Description:
Recreational diving is bounded by 18 metres until you have the training and experience to go deeper. The Deep Diver specialty extends that limit to 40 metres (130 feet), but the depth isn't really the point — at any depth past 30 metres you're working with shorter no-stop times, faster gas consumption, the possibility of narcosis, and the need to plan more carefully. The course is about handling all of that, not just being allowed to go further down.
You'll learn how to plan a deep dive within sensible margins, manage your gas supply so you're not running thin during the ascent, recognise narcosis in yourself and a buddy and respond to it, and stay in close contact with your buddy in conditions where small errors compound quickly. Buoyancy control matters more at depth too — the gas in your BCD compresses and expands more noticeably, and a stretched safety stop can feel a lot longer than the same stop at 6 metres.
The course is short on paper: two to four hours of eLearning and two to three days in the water, with the four required dives spread over a minimum of two days. You need to be at least 15 years old and hold a PADI Adventure Diver certification (or equivalent). Good general health is expected, and a recent medical clearance from a physician if anything in your history flags it.
Technical
