Home > PADI Dive Courses > Specialty Courses > Project AWARE Fish ID

PADI Project AWARE

What is that fish over there?... Get the answers with Fish ID!

The PADI Project AWARE Fish Identification Specialty course at BICD provides you with the fish identification basics, so that in the future you will have the answers to many questions of identification or the knowledge to indentify the species.

You’ll find you enjoy your dives even more when you recognize the creatures that you see. The fun part about this course is you can use the skills you learn on every scuba diving vacation because once you learn the main fish families and characteristics it will help you decipher the species you see all over the world.

For example, a butterfly fish in the Caribbean has a similar shape to a butterfly fish in Southeast Asia, but their colors and markings maybe wildly different. If you know what fish family it belongs to, it becomes much easier to look up the local name or at least be able to intelligently ask the local scuba instructor what you saw. That works better than asking about a “yellow thingy with a funny tail fin.”

During the two dives you gain hands-on (okay, eyes-on) experience in looking for and identifying the fascinating fish you see underwater. You’ll learn:

  • How to identify characteristics of local fish families and species
  • Fish survey techniques and strategies
  • How to practice fish identification dive planning, organization and procedures

This course is usually conducted over a two day period as the instructor led theory is quite extensive.