PADI Underwater Naturalist

Minimum age: 10 years

Course prerequisites: PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver

What will I do?

You will have one and a half days of intense underwater naturalist training to complete. In our fully equipped multi-media classrooms, you will learn why some creatures behave the way they do and what their role is in the aquatic ecosystem.

You will then put into practice what you learn in a combination of skills during two open water training dives at a local dive site.

During your programme you will cover the following:

• The major aquatic life groupings and their interactions
• Factual information about aquatic life that dispels negative myths
• The role of aquatic plants, food chains and predator/prey relationships
• Responsible interactions with aquatic life
• The underwater naturalist’s view of organisms and their roles in the environment

How do I get started?

Just pick your dates if you can and pay your course fees and you will receive your PADI Underwater Naturalist home study materials. Don’t worry if you can’t commit to a date straight away. There are plenty scheduled throughout the year and you can get started on the home study as soon as you have received your PADI Underwater Naturalist manual.

How long will it take?

The PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty takes place over one weekend. Starting on a Friday evening at 6.30pm, you will review the theory sections from the PADI Underwater Naturalist manual and watch the PADI Underwater Naturalist DVD with your instructor. The Saturday will cover all the practical sessions during two open water training dives.

You can arrange with your instructor to continue to gain experience on the Sunday by using the equipment from the programme to do some more diving before handing it back in on the Sunday afternoon. The extra day's equipment hire is included in the cost of your programme.

What will I need?

The PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty is open to all divers who hold the PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver certification or equivalent.

Once you have booked onto your PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty you will receive your PADI Underwater Naturalist self-study materials to start you on your way. You will need to have your own diving slate and pencil, which can be purchased from the shop when you arrive for your course.

You will need to fill out a self-certification medical statement. If you have any medical conditions that you think may prevent you from scuba diving, please feel free to contact us and we will try to be of assistance.

All the PADI materials and standard scuba equipment needed to complete the programme are included in the cost. You will need to pay for your entry to the open water dive site and any required air fills while away from the centre. This is approximately £20 for each day.

Where can I go from here?

Once you have completed your PADI Naturalist Specialty you can take full advantage of the fantastic aquatic life found around the world. An ideal progression to your training is the PADI Fish Identification Specialty or the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty which will allow you to identify and document your finds.

Once you have completed five PADI specialties, the PADI Rescue Diver course and have 50 logged dives you hold all the prerequisites for the PADI Master Scuba Diver certification. This is the highest non-professional rating in the PADI system of diver education.

Here at Aquasport all our Instructors hold this level of recreational certification. We recommend that every diver takes this route regardless of their further ambitions as we see it as a commitment to education and a real achievement.