The Lure of the deep!

Some divers will never go beyond the 18 metres of an Open Water diver and that's perfectly fine. But to other divers, there is that lure to go deeper. What is that I can see 10 - 20 metres below?

Looking up from the bottom of one of the many archways at the Poor Knights Islands offers us some magical views. Perhaps you are a qualified PADI Wreck Diver and have the desire to visit the propellor on the HMNZS Waikato wreck which sits in the mid 30s.

Our PADI Deep Diver course is not just about going deeper, it's about teaching you how to safely plan a deeper dive, choose the correct equipment and execute the dive.

The PADI Deep Diver course is one of the Pre-requisites for the PADI Tec 40/45/50 courses along with Enriched Air Diver and Rescue Diver courses. It is also recommended for PADI Dive Master Trainees, as you are required to do two out of the four dives from this specialty for the Dive Master course.

Some divers choose to do the PADI Deep Diver course for insurance purposes. They are Advanced Open Water divers going on an international trip and want that assurance that if in the unlikely event they exceed 30m and require assistance, their travel insurance will cover them.

Whatever your reason, it is a great course to participate in.

Cost: $399 | 2 days (4 deep dives) | *Excludes charter costs to the Poor Knights Islands

Cost includes all PADI training, certification and study materials. Any specialist equipment will be provided for the duration of the course.

Learn how to penetrate New Zealand's shipwrecks safely with Dive Now Whangarei

Perhaps you served on one of our Leander Class Frigates (Canterbury, Waikato or Wellington) and want to revisit your old work place now it is 30 metres below?

Or do you want to visit the Rainbow Warrior that was sunk in the 80's protesting the testing of Nuclear weapons?

Perhaps the mystery of the running aground and the strange events that took place directly after the incident of the Russian cruise liner Mikail Lermontov is your thing?

Or perhaps you are getting ready for an international trip where there are wrecks to dive?

Well our four day PADI Wreck course is a great place to start your wreck training. We have access to two purposely sunk ships within an hours drive from Dive Now Whangarei - HMNZS Canterbury sunk in the Bay of Islands and the HMNZS Waikato sunk just out from Tutukaka.

Both ships sit on the sand in around the 35m mark with their highest remaining structure at around 16m. This means anyone wanting to dive them should have at least their Advanced Open Water certification and ideally Enriched Air Nitrox to give them a little bit longer down there.

Over the course some of the things you will learn are:

• Spotting hazards, points of interest and potential penetration points
• Map part of the outside of the wreck. You will use your maps and any available schematics to plan penetration routes within your training levels.
• Practise using reels and lights to safely penetrate a wreck and communicate with a buddy
• Look at progressive penetration methods
• Practise to carry, stage and retrieve a bail-out cylinder safely for the team to use in an emergency
• Finning techniques required for diving inside a wreck

Currently the course runs over three days, a Saturday, Sunday and following Saturday with fun dives available on Sunday. However this may change. We hope to run the course over two full weekends to give everyone a chance to dive an extra day at the end of the course using the skills learnt on the course.

Be warned, wreck diving can be extremely addictive.

Cost: $465| 4 days | Includes 8 wreck dives *charter fees not included

Cost includes all PADI training, certification and study materials. Any specialist equipment such as Stage Bottles and Regulators will be provided for the duration of the course.

Would you like to be in more control of your buoyancy and positioning technique?

Having great buoyancy control and proper finning techniques not only gives you more confidence and control, it is a must if you dive more challenging dive sites and those with delicate bottom composition such as coral or silt.

Simple skills such as sending up a DSMB or using a camera or compass are made complicated if you are struggling to hold your position in the water.

Buoyancy control and great finning techniques are the fundamental skills you need when you embark on any course, particularly where you will be introduced to an overhead environment.

Would you like to be in more control of your buoyancy when you are diving and have a better finning technique?

What you will learn on this course

• Gain the knowledge and skills to fine tune your buoyancy and learn finning techniques that will make a difference
• Get introduced to rear inflation BCD's with integrated weight systems that allow a diver to get better trim with less effort
• Weight check - not done it in a long time? No worries, we will show you how. Overweighted divers tend to have poor bouyancy/trim.
• Descent techniques
• Buoyancy control skills
• Hover
• Trim
• Weight distribution
• Ascent procedure
• Safety stops and SMB deployment
• Finning techniques
• Buoyancy games