Description:
Finding something underwater is harder than people expect. Visibility drops. Bottom contour distorts distances. A reference object you can see clearly from the boat may disappear entirely once you're at depth. The course teaches structured search patterns to handle that. Circle searches for known points of loss. U-pattern and jackstay sweeps for wider areas. Grid searches for systematic coverage. Each pattern suits a different situation, and the course explains when to choose which.
Lift bag work is the other half of the syllabus. A lift bag is an inflatable device that provides controlled positive buoyancy to raise objects from the bottom. Used carelessly, it can run away with the diver attached to it or release the load at the wrong moment. The course covers how to attach the object, how to fill the bag gradually, how to control the ascent, and what to do when something goes wrong — the bag tips and dumps, the load slips, the ascent rate exceeds safe limits.
The course is open to PADI (Junior) Adventure Divers aged 12 and up, or qualifying equivalents that include Underwater Navigation training. Four open-water training dives, completed over a minimum of two days. The eLearning runs 2-4 hours. Each scenario in the water is built around finding and recovering a real object the instructor has planted at the site — a useful drill that translates directly into the skill you'll actually use.
Technical
