1.1 INTRODUCTION
This course allows the student to experience some of the special considerations of underwater photography, with a discussion of many areas of interest to the photographer.

1.2 WHO MAY TEACH
Who may teach this course?
1. An active SDI Instructor or Assistant 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 Photographer 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
18. Basic SDI Open Water SCUBA equipment as prescribed earlier in this manual.
19. Underwater Camera.

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:
20. Underwater Light
A. Variation of Light under water.
B. Time for best available light photography.
C. Color Correction Filtering for depth.
D. Strobes.
E. Selective color absorption of light.
F. Available Light and Strobe Considerations.
21. Film Considerations
A. Color balance.
B. Grain.
C. Resolving Power.
D. Latitude.
E. Contrast.
F. Color Reversal.
22. Camera Use in Association with SCUBA
A. Types of Cameras
I. Housed style.
II. Integral unit (i.e. Nikonos).
B. Handling of equipment.
23. Photographic Subjects
A. Composition of scene.
B. Use of light enhancement.
C. Subject ease.
24. Care of equipment
A. Salt water care.
B. Fresh water care.
C. Care of the flooded-housed camera.
25. Use of Color Positive films
A. Ease of development (E—6 processing).
B. Mounting.

1.9 required skill performance and graduation requirements
Students are required to successfully complete the following:
26. Open Water – Dive one (1)
A. Local dive site to familiarize the student with the equipment and handling.
B. Composition looked at from a beginning point of view.
27. Open Water – Dive two (2)
A. Choose a dive site to give the student more application with
I. Marine subjects.
II. Additional light considerations.
III. Wide coloring.
B. Stress on safety while within the water environment and attaining good quality subjects.
C. Both still and moving life subjects shown.