PADI Specialty Courses in Frankfurt in Frankfurt
The Overview
Price range: €159 – €499 per specialty
BUNDLE: €999 for five specialties plus Master Scuba Diver certification
DURATION: Usually one day or one weekend per course
Prerequisite: Generally , PADI Open Water Diver; for some courses, Advanced Open Water Diver
Certification: Independent PADI Specialty certification, valid for life
After completing the Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver courses, your training doesn't stop—it just becomes more specialized. A specialty is a short, clearly defined course focused on a single topic: breathing nitrox, diving in a dry suit, night diving, wreck diving, accurate navigation, and proper buoyancy control.
The difference from the major courses: A specialty usually lasts one day or a weekend, includes one to four dives, and has a very specific goal. You don’t learn “diving in general,” but rather one specific skill thoroughly. That’s exactly why specialties are the part of training where most divers see a noticeable improvement.
This page provides an overview. Each course has its own page detailing the course schedule, prerequisites, and what is included.
Who is it suitable for?
OWD holders who want to dive deeper
Anyone who wants to navigate on their own or lead groups
Divers with specific interests: wreck, night, drift, sidemount, and more
Divers who want to refresh or expand their skills
Experienced Divers on Their Way to Becoming Divemasters
PADI SPECIALTIES
PADI SPECIALTIES
What a PADI Specialty Is — and What It Isn't
A Specialty is a standalone certification. You receive your own card, which is recognized worldwide and never expires. This is not a certificate of participation, but rather a qualification—for example, the Deep Diver certification allows you to dive to 40 meters, while the Enriched Air certification qualifies you to dive with Nitrox and analyze it yourself.
What a specialty isn't: a substitute for experience. The Wreck Diver course won't turn you into a wreck diver if you don't get in the water for two years afterward. A specialty course gives you a clearly taught technique and the authorization to use it. What you do with it is up to you.
The prerequisites vary: Most specialties require the Open Water Diver certification; some—Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Cavern Diver—require the Advanced Open Water Diver certification or equivalent prior experience; and the Self-Reliant Diver requires at least 100 dives and a minimum age of 18. The specific requirements for each course are listed on the respective page.
How Specialties Count Toward the Master Scuba Diver Certification
The Master Scuba Diver is the highest certification in recreational diving that is not part of a professional training program. The requirements are:
PADI Open Water Diver
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
PADI Rescue Diver
five completed PADI specialties
50 logged dives
It's up to you to choose which five specialties you want to take—there's no set combination. Every specialty course you take with us counts. The Master Scuba Diver certification itself is not a course, but rather recognition of these building blocks, and costs 99 €.
An Overview of Our Specialties
PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) — €159 Diving with an oxygen-enriched mixture: longer no-decompression times, more breathing reserve. Purely a theory course—no dives, no equipment required. The specialty course that almost everyone takes at some point.
PADI Equipment Specialist — €199 Learn how your equipment works, what you can maintain yourself, and when you need to take it to a service center. Dry course; no dives. We teach this course at our center using real equipment.
PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy — €259 The course with the most noticeable results: correct weighting, clean trim, reduced air consumption, and no bottom contact. If you’re only going to take one specialty course, this is the one to take.
PADI Underwater Navigator — €229 Compass, natural navigation, and search patterns. By the end, you’ll be able to find your way out exactly where you went in—even in poor visibility, which is common in our lakes.
PADI Night Diver — €229 Diving with a torch: orientation in the dark, torch signals, buddy contact. A familiar lake looks like a different dive site at night.
PADI Underwater Naturalist — €229 Learn to correctly identify what you see underwater: species, behavior, interactions—and how to act without causing harm.
PADI Deep Diver — €259 Four dives, certified to 40 meters — the limit of recreational diving. Includes training in dealing with decompression sickness, gas management, and ascent planning.
PADI Wreck Diver — €249 Diving wrecks safely: circumnavigation, mapping, hazards, and the basics of the guide line. Penetration beyond the training limits is considered technical diving and is not offered through PADI at our center.
PADI Digital Underwater Photographer — €269 Why underwater photos turn out blue and blurry, and what to do about it. White balance, lighting, distance, and buoyancy as photographic techniques.
PADI Dry Suit Diver — €279 The prerequisite for diving year-round in Germany. Dry suit, tank, and fills are included in the course price. Can be booked together with the Open Water Diver course from November through April for €149.
PADI Search & Recovery — €299 Search patterns, knots, lift bag. The course that comes to mind when your camera is lying at 20 meters.
PADI DPV (Scooter) — €299 How to dive safely with a dive scooter: range planning, trim, emergency procedures. Significantly more distance per dive, significantly more that can go wrong.
PADI Cavern Diver — €399 The entrance area of a cave within sight of daylight, with a guide line and clearly defined boundaries. Anything beyond that is full-cave diving—technical training provided by S.U.B. International, not PADI.
