Course overview

The SSI Navigation specialty builds accurate underwater orientation skills using natural references and a compass, practised on Trincomalee's reefs and rocky sites. Across your training dives around Nilaveli and Pigeon Island you learn to plan routes, estimate distance and relocate features, becoming a more independent and confident diver.

What you’ll learn

• Navigate by reef contours, depth and natural features
• Run reciprocal and square compass courses
• Estimate distance using kick cycles and timing
• Mark and return to a chosen point
• Plan and brief a navigation dive
• Lead a buddy team while staying oriented

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
   Natural & compass navigation

   Study the digital academics, then complete the navigation dives around Nilaveli Reef and Pigeon Island, practising natural-reference and compass techniques before certifying.

Verified through iDive

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Frequently asked questions