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Meet the full team, with certification cards →
SSISpecialtyDiver Courses
Short, focused programmes that each teach one thing properly.
Take them because a particular skill or subject interests you — and because completed specialties plus logged dives are what build towards Advanced Open Water Diver, rather than a single course you sit in a weekend.
Written by The Scuba Duka team · Reviewed by Ali, founder and Divemaster Instructor · October 2026
How specialties fit together
SSI builds progression from stacked specialties and real dives rather than from one long course. Complete four specialty programmes and reach twenty-four logged dives and you qualify for the Advanced Open Water Diver rating. Nothing extra to sit — the rating recognises what you have already done.
That means the order is yours. Most divers here start with Perfect Buoyancy because it improves every dive that follows, and because a diver in control of their buoyancy does far less damage to a reef.
The Advanced route
4specialty programmes completed
24logged dives
=SSI Advanced Open Water Diver
Figures are the public SSI programme requirements. Your exact route, prerequisites and eligibility are confirmed against current SSI standards and your instructor's ratings before you begin.
Specialties we teach in Diani
We only list what we actually run on this coast. Each has its own page with prerequisites, session counts, training depth, inclusions and what it does not cover. Prices are quoted on enquiry.
Start here
SSI Perfect Buoyancy
Trim, weighting and control. The single specialty that most improves both your diving and the reef's chances — and the one our instructors recommend before any other.
$220 · KES 28,600 approx.Planning
SSI Waves, Tides & Currents
Why we choose the site we choose. Taught on a coast where the tide decides the day, so the theory has somewhere real to land.
$210 · KES 27,300 approx.Ecology
SSI Marine Ecology
Read the reef you are diving: what lives where, how the system holds together, and what your behaviour underwater does to it.
$160 · KES 20,800 approx.Ecology
SSI Shark Ecology
Knowledge, not sightings. Behaviour, conservation and responsible encounters — a knowledge programme, and we do not sell it as a shark trip.
$160 · KES 20,800 approx.Other SSI specialties
SSI publishes a much longer specialty catalogue — deep, navigation, night and limited visibility, nitrox, search and recovery and others. Whether we can run one for you depends on current instructor ratings, equipment and conditions in the week you are here.
Ask us before you plan a trip around a specific specialty. We would rather tell you no in advance than at the dive centre.
Who specialties suit
—Certified divers with a few days here and a specific weakness to fix
—Divers working towards Advanced Open Water Diver
—Underwater photographers whose buoyancy is costing them shots
—Anyone who wants to understand this reef, not merely visit it
What a specialty is not
A specialty is not a shortcut past experience. Completing Waves, Tides & Currents does not make a new diver ready for a demanding drift dive, and Shark Ecology does not produce sharks.
Each one is narrow on purpose. That is the value: one subject, taught properly, in the water where it applies.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be certified?
Yes. Specialties are for certified divers, and each programme has its own prerequisite and minimum age — set out on its page and confirmed before you book.
How many can I do in a week?
It depends on the programmes, your logged dives and the conditions. Tell us how many days you have and we will give you a realistic plan rather than an optimistic one.
Which should I take first?
Perfect Buoyancy, in almost every case. It improves every dive that follows and it is the one skill that protects the reef you came to see.
Do specialties expire?
The certifications do not, but skills fade. If it has been a while since your last dive, we will suggest a Scuba Skills Update before a specialty rather than after.
Can I do them privately?
Yes. Any programme we run can be taught one-to-one — see private training for how the schedule and ratio change.
What does one cost?
Quoted on enquiry in USD or Kenya Shillings, with inclusions and exclusions in writing. Ask about two or more together and we will quote the combination.
Where this sits in the pathway
Try Scuba→
Basic Diver→
Scuba Diver→
Open Water Diver→
Specialties & Advanced→
Stress & Rescue→
Dive Guide→
Divemaster
Tell us how many days you have and what you want to fix. We will tell you which specialties actually fit.
Who you will dive with
Seven people run the centre, four of them born and raised in Diani Beach. Between the four instructors sit more than 13,000 logged dives on this stretch of the Indian Ocean. Two qualified dive guides, Sampuli and Captain Michael, guide dives alongside them.
Ali
Founder · Divemaster Instructor25+ years diving in Kenya and abroad. Born and raised in Diani Beach.
Kassim
Scuba Instructor17+ years and 8,000+ logged dives, from Diani to Kisite Mpunguti. SSI and PADI certified.
Salim Swaleh
Scuba Instructor4,000+ logged dives on Diani sites. Teaches SSI beginner to specialty courses.
Omari
Scuba InstructorSSI and PADI Open Water Instructor, 1,000+ logged dives. Shoots underwater photo and video.
Sampuli
Dive GuideBorn and raised in Diani Beach. 100+ logged dives. Guides guest divers and runs equipment checks.
Michael
Dive Guide · Captain20+ years scuba diving and captaining boats. Handles the boat and guides dives.
