PADI Specialty Courses
With PADI specialty courses you can expand your diving limits in the direction that interests you most. There are many different PADI specialties, each giving you specific skills that will allow you to go one step further on your dives.
If you are thinking of trying new underwater experiences, a specialty course is what you need. Take a look at our catalog of specialties. You will surely find more than one interesting, such as the specialty of Deep Diving, Enriched Nitrox Air Diver, Night Diving, or Underwater Naturalist.
Some specialties can be done in one day, others in two. There are diving specialties that do not require diving: Nitrox Enriched Air Diver, Emergency Oxygen Provider, Project Aware, Coral Reef Conservation, and Equipment Specialist.
It is also possible to study more than one specialty at the same time. Ask us if this is your case. Finally, it should be noted that certain specialties will depend on weather conditions to be carried out safely, such as, for example, Night Diving (which depends on the tides) or Drift Diving.
Deep Diver
Number of dives = 4
The Deep Diving specialty course is one of the most popular in the PADI catalog. And it is very exciting to overcome our limits and have the opportunity to discover new places underwater. There are many dive sites below 18 meters deep, some of them almost unexplored, since they require a certification that allows us to go down beyond 30 meters. The PADI Deep Diving specialty will allow you to expand your depth limit to 40 meters. Doesn’t that sound exciting?
During the Deep Diving specialty course you will learn:
- Planning of deep dives.
- Control of buoyancy at great depth.
- Techniques and advanced handling of specialized material for deep diving.
- Management of air consumption.
- Identification of gas narcosis and safety in diving.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified PADI Adventure Diver diver or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 15 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Deep Diver Specialty Course.
Cost: 14.000 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Enriched Air Diver - Nitrox - No dives
Number of dives = none
Another of the most demanded PADI specialties. The specialty of Enriched Air Diving provides a series of advantages that are very interesting for any diver. Using nitrox enriched air in your dives instead of normal air, allowing you to considerably and safely lengthen the time of the no-decompression dives. It will also shorten surface nitrogen discharge times, which is ideal if, for example, you plan to do more than 2 dives in the same day.
As part of your learning of the course and at no additional cost, Hidden Depths Diving will organize a visit to the facilities of our compressed air and enriched air supplier in Koh Lanta. Where you will enjoy a master class and have the opportunity to learn concepts that go beyond the syllabus of the Nitrox specialty course.
If you opt for this modality without diving, you can obtain your Enriched Air Diving certification in just one day.
During the Enriched Air Diving specialty course you will learn:
- Planning of dives with enriched air nitrox.
- Exposure of the human body to oxygen under pressure.
- Measurement and analysis of gases from a scuba tank.
- Set your dive computer to nitrox mode.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 15 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty Course.
Cost: 4.000 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Enriched Air Diver - Nitrox - 2 dives
Number of dives = 2
Another of the most demanded PADI specialties. The specialty of Enriched Air Diving provides a series of advantages that are very interesting for any diver. Using nitrox enriched air in your dives instead of normal air, allowing you to considerably and safely lengthen the time of the no-decompression dives. It will also shorten surface nitrogen discharge times, which is ideal if, for example, you plan to do more than 2 dives in the same day.
As part of your learning of the course and at no additional cost, Hidden Depths Diving will organize a visit to the facilities of our compressed air and enriched air supplier in Koh Lanta. Where you will enjoy a master class and have the opportunity to learn concepts that go beyond the syllabus of the Nitrox specialty course.
If you opt for this modality with 2 dives, in addition to obtaining your certification, you will enjoy 2 dives on our boat. Where to put into practice everything learned during the course.
During the Enriched Air Diving specialty course you will learn:
- Planning of dives with enriched air nitrox.
- Exposure of the human body to oxygen under pressure.
- Measurement and analysis of gases from a scuba tank.
- Set your dive computer to nitrox mode.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 15 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty Course.
Cost: 8.200 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Drift Diver
Number of dives = 2
A fun specialty in which you will get to know a different way of diving. In the PADI Drift Diver specialty course you will learn to swim taking advantage of the flow of ocean currents. Saving energy, traveling great distances, and enjoying “gliding” underwater that you will want to experience over and over again.
In the course of Drift Diving specialty, we will teach you to enter a current, swim with it, get the most out of it, communicate with your partner at all times, and how to exit the current at the right point. Diving in currents is a very rewarding experience!
During the Drift Diver specialty course you will learn:
- General knowledge about ocean currents, their formation, and their effects.
- Planning of dives in currents; inputs and outputs.
- Specific skills of current diving.
- Specific use of the equipment in streams; floats, ropes, and reels.
- Control of buoyancy in currents.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 12 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Drift Diver Specialty Course.
