Marine Scientist Training - Costa Rica

Week 1 – PADI Open Water and Advanced
During your first week you undertake both your Open Water and Advanced Open Water PADI dive training with experienced professional trainers from the dive school!

Week 2: PADI Marine Conservation and Research
Armed with your new certifications, week two marks the beginning of your conservation training when you will learn different research and survey techniques including fish and reef biology. You will also have the chance to put your new skills to the test this week as you help on one of the many reef surveys taking place.

Week 3: PADI Nudibranch Awareness specialty and reef surveys
Nudibranchs are some of the smallest most interesting inhabitants of the reef and you will learn about their different behaviours and identification of some local species. As part of this week you will head out onto the reef and complete dives looking for local nudibranch species, as well as continue with the reef surveys from the previous week.

Week 4: PADI AWARE Shark specialty and REEF surveys
Sharks are crucial to marine ecosystems. This course teaches you about the value of sharks and what is causing the rapid loss of shark populations. By the end of this week you will also complete your reef surveys and input the data into the international database, helping to monitor the long term health of the reef and the marine life it supports!

Week 5: Dive Safety Training and Emergency First Response
Knowing what to do in the event of an emergency is crucial to your dive progression. This week you will complete both your PADI Emergency First Responder and Rescue Diver certifications. This training will complete your recreational dive training and prepare you for your first step into the world of being a professional diver!

Week 6: Marine Scientist Specialties
Your marine science training is about to come full circle as you continue with ongoing conservation work this week. Additionally, you will expand upon what you have learned, completing two distinctive PADI certifications: PADI Sponge ecology & PADI Octopus ecology.

Weeks 7-10: Divemaster
You will now begin your Divemaster training, the first professional dive qualification and an absolute must for all budding marine scientists. Your training during this phase will become much more hands-on as you learn to become a leader and take charge of activities. A large part of your training at this stage will include assisting live clients at this 5 Star PADI Centre, as you develop your teaching skills.