Open Water

  In a Nutshell
Our Open Water program prepares you to use your certification card independently and confidently. We regard your proficiency as a diver as our foremost responsibility. That’s why we won’t take any shortcuts with your training.
After you complete your theoretical program, we will review with you what you have learned and clear up any uncertainties.
During your five Confined Water sessions we make sure that you achieve mastery in all required skills. Then we take you on four Open Water dives, during which you will practice these skills in a real-world scenario.
Afterwards you should be ready to receive your certification card. If there are any areas where we feel your dive skills are still lacking, we will recommend additional training and work out a plan that will work for you.

  What to Expect
The Open Water program is intense. In order to keep classes short enough to fit into most people’s vacation, a lot is packed into each one of the four days of training. Because we keep groups very small–no more than three students per instructor–you will receive a lot of personal attention and you will be asked to repeat a task as many times as necessary for you to master it. Our instructors are kind and patient, but they are also firm and will ask discipline and perseverance of you to make sure you will be a competent diver by the end of your class. But no worries, you will have lots of fun in the process as well!

  How to Prep
Complete your theoretical studies before you come! You can do this online. The E-Learning for this class is $200.. It is quite a lot of material, so do not wait until you come here. Nobody likes to spend their vacation afternoons cramming when beach and bar are beckoning! It is however a very good idea to briefly review the chapter(s) pertinent to the next day’s dives to refresh your memory and be prepared for our quizzing us before we enter the water. It will save time and make your days shorter and less exhausting.
Also make sure to review this medical form. If there are any questions you answer with Yes, you will need to take the form to a physician and get their clearance. This is very important! A Yes-answer without a doctor’s signature will disqualify you from participating without being eligible for a refund!
If your eyesight is significantly diminished, let us know in advance! We might be able to supply you with a special mask, but we will have to specially prepare for that.
Wear your bathing suit and bring a towel. If your sunscreen includes oxybenzone or octinoxate, do not use it before entering the water. It will hurt the reef you want to admire! We have reef-safe sun screen for sale if you need some. Just ask us!
We will bring plenty of water and some small snacks. If you require anything special, please bring it with you.

  Where to go from Here
Some dive centers like to sell their students on starting an Advanced Open Water class immediately after completing their Open Water certification. We are not fond of that idea. We think that it is important to get some experience before diving deeper or including more complicated tasks during the course of your dives. We generally recommend to get about 20 to 30 dives under your belt–ideally in very different locales–before going for your Advanced certification. However, if you are eager to do more training right away we would love to get you a Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty. That’s what would be most useful to you as a new diver. It’s also a really fun class!