Cost: 6.500 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Number of dives = 2
Our favorite diving specialty! A good command of buoyancy is what makes the difference between a diver and a great diver. A good domain of buoyancy has so many advantages that we could dedicate an entire section to you on the web just to talk about it.
When you master your buoyancy, you consume less air. You move effortlessly, you acquire a better posture, you are more hydrodynamic, and you manage to float to the desired height without the need for correction. This translates to far less movement, less air wasted on buoyancy corrections, and you are much more relaxed throughout the dive. All these factors significantly affect your gas consumption, which will be significantly better, and therefore, you will enjoy longer dives.
We recommend the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course to all divers, but especially those whose air intake is not very good. Well, once the course is completed, you will notice how your immersion times will progressively lengthen.
During the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty course you will learn:
- To be properly weighted and distribute the ballast for optimal posture.
- Advanced and precise control of buoyancy.
- Neutral buoyancy in any position.
- Theory of buoyancy; Physics, weights, and adjustments.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 10 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty Course.
Cost: 6.500 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Night Diver
Number of dives = 3
No matter how many times you have dived at the same point, if you visit it at night, it will seem like a totally new place. The Night Diving specialty is perfect for the most intrepid divers, those who want to raise the level of their adventure dives.
Diving at night is a fascinating experience: many factors change when we dive in the dark; The animals that we are used to seeing during the day, retreat to make way for the nocturnal creatures of the underwater world. It changes our way of diving, adapting to the conditions of limited visibility, communicating differently with our dive buddies since we carry a flashlight in one of our hands.
At night it is common to see, above all, predators. In the vicinity of Koh Lanta, it is common to come across various octopus species, squid, rays of all kinds, lionfish lurking on the reef, and other creatures.
Koh Lanta is a privileged place to observe one of the most fascinating phenomena that can take place during a night dive; The luminescent plankton. Small invertebrates that float with currents and expel a small light charge into the water when threatened. These creatures cause that, sometimes, we are surrounded by an aura of intense blue light that we can appreciate, especially when we move our fins.
During the PADI Night Diver Specialty course you will learn:
- Planning a night dive.
- Night underwater orientation.
- Use of the flashlight and specific forms of communication.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 12 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Night Diver Specialty Course.
Cost: 7.500 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Underwater Photography
Number of dives = 2
If you are passionate about photography and want to immortalize your dives with stunning photos, the PADI Digital Photographer Specialty course is perfect for you. You will learn professional underwater photography techniques, the SEA technique (Take a picture, Examine it, Adjust for the next shot), and many other skills that will make you a great photographer.
You will put all the acquired knowledge into practice, during 2 dives in one of the dive sites of Koh Lanta or Koh Phi Phi.
Koh Lanta is the best possible setting to get started in the world of underwater photography. The health of its reefs is excellent, its clear and calm waters will provide you with the stability you need to shoot, the macro life is very abundant, and you will have the possibility of photographing the giants of the sea, such as mantas oceanic and whale sharks. What a start as a photographer!
During the PADI Digital Underwater Photographer specialty course you will learn:
- The PADI SEA system (Take Out, Examine, Adjust).
- Knowledge of photographic equipment and which one to choose.
- Stability techniques and underwater photography.
- Photographic composition and framing.
** The price reflected below DOES NOT INCLUDE THE RENTAL OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT. The student must bring their underwater photography equipment. If you do not have your own equipment, it is necessary to rent complete underwater photography equipment. Hidden Depths Diving can arrange the rental of such equipment if the course is prepared well in advance.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 10 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Underwater Photography Specialty Course.
Cost: 7.500 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Underwater Naturalist
Number of dives = 2
As lovers of nature, conservation of ecosystems, and winners of the prestigious PADI Green Star Award, the Underwater Naturalist Specialty course is one of our favorite courses. We will be happy to teach you all the secrets and relationships between species that exist in underwater ecosystems.
Once you have completed the Underwater Naturalist specialty, you will see the dive sites with different eyes. Because you will have much more information about the underwater ecosystems and the species that live in them are like, and how they work. You will know how to identify species, will understand habitats much better, and you will identify behaviors in marine life that until now went unnoticed.
During the PADI Underwater Naturalist specialty course you will learn:
- The main differences between the marine world and the terrestrial one.
- The different groups of aquatic life within an ecosystem.
- The relationships between different species within the same habitat.
- Principles of sustainability, ecology, and conservation of the underwater world.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 10 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty Course.
Cost: 6.500 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Search and Recovery Diver
Number of dives = 4
If you’ve been diving for a while, surely it has happened to you, or someone close to you; The loss of an object in the water. It is quite common for someone to lose something while diving, or spending time on a boat or dock. Some of these belongings are quite expensive, such as components of diving equipment, or a wedding ring.
