Private Scuba › PADI® Courses › Specialties › PPB
Scuba divers with perfect buoyancy control (e.g. they're neutrally buoyant) find it easier to glide, hover motionless in the water column, and use less air.
This help guide explains how to complete the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course and become more confident and relaxed when you are diving - especially during ascents and descents.
Tip: The Peak Performance Buoyancy certification may count towards the Master Scuba Diver rating. Look through PADI's Specialties catalog for more details covering thirty other courses (listed from A to Z).
In simple terms, a Specialty Diver is someone with enhanced scuba diving abilities beyond entry level certifications (e.g. Discover Programs, Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver).
Signing up for specialist scuba courses is the ideal path to take if you want to learn new techniques and experience different kinds of underwater exploration.
Furthermore, you will get the best opportunity to acquire superior knowledge and skills in the diving activities that interest you most because a 'Specialty Instructor' will be supervising the training.
When divers have neutral buoyancy they neither sink nor float. As a result, you have better control of your position in the water after mastering the fundamental skill of buoyancy control.
More importantly, having controlled buoyancy helps you conserve the aquatic environment, dive safely, and protect your scuba equipment and accessories.
There are minimum age requirements and maximum depth limits for all the specialties that require scuba training dives in open water.
As a result, before you can enrol in the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course you will need to be (all):
Important: Even though PADI scuba certifications do not expire, we recommend reactivating it through a refresher course if you have been away from diving for a while (e.g. longer than six months).
Being able to determine how much lead you need to have, and learning how to streamline your body with trim weights, are two key reasons for taking this course.
Hence, you will get to fine-tune your weighting and conduct several buoyancy checks during the two scuba training dives.
Being neutrally buoyant means you are in control of the speed when ascending and descending. Plus, scuba diving in deep dark water has additional safety issues whereby good buoyancy is very important.
The same scuba skills come in handy when diving on shipwrecks because the structures tend to have tight gangways and open passages for exploration.
You are unlikely to get great underwater photographs if you have poor buoyancy. Furthermore, you want to avoid damaging the fragile aquatic environment.
The benefits of being neutrally buoyant also have a positive impact on the underwater world. For example, you will be less likely to:
Having the knowledge and unique skills to explore deeper dive sites away from the shore is another reason for taking the course because that's where you'll find large pelagics.
If so, you need to go diving in deeper water that attracts schooling vertebrates and pelagics, such as large barracudas, mola mola, and sea turtles.
In general, it is much easier for divers with a busy schedule to choose the online learning option to start scuba lessons.
Being able to complete the independent study portion of a multiple day course offers you some flexibility and convenience.
As long as you have a computer or a mobile device, you will be able to study the knowledge development portion at your own pace (online or offline).
If you sign up for PADI eLearning® you can complete the self-study assignments online (for around 4,500 THB).
Following that, you would need to contact the dive shop to perform the required scuba training dives with a PADI Instructor to finish the course.
You need to participate in the instructor-led knowledge development sessions by completing all knowledge reviews from the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy student manual.
Here's why...
Of course, you'll learn how to enter and exit the water in a safe and effective manner (e.g. making a giant stride from a boat platform) while wearing scuba gear.
Besides that, you will also learn about:
Note: Did you successfully complete the elective PPB Dive from the Adventures in Diving Program? If so, an instructor may count it as being the first training dive of the certification requirements in this particular specialty course.
You will need to wear standard scuba gear for the two (2) open water training dives. Other specialist diving equipment that you'll use may include:
Tip: Using your own personalised scuba equipment during the dive lessons means you can fine-tune your buoyancy wearing the gear that you use on every dive.
According to PADI®, the official number is a minimum of two (2) scuba training dives. But, your instructor may schedule extra dives for fun or for additional fine tuning.
In most cases, muscular or thinner individuals will sink easier than people who are overweight with extra body fat.
Simply put, a larger surface area with excess percentage of body fat usually floats easier and for a longer period of time. For the same reasons, most females will stay afloat easier than males.
Divers share a common responsibility to protect and conserve nature. As a result, passive interaction with aquatic animals helps to safeguard the habitats of delicate and sensitive sea life.
After cleaning the gear, there are several kinds of activities that divers should avoid doing after using scuba equipment, including:
Suppose you don't go diving for more than six months. There is a simple way to refresh the knowledge and skills that you already learned.
After a long period of inactivity, taking the PADI ReActivate® program will help you brush up on the safety procedures and scuba diving fundamentals.
You must be in good physical and mental health and be medically fit for recreational scuba diving. You can review the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire Online to check whether you need to be evaluated by a physician.
It is not appropriate to ask dive staff (e.g. divemasters, instructors) for medical advice or clearance to go diving. Instead, you can contact the Divers Alert Network (DAN) if you have questions about your medical fitness to dive.
We have qualified instructors and expert dive guides who can teach in several languages, including English, Thai, and Chinese.
The price includes (all):
Important: You will usually be making two (2) scuba training dives in the same day. The PADI flying after diving guidelines say you need to wait a minimum of eighteen (18) hours after the second dive before you go to altitude. Please send us an email if you need further information.
Most of the information and advice in this page focuses on scuba diving activities conducted from different types of watercraft and from sandy beaches.
We also have a list of blog articles about snorkeling which relate to popular boating adventures - especially around the tropical islands in Thailand.
Note: The short video presented by PADI® highlights what to expect from the Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course and how protocols and procedures may vary in different parts of the world.
Good body positioning and balance is important on every dive. The Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course enhances your comfort and safety in the water.
So what's next?
This certification links to most scuba certifications, including Specialty Diver Courses available through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).
Even so, PADI's PPB course combines very well with several other specialties, including Fish Identification Specialty, Deep Diver, Drift Diver, Dry Suit Diver, Multilevel Diver, and Night Diver.
Note: All course prices for diving are subject to change and assume that all prerequisites have been met to start the training. Click here to contact the team at Private Scuba in Thailand to make a booking or send an enquiry.