Texas Scuba Academy
SDI Advanced Buoyancy Diver
Open Water certifiedSDI Certified

SDI Advanced Buoyancy Diver

Master effortless hovering, zero reef contact, and better air consumption on every dive.

$149.95Enrollment Open
Students:
1
Max 10
Have questions? Call (512) 489-4404
🌍 Dive anywhere
♾️ Lifetime cert
🗓 Private & flexible
📍 Local dive sites

SKU: TSA-SDI-SDI-AD

What's included

SDI eLearning and course materials
Personal instruction from a certified SDI Instructor
All required training equipment provided
Lifetime SDI certification, recognized worldwide
Flexible scheduling — we handle the pool location and gear

Who it's for

This course builds on prior certification and experience — here's what you'll need before you start.

SDI Open Water Scuba Diver, SDI Junior Open Water Diver, or equivalentBase certification required
Minimum age 1810 years old with parental consent

What you'll learn

Knowledge Development

Why we care about buoyancy: protecting aquatic life, reducing fatigue and effort, reducing air consumption for more bottom time, and enabling better photos/video
When a buoyancy check must be performed: when equipment changes, when the diving environment changes, after time away from diving, and during every dive
Buoyancy factors: additional equipment, cylinder weight changes as air is consumed, lungs vs. BCD, BCD vs. dry suit, physical fitness, breathing patterns, suit compression under pressure, weight position and distribution, streamlining equipment and body position, and efficient kicking style
Weighting considerations across exposure protection: swimsuit, 3mm and 5mm wet suit, cold-water suit with hood, and dry suit
How to perform a standard buoyancy check with an almost-empty cylinder

Practical Training

Assembling dive equipment and completing a pre-dive check
Pre-dive buoyancy checks with both an almost-empty and a full cylinder, adjusting weight to achieve correct buoyancy
Controlled descent
Hovering exercises: fine-tuning with breath control, fine-tuning with BCD or dry suit, and close-to-bottom no-touch exercises
Swimming exercises and a controlled ascent including a hovering safety stop
Logging the dive, noting the amount of weight used

Frequently asked questions

Not at all — this course is great for newer certified divers who want to build the right habits early, and equally valuable for experienced divers who've picked up bad habits along the way. If you've been diving a while and still feel like you're fighting the water, this is the course for you.

Simple process

How it works

01
💻

eLearning at home

Complete the academic portion online at your own pace — videos, quizzes, no classroom required.

02
🏊

Pool training — we handle everything

We book the pool, bring all the gear, and schedule around your availability.

03
🌊

Open water checkout dives

Finish your certification at a local dive site. Real diving, real skills.

Ready?

Ready for what's next?

Keep building your skills. Advanced Adventure Diver is a popular next step — we reach out within 24 hours to schedule.