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Adaptive Techniques
This course focuses on increasing awareness of varying diver abilities, and explores adaptive teaching techniques to apply when training and diving with physically and mentally challenged divers.
Professional

Adaptive Techniques

Description

Are you a PADI® Professional who wants to become more aware of individual considerations when working with people who have physical or mental challenges?



PADI Professionals have a long and successful history of working with divers with disabilities. PADI's approach to diver education is (and always has been) inclusive: Everyone who meets a course's prerequisites is welcome to enroll. The PADI Adaptive Techniques Specialty course builds on that foundation by enhancing the training PADI Professionals receive, and preparing them for student-centered and prescriptive approaches when adapting techniques to meet diver needs.



PADI Divemasters or PADI Master Freedivers who have completed EFR Primary and Secondary Care course within 24 months are eligible to take the PADI Adaptive Techniques Specialty course.

Instructor with students at a table in a thatch hut.

Academic

The PADI Adaptive Techniques Specialty course focuses on increasing awareness of varying abilities, and explores adaptive teaching techniques to apply when training and diving with physically and mentally challenged divers.



The PADI Adaptive Techniques Specialty course will help PADI Professionals:


  1. Become more aware and mindful of individual considerations when introducing people with disabilities to diving or freediving.

  2. Explore adaptive techniques that can be applied while supervising and training divers or freedivers with disabilities in PADI courses and programs.

  3. Properly counsel and direct student divers, based on their abilities, toward PADI certification, PADI experience programs or a disabilities-dedicated diving organization for limited certification programs.

  4. Learn additional techniques to motivate and encourage student divers with mental and/or physical challenges.

The course consists of knowledge development, two confined water skill development workshops and two open water workshops. In addition, a subset of this course, PADI Adaptive Support Diver, will interest divers who want to learn how they can best support dive buddies who have physical or mental challenges.

Available Languages

For information on other available languages please contact your PADI Dive Center.

Equipment

Along with your basic scuba or freediving equipment, your PADI Instructor may suggest additional gear to assist with your divers' needs.

Getting Started

Visit your local PADI Dive Center or Freediver Center to enroll in the course and schedule the first class session with your PADI Instructor.