Search and Recovery Diver
Find it, lift it, bring it home.
2 days
PADI Certified
Course booking
From
£225.00
Need help choosing? Our team can match the course to your experience, goals and confidence level.
PADI 5-Star
Instructor Development Centre
Small Groups
Real Instructor Attention
Unit 4, Bellman Court, Great Knollys Street, Reading, RG1 7HD
Diving Academy
Safety First
Confidence Before Speed
Course overview
What to expect
Search and Recovery Diver
Ever wondered how divers actually find something lost on a murky lake bed, then bring it back up safely? This two-day specialty teaches you exactly that, combining methodical search patterns with real hands-on lift bag training. You'll run realistic mock search operations, then raise objects of varying size and weight while keeping buoyancy under control, opening the door toward wreck diving, deep diving or public safety work.
In detail
About This Course
Ever wondered how divers actually find a lost object on a murky lake bed, or safely bring something heavy back to the surface? The PADI Search and Recovery Diver specialty teaches exactly that, combining methodical search techniques with the practical skills needed to lift and recover items without risk to yourself or the environment.
Over two days you will learn a range of underwater search patterns suited to different conditions, from simple shoreline sweeps to more structured patterns for open water. You will then apply these patterns to realistic mock search operations, planning and executing a search from start to finish rather than just practising the individual pieces.
Recovery is covered just as thoroughly, with hands-on training in using a lift bag safely and effectively to raise objects of varying size and weight. Buoyancy control and gas management are put to the test here, since a poorly managed lift can be as risky as the search itself.
It is a genuinely fun, problem-solving course that sharpens core diving skills like navigation, buoyancy and dive planning, while opening the door to more specialised diving such as wreck exploration or even public safety diving.
The process
How The Course Works
Step 1
Planning the Search
You start by learning how to gather information and resources before committing to a search, because a methodical plan is what actually finds things on a murky lake bed. This groundwork is what separates a lucky find from a repeatable skill.
Step 2
Search Patterns Underwater
Across a series of dives, you run compass and natural-navigation search patterns with your instructor, learning to sweep an area systematically instead of swimming in random circles. A compass and slate become essential kit, alongside extras like a dive light, marker buoys, lines and reels.
PADI states: four scuba dives practising search patterns using compass and natural navigation
Step 3
Bringing It Back Up
The final dives put it all together, using lines and lift techniques to recover whatever you've found without damaging it or losing control of your ascent. You finish the two days able to search for, and safely recover, objects that would otherwise stay lost.
Course curriculum
What You'll Learn
Learning Outcomes
- underwater search patterns
- search and recovery techniques
- how to use a lift bag
- plan and execute mock search operations
Getting ready
Before You Start & What's Next
Prerequisites
- PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying certification from another training organization)
- Minimum age 12 years
Next Steps
- PADI Wreck Diver specialty
- PADI Deep Diver specialty
- PADI Master Scuba Diver rating
Upcoming training
Dates & Booking
No fixed dates listed right now
Choose your preferred start date and the academy will confirm instructor availability with you directly.
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Quick facts
Duration
2 days of structured training
Location
Unit 4, Bellman Court, Great Knollys Street, Reading, RG1 7HD
Certification
Recognised PADI qualification on completion
Have questions?
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Our course directors can talk you through Search and Recovery Diver, confirm it's the right fit for your experience, and help you find a date that works.
From
£225.00
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