1.1 INTRODUCTION
This course is designed to give students a greater understanding and experience on how to properly navigate underwater using both natural and compass navigation.
1.2 WHO MAY TEACH
Who may teach this course?
1. An active SDI Instructor that has been certified to teach this specialty.
1.3 STUDENT – INSTRUCTOR RATIO
Academic:
2. Unlimited, so long as adequate facility, supplies and time are provided to insure comprehensive and complete training.
Confined Water (Swimming pool-like conditions):
3. N/A.
Open Water (Ocean, lake, quarry, spring, river or estuary):
4. A maximum of eight (8) students per Instructor. However, it is the instructor’s discretion to reduce this number as conditions dictate.
5. The Instructor has the option of adding two (2) more students with the assistance of an active Assistant Instructor or Divemaster.
6. The total number of students an instructor may have in the water is twelve (12) with the assistance of two (2) Assistant Instructors or Divemasters.
1.4 STUDENT PRE-REQUISITES
7. Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver.
8. Ten (10) years or older.
1.5 COURSE STRUCTURE AND DURATION
Open Water execution:
9. Two (2) dives are required with complete briefs and debriefs by the Instructor.
10. Dive plan must include Surface interval, Max no-deco time, etc. to be figured out and logged.
Course Structure:
11. SDI allows instructors to structure courses according to the number of students participating and their skill level.
1.6 ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
Administrative Tasks:
12. Collect the course fees from all the students.
13. Ensure that the students have the required equipment.
14. Communicate the schedule to the students.
15. Have the students complete the Liability Release and Medical history forms.
16. The Instructor should review the Liability Release and Medical Forms before starting on the course.
Upon successful completion of this specialty the instructor must issue the SDI Underwater Navigation Diver specialty experience card. The Instructor must:
17. Issue one of the following cards:
A SDI Insta-Card.
Use either a SDI diver registration form or a Pre-paid Diver certification form to file for the specialty certification card if a SDI certification card is requested.
Award card and certificate.
1.7 REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
Basic SDI Open Water SCUBA equipment as prescribed earlier in this manual.
1.8 APPROVED OUTLINE
Instructors may use any additional text or materials that they feel help present these topics. The following topics must be covered:
18. The Aquatic Environment
A. Vision.
B. Light.
C. Sound.
D. Tides.
E. Currents.
F. Waves.
G. Surge.
19. Natural Navigation
A. Bottom contours.
B. Depth.
C. Amount of Light.
D. Surge.
E. Currents.
F. Underwater Objects (Rocks, Wrecks, etc.)
20. Compass
A. Types.
B. Analog.
C. Digital.
D. Features
I. Lubber line.
II. Bezel.
III. Luminous dial.
E. Use of compass
I. Out and back.
II. Squares.
III. Triangles.
21. Estimating distance underwater
A. Kick Cycles.
B. Time.
1.9 REQUIRED SKILL PERFORMANCE AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Students are required to successfully complete the following:
22. Open Water – Dive one (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.
23. Open Water – Dive two (2)
A. This dive should be a relaxed practice session. Place objects or use existing underwater formations and set up an underwater course. Let the students try and find all the points based on the direction and distance you give them prior to the start of the dive.
B. Plan dive and decide what the best pattern to use for dive site is.
C. Enter and descend.
D. Run desired dive pattern.
E. Enjoy the sites.
F. Ascend and exit