Specialty Dive Courses

Dive World Austin is thrilled to offer essentially all PADI specialties.

Some of our specialties, such as Enriched Air (Nitrox), are regularly scheduled on our calendar. Others arrive as specialties of the month or as single courses on the calendar.

Give us a call to check on our specialty course offerings. We can make it happen for you!

General Information

Included

Training Materials (e-learning or manual)
Tanks (or Air Fills)
Weights
Instruction & Pool Fees

Not Included

Entrance fee to Open Water Dive locations
Basic scuba equipment: BCD, Regulator, Dive Computer, Wetsuit, Hood, Gloves, or Underwater Photography camera/Kraken Smart Housing.
You can rent anything you need for a course from Dive World Austin.
Personal Dive Gear: Mask, Snorkel, Fins, Dive Boots, Lights, or other unique equipment necessary for dive completion. 10% student discount is available for any necessary gear purchases.

Check out our Specialties

Diving Specialties

Peak Performance Buoyancy

Cost: $225

Excellent buoyancy control is what defines skilled scuba divers. Buoyancy allows divers to glide effortlessly, use less air, ascend, descend, or hover almost as if by thought and easily observe aquatic life without disturbing their surroundings.

This two-dive specialty course can be completed in a single day. We typically will conduct PPB at Spring Lake in San Marcos. Must be at least 10 years old and have (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher.

Underwater Photography
Cost: $250

Contact Us for Course Availability

Underwater photography is one of the most popular diving specialties and with so many underwater cameras to choose from, it has become easier and more fun than ever to capture images of your underwater scuba adventures. The PADI Digital Underwater Photographer course gets you going quickly, whether you use a point-and-shoot camera, a phone housing, or a DSLR with housing.

Complete the academics for this course online prior to meeting with your instructor. Then meet for a quick in-person review followed by pool dive. To finish the course you will do an underwater photo shoot at Spring Lake or Lake Travis with your instructor.

We do have cameras/smart housings available for purchase at a discounted student rate!

Dry Suit Diver

Cost: $250

Contact Us for Course Availability

Want to stay warm and extend your scuba diving season? Then dive dry! A dry suit seals you off from the water and keeps you comfortable, even in surprisingly cold water. There is incredible diving in the world’s cooler regions and in some areas, conditions are even better in colder months. Becoming a dry suit diver allows you to expand your boundaries and dive more places, more often.

This course is taught locally in Lake Travis or Spring Lake in San Marcos. It does not include a dry suit, if you would like to purchase one, we have in-stock dry suits or can measure you for a custom drysuit. You can also rent one for the course for $150 dollars per day. This course is typically taught in a single day, but is sometimes split into two days. Participants must be at least 10 years old and a (Junior) Open Water Diver.

Underwater Navigation

Cost: $250

Contact Us for Course Availability

Be the scuba diver everyone prepared for every dive because you know where you are - and where you’re going! The PADI Underwater Navigator course fine-tunes visual navigation and builds skills and proficiency with your underwater compass. If you like challenges with big rewards, take this course and have fun finding your way.

This course can be conducted over a single day or two days, locally or during a trip. Participants must be at least 10 years old and a (Junior) Open Water Diver.

Underwater Naturalist

Cost: $200

Contact Us for Course Availability

Take the PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty course and you’ll see new things, even on the most familiar scuba diving sites. Why? When knowing more about symbioses, underwater ecology, and aquatic plant and animal habitats, you notice behaviors and see creatures you may have previously missed. Learn more about the local ecosystem and take a closer look on your next scuba diving adventure.

This course is conducted over a single day and is typically taught locally at Spring Lake in San Marcos or during a Trip. Must be at least 10 years old, and (Junior) Open Water Diver.

Diver Propulsion Vehicle

Cost: $200

Contact Us for course availability

DPVs offer a thrilling way for scuba divers to see a lot of underwater territory in a short amount of time. They scoot you through the water allowing you to glide over reefs, buzz around a large wreck, or weave through a kelp forest. Whether making a shore or boat dive, a DPV is a great way to see more and have fun doing it.

