Open Water Diver Course
The adventure begins here, at Scuba World, with the most popular diving course in the world. It’s the first level of PADI scuba certification and includes the basics of enjoyable, safe diving taught through academic training and confined and open water practice sessions, all under the guidance of one of our PADI instructors. Virtually anyone in good health who’s comfortable in the water can learn to scuba dive. Participants as young as 10 with no upper age limit may take the course. Open Water Certification is a lifetime certification to dive anywhere in the world to a maximum depth of 60 feet.
How long does it take?
The entire course takes approximately 16 hours to complete. Included are:
Independent study
- 4 hours academic instruction
- 4 hours confined water skills training in the pool (two 2-hour sessions)
- 4 skills evaluation training dives over two days at the quarry (three dives Saturday and one dive Sunday)
When can I begin?
Start today!
Once you receive your training materials, you read the text, watch the DVD and complete the knowledge review questions at home, at your leisure, then schedule your academic sessions with the instructor. We offer weekday, week night and weekend sessions around your schedule. The academic portion is taught at Scuba World. Pool times and locations vary.
How much does it cost?
At Scuba World, we want to treat you the way that we want to be treated as a consumer, so we include everything you will need for the course in one price.
Course: $1,280
This fee covers academic materials and instruction, pool instruction and your open water skills evaluation training dives. Scuba world provides your rental BCD, regulator setup, weights, and tank for the pool and quarry. Additionally, a wetsuit and hood for quarry dives if you choose to checkout at the quarry.
Your personal equipment is also included in the price of the course. You will receive a mask, snorkel, fins, boots, gloves, a shorty wetsuit (for the pool), and a mesh bag. You will be fit by one of our staff members. As a part of your training materials, you will receive a wrist mounted dive computer. Personal equipment and dive computer are yours to keep.
You will receive a certification card at the end of the course. For accelerated or private classes, please add $250 per segment.
What are the skills evaluation training dives?
Upon completion of your academic and confined water skills training, you are now ready to take the skills you learned in the pool and perform these skills in the Open Water environment. We have three options for completion of these dives. Included are:
OPTION 1
Quarry Checkout
Costs are:
- Quarry entrance fee: $55-75 per person per day
- 3 tank fills: $12/fill
- Accommodations to stay overnight if necessary.
OPTION 2
Referral checkout
- If you are going on vacation, complete your academic and pool instruction with Scuba World and complete your four training evaluation dives at a PADI facility when you reach your vacation destination.
OPTION 3
Evaluation dives may be completed on any of Scuba World’s dive trips.