“What was that fish?” is a common question heard after a dive. If you want to be the scuba diver with the answers, instead of the one asking the questions, then take the PADI Fish Identification Specialty course. You’ll enjoy your dives even more when you recognize the creatures that you see and can identify the main fish families and their characteristics.

If you’re at least 10 years old and a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver or higher, you can enroll in the PADI Fish Identification course.

What will you learn?

Once you learn to recognize what types of fish you see, you’ll find it easier to reference the exact species after a scuba dive. For example, a butterfly fish in the Caribbean has a similar shape to a butterfly fish in Southeast Asia, but colors and markings may be wildly different. If you know what fish family it belongs to, you can more easily look up the local name or at least be able to intelligently ask the local scuba instructor what you saw. 

During two scuba dives, you’ll learn:

• How to identify characteristics of local fish families and species.
• Fish survey techniques and strategies.
• About Project AWARE activities that can help protect aquatic life

Get credit! The first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.

How can you start learning now?

Stop by Seaweed Diver to enroll in the course and pick up your learning materials. You can also get one of the new ebooks for the area you will be diving by following the links below.

Reef Fish ID DVD Course Package

This package is all the materials you will need for our Fish ID course in the Caribbean. Even if you are not taking the class get the most out of your next dive vacation with REEF's new, one-hour home-study DVD video presentation. The packet includes everything necessary to become a member of REEF and details on how to become a level 2 surveyor. There are now ebooks available if you would like to add an ebook to your library.

 

 

 

Marine Life Identification ebooks by New World Publications

Five ebooks now available for purchase – REEF FISH Identification,REEF CREATURE Identification, REEF CORAL Identification – Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas and REEF FISH Identification, REEF CREATURE Identification – Tropical Pacific. PDF ebooks can be loaded into 6 different personal devices. Viewed on Adobe Digital Editions available for Mac OS, Windows OS, Mac iOS and Android devices.

What scuba gear will you use?

Beyond using basic scuba equipment, you’ll want a slate to record what you see and a fish identification card if available for your area. Your Seaweed Diver PADI Fish ID Instructor may suggest additional equipment or references depending on what you’re likely to see on your dives.