Categories: Recreational scuba diving specialty courses

Search and Recovery

Master specialized search patterns, learn complex underwater rigging, and safely bring lost items back to the surface using lift bags.

1. Why Take This Speciality Course?

Take a fresh look at solving underwater challenges Have you ever dropped an item overboard or wondered how divers locate lost objects on the sea floor? The SSI Search & Recovery specialty teaches you the systematic techniques used by search teams to find and retrieve lost gear, anchors, or submerged objects. Combining precise navigation, specialized knot tying, and lift bag handling, this course turns complex underwater operations into structured, safe, and incredibly rewarding missions.

Search Patterns: Master expanding square, circular, grid, and U-pattern search techniques using compasses and line reels.
Rigging & Knots: Learn essential underwater knots (bowline, sheet bend, clove hitch) to secure objects safely underwater.
Lift Bag Operations: Practice rigging and operating lift bags to safely raise heavy objects from the seabed to the surface.
Open to Certified Divers: Includes practical search and rigging workshops plus dedicated ocean training dives.

2 .Course Curriculum (1 Day, 2 Local Dives)

The course combines interactive online learning on the MySSI app with dry land rigging/knot workshops and 2 dedicated open water search & recovery dives around Koh Lanta’s dive sites.

🔹 Key Topics Covered:

Search Operations & Planning: Choosing the right search pattern based on visibility, depth, current, and object size.
Underwater Rigging & Knot Tying: Selecting ropes, tying secure knots under pressure, and attachment points for recovery.
Lift Bag Safety & Physics: Calculating required lift capacity, controlling ascent rates, and managing expansion air safely.

3. Prerequisites

Prerequisites: Open Water Diver certification (SSI, PADI, or equivalent) with Navigation certification (or equivalent experience).
Minimum Age: 12 years old.

4. Your International Certification

At the end of the course, you will earn your SSI Search & Recovery Specialty Certification.

Digital SSI Search & Recovery certification recognized worldwide.
Counts directly toward your Master Scuba Diver rating or Advanced Open Water / Specialty Diver levels SSI.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is it dangerous to lift objects using lift bags underwater?

Safety is the core focus of this course. You will learn to use specialized dump valves, control expansion air as the bag rises, and always maintain a safe distance from rising loads.

Do I need advanced navigation skills before taking this specialty?

Basic compass skills are required, but the course will build heavily on your navigation abilities, teaching you how to run precise search patterns using lines and compass bearings.