Not all scuba diving courses are created equal! As a professional scuba instructor working in Indonesia, I break down and rank EVERY scuba diving course, from beginner Open Water Diver to advanced specialties and professional-level certifications. I'm focusing on SSI courses in this video, but the rankings for the PADI equivalents would be the same - there is not that much difference in course content between the two. Whether you're just starting your scuba journey or considering a career in diving, this tier list will help you decide which courses are worth your money and time.
I’ll cover essential certifications like Open Water, Advanced Adventurer, Stress & Rescue, and Dive Guide, as well as specialties like Deep Diving, Wreck Diving, Night Diving, and even ones you might never have heard about, like DPV, Independent Diving and Ice Diving! Want to become a dive professional? I’ll also go over the Divemaster and Instructor Training courses, sharing real insights on what’s useful and what’s overrated.
If you’re wondering whether an SSI certification is right for you or if you should consider PADI, RAID, or other training agencies, this guide will give you an honest, expert perspective. Dive smarter and train better! 🌊🐠
00:00 Intro
00:40 Tier List Explained
02:50 Open Water Diver
03:05 Advanced Open Water / Advanced Adventurer
03:52 Try Scuba / Discover Scuba Diving
04:25 Basic Diver
05:04 Rescue Diver / Diver Stress and Rescue
06:35 Divemaster / Dive Guide
07:33 Assistant Instructor
08:06 Open Water Instructor
08:51 Indoor Diver
09:01 Referral Diver
09:58 Scuba Skills Update / ReActivate / Refresher
10:59 Scuba Explorers / Scuba Rangers / Bubblemaker
11:48 Specialty Courses Introduction
12:27 Perfect Buoyancy / Peak Performance Buoyancy
13:37 Enriched Air Nitrox
14:23 Science of Diving
15:19 Decompression Diving
17:09 Recreational Sidemount
17:50 Cavern and Cenote Diving
19:40 Computer Diving
19:55 Equipment Techniques
20:11 Search and Recovery
20:43 Boat Diving
20:53 DPV
21:54 Drysuit Diving
23:11 Wreck Diving
23:56 Ice Diving
24:55 Ecology Specialties
26:57 Blue Oceans
27:45 Fish Identification % Coral Identifiation
28:54 React Right / EFR
30:12 Night and Limited Visibility
31:05 Navigation
32:25 Independent Diving
33:29 Waves, Tides and Currents / Drift Diving
34:30 Photo & Video
35:00 Altitude Diving
35:37 Full Face Mask
36:20 Classified Diving / Classified Buddy
37:15 Gas Blender
37:15 Deep Diving
38:36 Scuba Diver
39:30 Final Tier List Rankings
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