When it comes to the knowledge of scuba diving, the Open Water Diver Course is just considered the tip of the iceberg. Once you are a certified diver, you will want to continue learning special diving skills to enhance your experiences. 

If you want the best way to expand your knowledge in scuba, PADI specialty courses are your choice. These courses are more detailed than the core courses as they usually focus on a specific scuba skill such as photography, fish identification or buoyancy.

Top 5 PADI Speciality Courses in 2024

Now, you can take any of these speciality courses easily, as many of them become available with elearning. This option provides a simple way to complete a portion of the course that is related to independent study.

You can also study at your own place using your laptop or mobile device. This in turn helps cut down on the paper product that will be needed for educational materials of the course.

If you are wondering about which speciality course to take first. Here are the top 5 PADI  speciality courses of the year:

• Enriched air diver course (Nitrox).
• Deep diver course.
• Dry suit diver course.
• Peak performance buoyancy course.
• Wreck diver course.

Enriched Air Diver Course (Nitrox)

The enriched air diver course which is also called nitrox is considered in the top of the most popular speciality courses list. Actually, it isn’t a surprise, as scuba diving with nitrox means you can extend the time of your dive and enjoy having shorter surface intervals. 

The air on the surface contains about 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen while the Nitrox mixture contains more oxygen content and less nitrogen

With this quantity of nitrogen, you are almost safe. There is less nitrogen absorption that can happen while diving. If you want to know more, read about the benefits of Nitrox diving from here.

Deep Diver Course

If you are more passionate about the amazing ocean world, more depths below will give you more adventurous trips underwater. The aquatic world changes in depths as a result of the change in temperature, light, pressure and animals and algae that live in these depths.

With the Deep Diver Course, you have a maximum depth of 40 meters/130 feet. During the course, you will learn the right way to manage your gas supply and how you can identify and address narcosis. 

The appropriate training before deep diving is so important. So, ensure to pass this course before diving deep.

Dry Suit Diver Course

The dry suit diver course is one of the great speciality courses that you must take if you want to dive in cold waters. Cold Waters are an environment that is rich in nutrients and full of marine life. 

There are many fantastic dive sites in cold waters that you should try, but you need to learn first about diving in a dry suit to make sure you feel comfortable during the trip. 

With the dry suit, you will feel dry and warm as it uses air to insulate your body and prevent water from entering and contacting your skin. 

In this course, you will learn how to manage the air in the dry suit along with your buoyancy, how to choose a suitable dry suit and how to care for it.

Peak Performance Buoyancy Course

If you set one of your goals to dive more efficiently and effortlessly, the peak performance buoyancy course is the best  PADI speciality course that fits you.

In this course, you will learn how to achieve neutral buoyancy, how to efficiently consume  your Air supply while diving and hovering effortlessly even in horizontal or vertical positions.

The benefit of excellent buoyancy isn’t only improving scuba diving performance and experiences, but it also affects positively on the Dive sites and the Marine fauna because only a little damage occurs on the seafloor or reef.

Wreck Diver Course

Wrecks are considered fantastic dive sites which range from sunken ships and artificial coral reefs to crushed planes. 

The wreck diver course lies in the fifths line in the most popular PADI speciality courses list. It’s regarded as a truly adventurous course , as you will learn the responsible skills that you need to observe wrecks such as

• Exploring inside wrecks.
• Using lines and reels.
• Using special filling techniques.