A. Purpose
1. This mid-level Continuing Education Program is designed to enable Open Water (Nitrox) Divers to extend their proficiency in the water and to gain more supervised practical experience.
2. This Program qualifies a diver to dive to a maximum depth of 100 fsw (30 msw).
B. Prerequisites
1. Must be a qualified Open Water (Nitrox) Diver or any CMAS One Star or RSTC Entry Level Diver equivalent.
2. Must be a minimum of 15 years of age with a parent or guardian authorization, or a minimum of 12 years of age for Junior.
3. Diver qualification, or a minimum or 18 years of age without guardian approval.
C. Program Content
1. The Program must include a minimum of 120 minutes of OW bottom time completed within 4 to 7 dives. If the skill and bottom time requirements are completed earlier, the Program may be completed within 4 SCUBA dives.
D. Program Limits
1. There may be no more than 8 students per Instructor. This ratio may be increased by 2 students for each assisting Divemaster, up to a maximum of 12 students with 2 Divemasters per class session.
2. No dives may be conducted to depths greater than 100 fsw (30 msw).
3. Appropriate safety decompression stops must be performed.
E. Water Skills Development
1. Develop and demonstrate buoyancy control by performing precise hovering and ascent rates.
2. Perform a bailout.
3. Perform at least 5 skill dives from the following core group: Altitude; Search & Rescue, Salvage, Drift, Night, Deep, Wreck (non-penetration), River, Survey, Simulated Decompression Stops with use of a pony cylinder, Triangle / Complex Navigation, Boat, or Shore Entry.
4. Perform at least one alternate second stage gas sharing ascent dive. Both divers must swim a distance of at least 25 feet (8meters) towards each other (without breathing, and exhaling slowly) and commence simulated gas sharing using the alternate second stage of the gas-donor diver.
