AWARE Fish Identification
SKU AFI001
"What was that?" is the most asked question on every boat ride home. This answers it.
Everyone has the same experience after a good dive. Something extraordinary went past, nobody knows what it was, and the description gets vaguer with every retelling until it's simply a big silver one. It's a small frustration, but it sits between you and actually understanding what you're looking at.
The AWARE Fish Identification course fixes it, and it does so cleverly. Rather than trying to memorise species, you learn to recognise the major fish families by shape, fin placement, markings and behaviour. Get the family right and the species usually follows, and the method works on a reef you've never dived before.
That matters here more than most places. South African waters are unusually diverse, and Sodwana alone has over a thousand recorded fish species. Two dives with an instructor, and all scuba equipment is included for the duration of the course.
What Fish Identification Gives You
You'll come away able to identify the fish families you'll actually meet in local waters, record what you see usefully, and understand why fish surveys matter to the people trying to protect these reefs.
It pairs naturally with Underwater Naturalist, which teaches you what the animals are doing rather than what they're called, and it counts toward your Master Scuba Diver rating.
Ready to stop guessing? Book Fish Identification below, or get in touch with our team if you'd like to talk through which specialities suit your diving.
What This Course Entails
Prerequisites
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know anything about fish already?
No. The course teaches identification by family and characteristic rather than by memorising hundreds of species, which is what actually works underwater. Once you know the handful of features that separate the major families, you can place most of what you see.
What are the prerequisites for Fish Identification?
A PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver certification, or a qualifying equivalent, and a minimum age of 10. It's one of the most accessible specialities on the list.
Is this useful for South African diving specifically?
Very. Our reefs are unusually diverse, and Sodwana alone has over a thousand recorded fish species. Learning to identify by family travels well between sites, so what you learn on an inland dive still works on the reef and on your next trip abroad.
How many dives does the course involve?
Two open water dives with an instructor, alongside the knowledge development. The AWARE Fish Identification dive from the Adventures in Diving programme may count toward this specialty at your instructor's discretion. All scuba equipment is included.
Does Fish Identification count toward Master Scuba Diver?
Yes, as one of your five specialities. It pairs particularly well with Underwater Naturalist, since one teaches you to name what you're seeing and the other teaches you to understand what it's doing.
Are air fills included in the course price?
No, and that is deliberate. Air is charged as you use it, per fill, and invoiced to you after your session. Every diver breathes differently, and building a worst-case air allowance into every course fee would mean the lightest breathers subsidising the heaviest, so instead you pay for the air you actually use and the course price stays lower for everyone. We confirm the current fill rate with you when we book your dates, and you are welcome to ask us for it at any point before that. Dive site entrance fees are also paid separately, at the site on the day.
Pairs well with
AWARE Fish Identification
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Talk to a diver
A diver answers, not a call centre. Call 010 335 1000 or WhatsApp 082 557 3822, seven days a week.
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Pay how you like
Card through PayFast or Yoco, EFT, or spread the cost over months with Mobicred.
More answers in our FAQs, and the full shipping and refund policies.
