All specialties are done on a private/semi private basis. When you sign up for a specialty course please contact us to schedule your classroom/in-water portion to complete your certification. 

Divers have a vested interest in protecting the marine environment. In many cases, divers do not have environmental information about local sites. This specialty is designed to increase the open water diver’s understanding of marine and freshwater environments, the problems facing these unique ecosystems, and the role that diver’s play in protecting our marine resources.

Please Note: There are no required materials to be completed before the course 

Before Signing up for this course:

Please review Medical Questionnaire below and get physician approval IF needed.

Who this course is for:

• The certified diver looking for more information to about the underwater world and the impact of divers as well as others have on the environment. How we can preserve the underwater world for generations to come

Course prerequisites:

• SDI Open Water Scuba Diver, SDI Junior Open Water Diver, or equivalent
• Minimum age 18, 10 with parental consent

What you can expect to learn:

The SDI Marine Eco Systems Awareness Diver course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:

• Physical attributes
  • Temperature and thermoclines
  • Salinity and halocline
  • Dissolved gases
  • Light, as it applies to photosynthesis
  • Nutrient circulation
  • Waves and tides
  • Currents and nutrient cycling
• Topographical features
• Marine organisms
  • Plankton
  • Aquatic plants
  • Aquatic animals
  • Specific local animals
  • Aquatic food webs
  • Behavioral changes due to daily cycle
• Ecosystems
  • Tropical reef
  • Temperate
  • Freshwater
• Environmentally friendly diving techniques
  • Buoyancy control
  • Kick technique
  • Local considerations
• Issues facing marine ecosystems
  • Issues of local interest
  • Global habitat destruction and pollution
  • Over fishing
• Coral bleaching
• Diver animal interactions
  • Intrusive
  • Non-intrusive
  • Feeding
  • Treating marine life injuries
• Observation Techniques
  • Grids
  • Passive observation
• Collection Methods

Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:

At various sites complete the following:

• Maintain good buoyancy control
• Make general observations
  • Location
  • Bottom composition
  • Marine life
  • Special characteristics
  • Indications of human impact
• Grid observations
  • Make two separate sets of grid observations during each dive
  • Describe all marine life for later identification
  • Record behavior
  • Log Dives
• Compare and contrast the dive sites
• Discuss the effect of human impacts
• Discuss ways to minimize human impact

What’s in it for you?

Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in diving activities without direct supervision of the SDI Instructor* so long as the following limits are adhered to:

• The diving activities approximate those of training
• The areas of activities approximate those of training
• Environmental conditions approximate those of training

*Note: Junior divers (ages 10-14) must participate in diving activities with a parent, guardian, or dive professional.

Also, the SDI Marine Eco Systems Awareness Diver certification counts towards a single specialty rating to achieve the SDI Advanced Diver Development Program.

SDI Marine Eco Systems Diver minimum requirements:

• Complete all open water requirements efficiently
• Demonstrate mature and sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution