Advanced Snorkelling Course
This course takes your snorkelling to the next level, with techniques for exploring safely and efficiently in more demanding settings. You will learn to choose, fit and maintain advanced equipment, move with efficient, quiet finning, control your breathing and surface buoyancy, perform controlled duck dives with basic equalization, read currents, waves and tides, plan routes with entry, exit and safety points and know when to shorten or cancel an outing, always with the buddy system and responsible observation of marine life.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Advanced Snorkelling Course?
This short course is designed for snorkelling enthusiasts who want to explore more challenging environments, recreational divers who want to refine their breath-hold technique, snorkelling instructors and guides, underwater photographers and videographers who want to approach marine life discreetly, and travelers who want a deeper connection with the sea. You will study how advanced snorkelling differs from basic snorkelling, introductory freediving and scuba diving, the conditions and risks of the marine environment, advanced equipment and its maintenance, finning, breathing and buoyancy techniques, controlled descents and orientation and route planning.
What sets this course apart: it builds skill and safety together, with clear personal limits, the buddy system, signals and criteria for ending an outing; it trains you to read the sea before you get in, from currents and rip zones to boat traffic; and it ends with an applied project in which you plan and evaluate an advanced snorkelling route along a coast, reef, seagrass meadow or marine reserve.
Program highlights
- Advanced snorkelling explained: how it differs from basic snorkelling, introductory freediving and scuba diving.
- Equipment mastered: masks, snorkels, fins, wetsuits, weights, buoys and signaling devices, fitted and maintained.
- Efficient technique: quiet finning, relaxed breathing, surface buoyancy and stable long observation.
- Controlled duck dives: descent, basic equalization, safe return and management of personal limits.
- Reading the sea: currents, waves, breakers, tides, wind, reference points and changing conditions.
- Applied project: a safety plan and evaluation for a real or simulated advanced snorkelling route.
Syllabus of the Advanced Snorkelling Course
5 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Foundations of advanced snorkelling, water safety and adaptation to the marine environment
- 1.1. The concept of advanced snorkelling and how it differs from basic recreational snorkelling, introductory freediving and scuba diving
- 1.2. Conditions of the marine environment: waves, currents, visibility, temperature, depth, marine life and changes in the weather
- 1.3. Main risks: fatigue, disorientation, cramp, hypothermia, heat stroke, panic, currents and overestimating your abilities
- 1.4. Physical preparation, basic breathing control, mobility in the water and body awareness during the activity
- 1.5. Personal safety, the buddy system, signals, depth limits and criteria for ending the outing
Advanced equipment, set-up, maintenance and preparation before entering the water
- 2.1. Masks, snorkels, fins, wetsuits, weights, buoys, safety knives, signaling devices and recommended accessories
- 2.2. Choosing equipment according to temperature, visibility, depth, type of coast, duration and the snorkeller's level
- 2.3. Fitting the mask, snorkel, fins, wetsuit, weight belt and buoyancy or signaling items
- 2.4. Equipment maintenance: rinsing, drying, checking straps, valves, lenses, seals and material wear
- 2.5. Preparation beforehand: hydration, sun protection, checking the weather, route planning and energy management
Advanced techniques for moving, breathing, buoyancy and controlled descent
- 3.1. Efficient finning techniques, quiet movement, saving energy and orientation at the surface
- 3.2. Breathing through the snorkel, relaxation, controlling the rhythm, recovery and preventing hyperventilation
- 3.3. Surface buoyancy, body adjustment, position control and staying stable during long observation
- 3.4. Controlled descent, the duck dive, basic equalization, safe return and managing personal limits
- 3.5. Maneuvering in areas with waves, moderate current, rocks, shallow caves and boat traffic
Orientation, reading the sea, route planning and managing changing conditions
- 4.1. Reading the environment: currents, waves, breakers, tides, wind, channels, seabeds, rocks and reference points
- 4.2. Planning routes with entry, exit, main route, alternative route, timings, rests and safety points
- 4.3. Using a buoy, flag, coastal references, a simple compass, a buddy and signals to keep control of the route
- 4.4. Managing changes in visibility, temperature, current, tiredness, loss of reference or separation from the group
- 4.5. Criteria for canceling, changing or shortening the activity in unsafe conditions
Applied project in advanced snorkelling
- 5.1. Defining the case: coastal outing, reef route, seagrass meadow, rocky area, nature reserve or guided advanced snorkelling activity
- 5.2. Diagnosing the environment, forecast conditions, risks, group level, equipment needed and observation goals
- 5.3. Designing the safety plan with route, signals, buddy system, entry and exit points, limits and contingencies
- 5.4. Simulated or real execution of moving, buoyancy, controlled descent, orientation and responsible observation techniques
- 5.5. Recording results, incidents, species observed, technical learning and recommendations for improvement
Duration and format of the Advanced Snorkelling Course
It is 300 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Advanced Snorkelling Course
Career opportunities after the Advanced Snorkelling Course
Questions about the Advanced Snorkelling Course
Basic snorkelling stays at the surface in calm, shallow water. Advanced snorkelling explores more demanding areas, with gentle currents, rocks or shallow caves, and includes short controlled breath-hold descents for a closer look at marine life.
A wetsuit, gloves and boots, a weight belt when appropriate, a surface buoy or flag, signaling devices, a dive torch and, for photography, a waterproof camera.
No. It focuses on advanced snorkelling with short, controlled breath-hold descents within personal limits. Freediving and scuba diving have their own training paths and qualifications.
Yes. Safety runs through every module: the buddy system, signals, depth limits, reading the sea, route planning with safety points and clear criteria for canceling or shortening an outing.
Yes. The course promotes responsible observation of marine life, with good practices for approaching without disturbing it, and the final project includes recording the species you observe.
Fully online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with explanatory videos, downloadable materials, practical exercises and personalized tutorials with the teaching staff.
The course comprises 300 hours of study across 5 modules of 60 hours each. You can progress at your own pace within the schedule set when you enroll.
Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at snorkelling enthusiasts, recreational divers, snorkelling instructors and guides, underwater photographers and travelers; prior experience of basic snorkelling, confidence in the water, including floating, swimming and clearing the mask, and good health with no medical contraindications are recommended.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer, tablet or smartphone with a stable internet connection and an up-to-date browser; your own basic snorkelling kit (mask, snorkel and fins) is useful for practice.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.