OVERVIEW AND QUALIFICATIONS
The purpose of this course is to train divers with the necessary procedures, knowledge and skills to safely dive with a full-face mask (FFM). Upon successful completion of this course, graduates are considered competent to engage in open water diving activities with a full-face mask providing the activities and the areas dived approximate those of training.
Get Started
The NAUI Full Face Mask Diver is for certified divers who are are passionate about diving and would like to increase their knowledge and safety in diving. Divers must be a minimum of 15 years of age, in good health.
What’s Next?
Continue your training by enrolling in a NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver, NAUI Rescue Scuba Diver or NAUI First Aid course. If you completed the aforementioned courses you may enroll in NAUI Divemaster course.
COURSE DETAILS
Academic: E-learning/Classroom
Practical Application:
Open Water Dives: 2 dives
REQUIREMENTS – SKILLS
- Applied Sciences. Physics, physiology and medical aspects as they relate to a diver’s performance and
safety in the water. Emphasis is to be placed on physical fitness, diving hazards, personal limitation,
and the behavior needed to minimize the risks of diving. Material is to be presented in terms of
qualitative, practical application.
- Topics include: gases, pressure, volume, temperature, density,
buoyancy, vision, and acoustics. Also, to be included are the definition, cause, prevention, symptoms,
and first aid for nitrogen narcosis, shallow water blackout, squeezes, overexertion, overexposure,
decompression illness, i.e., decompression sickness, and air embolism, and related injuries. Repetitive
dive tables are to be covered to the extent required for students to be able to plan repetitive dives not
requiring staged decompression. It is acceptable for students to be instructed in the use of
personally-owned dive computers in lieu of using dive tables for dive planning.
- Diving Equipment. Purpose, features, types and uses of FFM scuba equipment. The student is to be able to select, assemble, use, and care for the FFM system and any other basic equipment dictated by the local diving conditions.
- Diving Safety. Aspects that impact upon a diver’s safety. Topics are to include emergency procedures,
rescue as applied to FFM diving, underwater communications, dive planning, and safety measures.
Rescue is to address problem prevention and recognition, panic, self-rescue, and retrieval from depth.
- Diving Environment. Physical and biological aspects of the environment where training
is conducted. The student shall be reminded to recognize potential hazards before entering the water.
The instructor is to nurture student awareness of the importance of conservation and the kinds of
both negative and positive impact divers can have on the environment. Regulations,
conservation principles, and other pertinent laws are to be addressed where appropriate.
- Diving Activities. The how, who, when, where, what, and why of FFM diving. Emphasis shall be placed upon continued education through NAUI training courses.
- Continuing Education. Limitations as new FFM divers and the importance of additional training. An
awareness of personal ability shall be emphasized. Specific information on continuing education
courses, workshops, and conferences are to be provided. The importance of logbook use shall be
emphasized. Students are to appreciate the need to reevaluate their physical condition and diving
competence before resuming open water diving after periods of inactivity or prior to embarking on
dives beyond their current level of training.
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- Full Face Mask Diving (confined and open water). Following initial evaluation, dive activity should be
tailored to participant needs in terms of current proficiency vs. projected diving activities with the emphasis is to be given to skills, knowledge and techniques applicable to the area to be dived.
- PRE AND POST DIVE SKILLS.
- Assembly of the FFM system
- Check integrity and functionality of the Surface Breathing Valve (SBV)
- Select, check, assemble, adjust and don Full Face Mask equipment; perform pre-dive gear check for self and buddy; defog masks; after diving, doff, rinse and care for gear.
- Perform surface buoyancy/weighting check and make adjustments as needed to hover at diving depth.
- Correctly give and recognize surface communications for divers.
- DESCENT/ASCENT SKILLS.
- Control pressure in air spaces for comfortable, controlled descents and ascents.
- Descend feet first with a minimum of hand or fin movement, using breath control or BC to
control rate of descent.
- At the end of a dive, ascend at a controlled steady rate of 9m (30 ft.) or less per minute and
hover at a depth of approximately 4.6m (15 ft.) for three minutes.
- UNDERWATER SKILLS.
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- Give, recognize and respond appropriately to common underwater communications.
- Mask clearing, including removal and replacement.
- Locating and utilizing alternate air source.
- Hover without support or significant movement.
- If wearing a standard buckle type weight belt and submerged in a prone position at the
bottom or while hovering, adjust the position of the weight system so that the ballast is evenly
distributed.
- If wearing a weight-integrated weight system, and submerged in a prone position at the
bottom or while hovering, remove and replace at least one weight pocket, if permitted by the
weight system. If necessary, assistance is allowed to replace the weight pocket.
- Use the buddy system for scuba diving, remaining within 3m (10 ft.), or less if required by
conditions, of buddy.
- Monitor air supply and communicate amount remaining upon request and manage air supply
so as to surface with a pre-planned minimum amount of air.
- Emergency/Rescue/Problem Solving.
- In a stationary position in confined water and at a minimum depth of 4.6m (15 ft.) in open
water, share air in a controlled manner with another diver, be both the donor of air and receiver
of air.
- Share air as both a donor and a receiver from an octopus or alternate breathing source (not
buddy breathing) during ascents in confined water and from a minimum depth of 4.6m (15 ft.)
to the surface in open water.
- Bring a diver simulating unconsciousness to the surface from a depth of approximately 3 m
PREREQUISITES
- Age. Minimum age is 15. (Junior certification for ages 10-14 years is allowed. See “Policies Applying to All Courses: Age, Junior Certification.”)
- Certification/Experience/Knowledge. NAUI Open Water SCUBA Diver or equivalent.
