Course overview

Build precise underwater navigation skills with the SSI Navigation specialty in Hikkaduwa. On the town's sloping reefs and coral gardens you learn to find your way by compass and natural features, a key skill for locating wrecks and reef structures on Sri Lanka's south coast. You finish certified as an SSI Navigation diver, ready to lead dives with confidence.

What you’ll learn

• Use a compass to hold accurate underwater headings
• Navigate by natural references like reef shape and depth
• Estimate distance using kick cycles and time
• Follow reciprocal, square and search-pattern courses
• Mark and return to a point of interest
• Plan and execute a navigation route independently

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10
• SSI Open Water Diver (or equivalent)
• Basic buoyancy control
• Diver medical clearance signed by a physician

What's included · What's not

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Navigation skills day

   Digital review then three dives on Hikkaduwa's reefs practising compass and natural navigation, distance estimation and search patterns to certify.

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Frequently asked questions