SSI Navigation
You surface near the boat, current running the wrong way, and you're not entirely sure which direction you actually came from.
Most divers never really learn to navigate in Open Water, there simply isn't time. SSI Navigation fixes that with two real skills: reading a dive site itself, and running a compass heading with confidence.
Availability: Contact us for booking information
“Just Follow Your Buddy” Is Not a Navigation Plan
Compass skills get a passing mention in Open Water and rarely get the focused practice they need. The result is that most certified divers navigate by staying close to someone who seems to know where they are. That works until the group gets turned around, visibility drops, or you and your buddy want to explore a side route and return with confidence.
SSI Navigation teaches natural navigation alongside real compass technique, through two open water training dives at real Austin-area sites. $249 per diver (group) · $349 private · $395 bundled with Perfect Buoyancy. Open Water Diver, minimum age 10.
Navigation Is for the Diver Who Wants to Stop Wondering Where They Are
You rely on your buddy to find the way back
If your dive buddy is your only navigation plan, this course builds a real skill of your own to fall back on.
You want to explore a side route with your buddy and find your way back
Natural and compass navigation together let you and your buddy explore a site confidently without losing the route back.
You are planning a liveaboard or guided trip
Many liveaboards and structured trips expect basic navigation competence. This course builds it before you go.
You want one less thing to worry about underwater
Not knowing where you are adds background stress to every dive. Removing it makes every dive more enjoyable.
Course at a Glance
| Price | $249 per diver (group) · $349 per diver (private) |
| Bundle pricing | $395 when combined with Perfect Buoyancy |
| Format | Online academics via MySSI app · two open water training dives |
| Time commitment | Self-paced academics (2–3 hours) plus two open water dives · typically completed in one half-day at the lake |
| Location | Lake Travis or Spring Lake |
| Prerequisites | Open Water Diver (any agency) · minimum age 10 |
| Certification awarded | SSI Navigation · lifetime, recognized worldwide |
| CE lane | Control / Comfort → |
Ready to stop guessing?
SSI Navigation — $249 · Austin, TX
Two open water dives at Lake Travis or Spring Lake. Bundle with Perfect Buoyancy for $395. Call (512) 451-3425.
View the Dive Calendar →Two Open Water Dives. Two Methods. One Reliable Skill.
Online academics first, then two training dives at Lake Travis or Spring Lake applying everything you studied on land.
Cover natural navigation (reading rock formations, slope, and bottom composition) and compass technique, including reciprocal headings and multi-leg patterns. Complete the digital exam before your first dive.
Before entering the water, practice natural and reciprocal compass navigation on land until the technique is familiar, so you are not learning it for the first time underwater.
Travel away from your entry point using natural references, then practice a reciprocal compass heading with your buddy. Combine both methods to navigate a side trip and return to your start point.
Apply multiple course headings and more complex patterns, building toward the kind of independent navigation you will use on every dive afterward.
Your SSI Navigation certification is a lifetime credential, recognized worldwide, and one of the most immediately useful specialties for everyday diving.
Orientation You Bring to Every Buddy-Team Dive
Navigation changes more dives than almost any other specialty, because disorientation is a low-grade stressor on every dive where you don’t know exactly where you are. Here is what changes:
Relying entirely on your buddy or guide to know which way is back
Confident with your own compass and natural references on every dive
Anxious about losing the entry point during a side trip
Comfortable exploring with your buddy without losing the route back
Staying glued to the anchor line or guide at unfamiliar sites
Independent orientation at new sites from your first dive
Quiet background stress of not knowing where you are
One less thing to manage, on every dive for the rest of your diving life
We Build Divers We Would Trust With Our Own Families.
Navigation is not a card to collect. It is the confidence of always knowing how to get back, on every dive for the rest of your life. Tom’s trains navigation at real Austin-area sites, Lake Travis and Spring Lake, so the skill transfers directly to conditions you will actually dive in, not a controlled pool environment where nothing looks like open water.
Tom’s has been Austin’s only SSI Dive Center since 1982, open longer than any other Austin dive shop still in business. Over 400 five-star Google reviews.
Trained at Lake Travis and Spring Lake
Practice in real open water conditions so the skill is ready the first time you need it on a trip.
Open Longer Than Any Other Austin Dive Shop Still in Business
Four decades of teaching navigation to divers who needed to rely on it, not just pass a test.
Pair With Perfect Buoyancy for $395
Navigation and Perfect Buoyancy together remove two of the biggest stressors for newer certified divers.
30+ Tom’s Instructors
Flexible scheduling for your two open water training dives, built around your calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for the course — Tom’s provides what you need for training. If you plan to dive regularly afterward, owning a compass you are familiar with is a worthwhile investment.
Each has strengths. Natural navigation works well in good visibility with clear landmarks. A compass works regardless of visibility. The course teaches both so you can use whichever fits the dive.
Yes. Navigation and Perfect Buoyancy bundle for $395, removing two of the biggest stressors for newer divers in one trip to the lake.
Either works as a starting point. If your buoyancy feels solid but your orientation does not, start with Navigation. If both feel shaky, Perfect Buoyancy first tends to make Navigation easier since you are not managing buoyancy while also trying to navigate. The bundle does both together.
Compasses can be affected by large metal structures like wrecks, but work reliably in typical open water and reef conditions, which is what this course focuses on.
Yes. All students complete an SSI Medical Statement before any in-water activity. Most people do not require a physician’s signature.
Ready to stop guessing underwater?
SSI Navigation — $249 · Austin, TX
Call (512) 451-3425 or view the calendar to schedule your training dives.
View the Dive Calendar →