Must be at least 12 years old, and (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher.

Night Diver

Cost: $250

The thought of dipping below the surface at night seems mysterious, yet so alluring. At night, drop into a whole new world and watch it come to life under the glow of your dive light. The scene changes as day creatures retire and nocturnal organisms emerge. If you’ve wondered what happens underwater after the sun goes down, sign up for the PADI Night Diver Specialty course.

This course is conducted over two evenings at Lake Travis. We also offer this course on many of our dive trips. Must be at least 12 years old, and (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher.

Search and Recovery

Cost: $250

It happens: People accidentally drop things from docks, off boats, or even while scuba diving. If you’ve ever lost something in Lake Travis and wanted to go find it, then the PADI Search and Recovery Diver Specialty course is for you. Learn effective ways to search for objects underwater. Discover methods to bring up small, large or awkward items. Search and recovery can be challenging, but a whole lot of fun. It also refines a number of other diving skills like navigation and buoyancy.

Dive Against Debris

$200

Make a difference on every dive. Gain the knowledge and skills to activate your inner "citizen scientist" by taking the Dive Against Debris® Specialty. Learn to complete Dive Against Debris surveys under the guidance of a PADI® Professional and help keep your local dive sites healthier by removing trash.

If you’re a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver who is at least 12 years old, you can enroll in the Dive Against Debris Specialty course.

Boat Diver

$325

Much of the world’s best scuba diving is accessible only by boat. Whether you’ve never made a boat dive or you’ve logged dozens, you'll benefit from the PADI Boat Diver Specialty because boats in various parts of the world do things differently.

This course is conducted in a single day and is taught on Lake Travis utilizing The Giant Stride. The course price includes the two-tank boat charter. Must be at least 10 years old, and (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher.

Deep Diver

Cost: $250

You're Open Water Diver certifies you to dive to 60 ft. Advanced Open Water Diver certifies you to dive to 100 ft. Take the Deep Diver specialty to be certified to dive to 130 ft, the limit for recreational diving. Learn about the physicological effects of deeper diving to enable you to dive deep while staying safe and within your recreational dive training limits. Must be at least 15 years of age and Advanced Open Water certified.

Non-Diving Specialties

Enriched Air-Nitrox

Cost: $225

Our Nitrox Course is so popular, it gets its own page.

Equipment Specialist

Cost: $200

Don’t miss a dive due to minor issues with your scuba diving equipment. Whether it's a missing o-ring, wetsuit tear, or a broken fin strap, the PADI Equipment Specialist course teaches you to manage basic repairs and adjustments. Learn more about how your gear works, making you more comfortable with it and better prepared to take care of your investment.

This is a non-diving specialty - great for the winter months in Austin if you're not a cold-water diver! This is a single evening class, typically taking about 2.5 hours. Must be at least 10 years old and a (Junior) PADI Scuba Diver or higher.

Emergency Oxygen Provider

Cost: $150

Knowing how and when to use emergency oxygen is a great skill to have and means you’re ready to help others should the need arise. Becoming a PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider lets you breathe easy knowing that you can recognize scuba diving illnesses treatable with emergency oxygen, and are prepared to offer aid.

Typically taught along with Emergency First Respondse and/or Rescue Diver, this course takes a single day. There are no age or training prerequisites for this course. Check out our Rescue Diver training bundles here.

Project Aware Specialist

Cost: $100

Project AWARE’s philosophy is to mobilize a global force of scuba divers and water enthusiasts who care about protecting the world’s water resources and choose to make a difference one dive at a time. By earning the Project AWARE Specialist certification, you’ll be aware of the most pressing problems facing vulnerable aquatic environments and know what everyday actions you can take to help protect them.

This course does not have an age or training prerequisite. Can be completed in a single day.

ALL Diving Specialties require the Diver Medical Form. Please read the form carefully to determine if you need a physician's approval to participate. Your diver medical is valid for one year unless you have had any change in your medical history.

Non-Diving specialties DO NOT require the diver medical form. This includes Nitrox, EFR, O2 Provider and Project Aware.

Diver Medical Form

Specialty Dive Courses