PADI Self-Reliant Diver — €399 Redundancy and self-reliance: your own backup air supply, failure scenarios, and redundant air supply. Ages 18 and up with at least 100 logged dives — the most challenging specialty in the program.
In addition, there is the PADI Sidemount Diver for €499 — recreational diving with tanks mounted on the side. Ideal for anyone with back problems, who travels frequently, or who is considering moving into technical diving later on. More on sidemount here.
The Bundle: Five Specialties + Master Scuba Diver for €999
If you're planning to take several specialty courses, the bundle is a better deal: five specialty courses of your choice plus the Master Scuba Diver certification for €999.
By way of comparison: Five courses in the mid-price range would cost a total of over €1,100 individually, and the €99 for certification would be added to that. You decide which five to choose—and you can do so gradually.
What's Included in the Price
Included in every specialty course: PADI eLearning or course materials, training led by PADI instructors in small groups, pool and lake fees, and certification fees. With us, eLearning is not listed as an additional item on the invoice.
The following applies to equipment:
Enriched Air / Nitrox: theory only; no dive; no equipment required.
Equipment Specialist: Dry course; no equipment-related questions.
Dry Suit Diver: Dry suit, tank, and fills included.
All other specialties: The bottle and contents are included.
We provide a dive computer for all courses: Each participant receives a Garmin Descent X30. The complete price list is available in the price overview.
Specialty Courses in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main Region
The theory sessions take place here in Frankfurt-Schwanheim, at Vogesenstraße 12C, with parking available right next to the building and easy access via the A5; pool training is held at the swimming pool of the Frankfurt Sports School in the Stadtwald. We do our dives in the lakes of the Rhine-Main region—the specific lake depends on the course: We need different conditions for depth training than for navigation or night diving.
From downtown, Sachsenhausen, Niederrad, and Höchst, you can get here in 15 to 20 minutes; from Offenbach, Rüsselsheim, Hanau, and Bad Homburg, it takes a little over half an hour. Unlike most diving schools in the region, we’re actually located in Frankfurt, not in the surrounding area. Directions.
Why Choose Specialties at the Frankfurt Dive Center
Small groups. In a course with two dives, the instructor-to-student ratio determines whether you’ll really get the most out of it. We don’t assign students to large groups.
Equipment service and our own filling station. Filling bottles with compressed air, inspecting and maintaining equipment—it’s all done right here in-house, not somewhere else along the way.
Honest advice. We don't sell a Deep Diver course to anyone who has only done twelve dives and is having trouble with buoyancy control. In that case, the Peak Performance Buoyancy course is a better fit, and we'll tell you that.
Then get into the water. Via the FDC Club , you can regularly put what you’ve learned into practice. A specialty course you never use again is a waste of money.
What's Next
Five specialties, plus the Rescue Diver course and 50 dives, qualify you as a Master Scuba Diver. If you're thinking about a career in diving, the next step is the PADI Divemaster.
If you’re interested in what lies beyond the boundaries of recreational diving—decompression, trimix, full-cave diving, rebreathers—we offer training for these through S.U.B. International, not through PADI. Two separate paths, in one location. Find out everything about it on the page Technical Diving Courses.
Ready for the next step?
We’ll give you personalized advice—the best next course for you depends on your experience and goals. Give us a call or send us a message.
FAQ
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A short course focused on a single topic, with its own globally recognized certification. It usually lasts one day or a weekend and includes one to four dives. The certification never expires.
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In most cases, Peak Performance Buoyancy or Enriched Air. Mastering buoyancy control improves every subsequent dive, and you'll need Nitrox on every diving trip.
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For most people, no—the Open Water Diver certification is enough. Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, and Cavern Diver courses have more requirements. You can find the specifics on the respective course page.
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Five courses, plus Open Water Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, and 50 logged dives. You can choose any five courses.
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If you're certain you want to take five specialties: yes. If you take them individually, five courses in the mid-price range will cost you over 1,100 € plus 99 € for certification. If you're only planning to take two, book them individually—we don't recommend anyone buy a package they won't use.
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Depending on the course, it takes either one day or a weekend. The Nitrox course is purely theoretical and can be completed in a few hours, while the Deep Diver course includes four dives and takes correspondingly longer.
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Yes. Theory courses are offered year-round anyway, and dry suits are available for diving in lakes. The Dry Suit Diver course is the best way to get started in the winter—after that, the cold weather is no longer an issue.
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No. The tank and fills are included; you can rent the jacket, regulator, and wetsuit as a rental package for €60. For the Dry Suit Diver option, the dry suit is included in the price.
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For our courses, we’ll credit you for any prior training you’ve completed, provided it meets the standards—be sure to bring your card and logbook. For PADI Master Scuba Diver recognition, PADI standards apply; we’ll clarify with you in advance which parts will be recognized, rather than making any promises.
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Tell us where you dive and what's bothering you. Someone who dives on vacation needs different courses than someone who goes to a lake every weekend. Call us at: +49 (0)69 7140 2883.