PADI course
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Stop fighting the water and start hovering in it
$225per diver
- Duration
- 1 day · 2 dives
- Group size
- A small group, so your instructor can watch each diver hover
Who can enroll
Open Water or higher Ages 10 and up
From the shop
PADI Open Water Diver or higher, from PADI or another agency. Divers aged 10–11 take it as Junior Open Water Divers and keep their 12 meters depth limit and supervision requirements. You will complete a medical questionnaire before the course; some answers require a physician's sign-off before you can dive, so tell us early if that may apply to you.
About this course
Buoyancy is the skill that makes every other skill easier. Divers who hover use less air, silt less, damage nothing, and look calm because they are calm.
The course is two dives and the work between them. You start with a real weight check — most divers are carrying several kilos they do not need — then move the weight around until you are flat in the water instead of standing up in it. After that it is practice: hovering without using your hands, moving through tight spaces, ascending at a controlled rate without a line.
It is the least dramatic course we teach and the one that changes people's diving the most.
Photos from the Peak Performance Buoyancy course
How the course runs
Course day
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Knowledge review: weighting, trim, and what actually moves you up and down
- Dive 1: proper weight check, weight distribution, and fin pivots
- Surface interval — adjust weight placement and gear position
- Dive 2: hovering without hands, swimming a buoyancy course, controlled ascent
What the fee covers
We provide
- All PADI learning materials and certification fees
- Two training dives
- Tanks, weights, and boat
Not included
- Personal gear rental
- Marine park fees
- Underwater photos
Upcoming dates
Next date
Fri, Sep 18
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT · 2 spots left
Looking for a different date? Request a date.
Questions divers ask
I only have a few dives. Is it too early for this?
No. Early is the best time — you have fewer habits to unlearn. You can take it right after Open Water.
Will I really use less air?
Usually, yes, though it is not guaranteed and nobody can promise a number. Most of the gain comes from not swimming against your own buoyancy the whole dive.
Should I bring my own gear?
If you own a BCD, wetsuit, or fins, bring them. Weighting is specific to the gear you wear, so a weight check on rental kit tells you less about your own setup.
Does this count toward Advanced Open Water?
Yes. The first dive credits as the Peak Performance Buoyancy Adventure Dive if you go on to the Advanced Open Water Diver course, and it works the other way too.
Can I fly afterwards?
Wait at least 18 hours after multiple dives before flying. That is a minimum, not a guarantee — plan your last dive day with room to spare.