SDI
Search & Recovery Diver Speciality
Search & Recovery Diver Speciality
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Who is this course for?
Who is this course for?
The certified diver looking for more information to maximize the use of search and recovery for scuba diving.
Course prerequisites
Course prerequisites
Open Water Scuba Diver, Junior Open Water Scuba Diver, or equivalen.
Minimum age 18 , 15 with parental consent.
What you can expect to learn
What you can expect to learn
The SDI Search and Recovery Diver Course takes an in-depth look at all of the following and more:
Navigation
Compass use
Estimating distances
Natural navigation
Limited visibility diving
Factors affecting visibility
Hazards of limited visibility
Techniques of diving
Search techniques
Shotgun
Circular search
Grid search
SDI Instructor Manual
Current (overlap) search
Signals for search diving
Salvage techniques
Depth considerations
Lift bags
Lifting drums
Necessary qualities of lifting devices
Knots and rigging
Fill techniques
Mud/silt suction considerations
Some of the required skills you will have to demonstrate include:
Review compass techniques
Review search techniques
Practice and perform different search patterns
Review lifting techniques
Recover an object from depth
Salvage and recovery of an object with a water weight of between 11 and 33 kg/25 and 75 lbs
Simulate scuba emergency using a minimum of 2 searching techniques
Log dives
What's in it for you?
What's in it for you?
Upon successful completion of this course, graduates may engage in diving activities without direct supervision of the DNQY 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
Also, the Search and Recovery Diver certification counts towards a single specialty rating to achieve the Advanced Diver Development Program.
Search & Recovery Diver minimum requirements
Search & Recovery Diver minimum requirements
Complete all open water requirements efficiently
Demonstrate mature and sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution




In this fascinating program, you will learn all the skills you need to safely and confidently conduct search and recovery dives. You will be taught how to use search patterns, specialized dive plans and equipment such as lift bags, lines and reels. By developing your search and communication techniques and practicing searches in a dive team, you will become a confident search and rescue diver in no time. Upon completion, you will earn the Search & Recovery specialty certification.

The Search & Recovery Speciality course is very beneficial to every single diver, you will notice the more you dive that people are clumsy and lose things all the time! You can use your extended knowledge to swoop in and save the day by recovering sunglasses, phones, drones etc (this is all stuff we've had to recover too!).
If you're really lucky, you will come across a mountain of sunken treasure, but just remember we were the ones who lost it!

Learning different knots might be a bit daunting, but it's a life skill that everyone should know! From bowlines, to half hitches and more, these knots are great for every day life and you'd be surprised how often you don't even realise you're tying them.
Don't forget the golden rule though: IF YOU CAN'T TIE KNOTS, TIE LOTS!