There are several search techniques and patterns to locate these objects, depending on their weight, size, and the conditions of the environment in which the object has been lost. With the PADI Search and Recovery Diver specialty course, you will be ready to jump into action and participate in the search for the lost object. Search and recovery is a super rewarding activity, plus you can do your good deed for the day.
During the PADI Search and Recovery Diver specialty course you will learn:
- Plan the search and recovery of lost objects.
- Different search patterns depending on the situation.
- Swim oriented with the compass and with the natural elements of the environment.
- Use of the lift balloon to retrieve heavy objects.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver, or equivalent certification from another dive organization. Open Water Diver (or PADI Junior OW) certified divers who are PADI Underwater Navigator certified can also take this course.
- Minimum age: 10 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Search and Recovery Diver Specialty Course.
Cost: 11.200 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
Number of dives = 3
Improve your orientation and navigation skills with the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty Course. Learn to use the compass in an advanced way, and orient yourself underwater with precision.
Enjoy 3 dives in which you can test all your orientation skills underwater. Design maps, set routes, and overcome a series of fun underwater orienteering challenges.
After completing this course, you will be a leader in dives. The diver that everyone wants to follow because he always knows where he is, where he wants to go, and how to return safely.
During the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty course you will learn:
- Navigation and advanced orientation with compass.
- Techniques for calculating distances underwater.
- Mapping underwater maps during a dive.
- Identification and marking of places or objects from the surface.
Prerequisites
- Previous qualification: Be a certified diver as a PADI Open Water Diver, PADI Junior Open Water, or equivalent certification from another diving organization.
- Minimum age: 10 years-old.
- Medical form: You must complete a medical form and be fit for diving.
Check the PADI website for further information about the PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty Course.
Cost: 6.500 THB
Book your course online
Book your course online at least one week in advance and get a 10% discount!
A different way lo learn scuba diving
We believe in a personalized way of teaching. Diving is our passion, and we put all our love and energies into teaching you to dive in the best possible way. Unhurried, at your own pace, taking as much time as needed to make you become a great diver. To make this possible, our groups are small, generally between 2 and 4 students per instructor, so that you can receive the attention you deserve. Always placing extra emphasis on conservation, respect for the environment, and safety in diving.
All this with a relaxed and professional atmosphere. Come and meet us, we have the best atmosphere to get any PADI scuba diving license in Koh Lanta. You will love it!
Included in the PADI Specialty Course price:
The price of the PADI Specialties Courses includes all the PADI materials and the dives necessary to complete the courses, transportation services from your accommodation to and from the dives, breakfast, lunch, and all food and drinks served on the boat, rental of the complete diving equipment (Specialty items not included, for example; Underwater camera for Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty Course), and the services of a PADI professional.
Not Included in the price:
If a specialty requires extra material that does not belong to the basic diving equipment, the client must provide it or rent it to take the course. Like, for example, the underwater camera if you want to study the specialty of Underwater Photography.
There is a fee of 600 Baht per person per day that the Thai government charges for diving within the National Parks. This supplement has to be paid to dive at any of the dive sites on Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi and is not reflected in the prices of the dive day or the courses, as it is a rate totally unrelated to the dive center. Hidden Depths Diving is a mere intermediary that is facilitating and organizing the collection of money and delivering it daily to the authorities of the corresponding marine park.
Medical requirements for scuba diving
It is mandatory to pass a simple medical questionnaire before taking any PADI diving course. It is a simple questionnaire on different pathologies in which it is supposed that you answer “no” to all the questions to be eligible and start the diving course.
In case you answer “yes” to any of the questions, it does not mean at all that you are not suitable to dive, it simply means that you need to consult a qualified doctor and that he/she certifies in writing that you are suitable for diving.
You can bring this certificate with you, or we can do it in Koh Lanta for an approximate price of 600 Baht. If you want, we can help you manage the reservation with the doctor, and it will not take you more than 10 minutes to have your certificate.
If you want to go ahead, or want to take a look at the medical form, here are the links to the PADI medical form in the main languages: English – Spanish – French – German – Italian – Chinese (simplified).
Your next challenge
If you are already a Rescue certified diver, you studied 5 PADI specialties, and you have more than 50 dives logged, CONGRATULATIONS! You meet all the necessary requirements to become a Master Scuba Diver, the elite of recreational diving. The maximum level that can be reached, and that only 2% of divers obtain.
Other dive services
In Hidden Depths Diving we firmly believe that an eco-responsible diving model is possible. We strive every day to offer you a different, familiar, environmentally friendly, safe, and fun diving experience. Where you will feel part of a great family of divers who, in addition to enjoying diving, we fight so that future generations can enjoy the same wonders that we dive today.