With proper training, equipment and the right attitude to accept the risks involved in independent diving, an experience diver can responsibly engage in dives without a buddy. Self-reliant diving is an adventure activity that is not for everyone, but does have its place. If you have the mental discipline and commitment to learn and follow self-reliant diving techniques, you’ll bolster your skills and confidence when diving alone, in a dive pair or as part of a team.

What You Learn
Learning how to compensate for situations you would normally handle with a buddy is the focus of the Self-Reliant Diver course. This includes proper dive planning using air consumption rate calculations, life support system redundancy, and independent management of dive emergencies. During three self-reliant training dives, you’ll practice:

• Performing an air consumption rate swim to gather information for later calculation.
• Switching to a redundant air supply system during simulated emergency situations.
• Swimming without a mask.
• Navigating to various points, including your exit.
• Using a DSMB.

Prerequisites
To take this course, you must be:

• PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
• 18 years old
• 100 logged dives minimum
• In good overall health
• You’ll also complete a skills assessment with your PADI Self-Reliant Diver Instructor before diving into the course.

Forms
Just like in your previous classes, you need to completed a few forms.  It is very important that you review these documents carefully before signing.

• The PADI medical questionnaire, available for download here
  • Note: If you suffer from any of the conditions listed in the questionnaire, you need to seek approval from your physician before any in-water activities.
• A PADI Liability release, available for download here
• A PADI Continued Education form, available for download here