Course overview

Build rock-solid orientation with the SSI Navigation specialty at Khao Lak. Across training dives on the local reefs you learn compass and natural navigation, distance estimation and search patterns, the exact skills that keep you confident on the bigger, current-swept Similan Islands sites.

What you’ll learn

• Navigate precisely using a compass
• Read and use natural underwater references
• Estimate distance with kick cycles and timing
• Swim reciprocal and pattern courses
• Mark and return to underwater features
• Lead navigation for a buddy team

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (junior) / 15 for the specialty
• SSI Open Water Diver or equivalent
• Comfortable 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
   Compass & natural navigation

   Study navigation theory and practise compass and natural-reference techniques on guided dives at a local reef near Khao Lak, then certify.

Verified through iDive

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Frequently asked questions