Exploring the Depths of Diving: An Expert's Guide to the Different Types of Diving

Explore different types of dives from drift diving to deep diving, night diving and technical diving with this expert's guide.

Exploring the Depths of Diving: An Expert's Guide to the Different Types of Diving

Diving is an amazing activity that can take you to the depths of the ocean and open up a world of exploration. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced diver, there are many specialized dive certifications you can earn depending on your level of experience and expectations. From drift diving to deep diving, night diving, and technical diving, there are plenty of dives to explore. In this article, we'll discuss the different types of dives and what you need to know before taking the plunge.

Drift Diving

Drift diving is a type of dive that is planned to allow divers to travel through the natural water currents that flow around them.

This type of dive is a must-try for every diver, but it should only be attempted once you have enough experience in diving. That's because underwater currents can sometimes be dangerous and unpredictable and take you to unexpected places. Having a good sense of underwater navigation is essential before doing a drift dive.

Night Diving

Night diving is exactly what it sounds like, but the night dive experience is more than just jumping into the water at night. Accompanied by a bright underwater flashlight, you can safely navigate the depths of the ocean to see what happens once the sun sets.

In this case, the entire dive site will normally be illuminated so that you don't have to carry your own flashlight.

Deep Diving

A dive is considered a “deep dive” when the diver is more than 18 meters below surface level. That said, most deep dives will take place 30 meters or more below sea level. If you want to explore certain environments, such as shipwrecks, the ocean floor or certain creatures that only live at great depths underwater, then deep diving is for you. As in other cases, it is necessary to have a previous qualification, since deep diving involves certain risks compared to diving at 18 meters.

Technical Diving

Technical diving is a step above recreational diving, and you'll need more than just an open water certification to do it.

That said, it's something worth working for! Technical diving is a general term that refers to any dive that exceeds the dive time limits of & depth imposed by recreational diving. Technical divers will use special gas mixtures to breathe (other than usual compressed air) and will dive more than 40 meters below water.

Rescue Diving

Rescue diving is one of the 12 levels of PADI diving certification. To be a rescue diver, you must have plenty of experience and you will receive special training that will teach you specialized rescue and first aid techniques needed, including aquatic first aid, surface rescue, in-depth rescue and strategies for dangerous situations in shore and boat diving. Along with technician-level professional dives, these are varieties of professional dives whose objective is to be able to use the skills and experience acquired in diving for a non-recreational purpose. Because of the depths involved, deep diving can be hazardous if the dive is not properly organized, so it must be carefully planned before leaving the ship. In conclusion, there are six different types of dives and four different body positions that a person can use when diving.

You can practice once you have obtained your Open Water Diver title and have taken a specific course with a specialized diving instructor. Normally, dives of this type reach a depth of 40 meters and are the most offered by the different schools that exist.

Ethan Kelly
Ethan Kelly

Lifelong internet nerd. Hardcore food fan. Devoted burrito ninja. Incurable travel junkie. Beer ninja. Hardcore zombie expert.