, and how to use signaling and surface marker buoys so boat crews can track you. You’ll also learn to read different types of drift conditions and manage buoyancy and positioning as the water moves you along. Once you’ve got the techniques down, drift diving feels like flying, letting you cover more reef with minimal effort while soaking in the scenery gliding past.

Drift diving allows a diver to travel over a large area without expending much energy. You simply get neutrally buoyant and enjoy the dive as the scenery moves past you. The SDI Drift Diver Course covers the “how-to’s” of drift diving from, how to enter and exit drifts, what to do if you get caught in a drift and wish to get out, how to get out of the drift to observe something special, and much more. The course will also introduce you to the various types of drift currents you may be diving in.

Dives included: 2 open water drift dives.

Prerequisites

• SDI Open Water Scuba Diver or equivalent
• Minimum age 10 (Junior) / 18 (adult)
• Complete a medical statement where relevant

What You Will Learn

• Reading and understanding current conditions
• Entries and exits in moving water
• Staying with buddy and group in a drift
• Using SMBs and signaling for boat tracking
• Buoyancy and positioning while drifting
• Procedures for leaving a current safely

Required Equipment

• Complete open-water scuba kit
• Surface marker buoy and reel
• Whistle/audible and visual signaling devices
• Dive computer and compass

Course Requirements & Standards (SDI)

• Minimum of open-water drift training dives with an SDI Instructor
• Emphasis on group management and surface signaling
• Conducted within recreational limits

After This Course

Pairs well with Boat Diver for current-swept reef and channel diving worldwide.