Learn to Dive: Open Water Scuba Certification

This beginner-level certification course is designed for those with little or no experience in scuba diving. At Scuba Ventures/Blue Water Park, our goal is to teach students the skills necessary to participate in open water dives in conditions similar to those they will experience during their training. Once certified, you will have the knowledge and skills to allow you to safely, comfortably, and confidently dive to a maximum of 60 feet without the direct supervision of a dive professional.

Our group classes require a total of six sessions. The date that you choose here will be the first of your sessions:

• Tuesday evenings classes: Tuesday classes are conducted at Scuba Ventures and a nearby indoor pool and run from 6:00pm to approximately 9:00pm for four consecutive Tuesdays. After the fourth Tuesday, students will complete two days of check-out dives (two dives each day) at Blue Water Park, to be scheduled with their instructor.
• Thursday evening classes: Thursday classes are conducted at Blue Water Park and run from 5:00pm to approximately 8:00pm for four consecutive Thursdays. After the fourth Thursday, students will complete two days of check-out dives (two dives each day) at Blue Water Park, to be scheduled with their instructor.
• Weekend classes: Weekend classes are conducted at Blue Water park Friday-Saturday-Sunday, TWO consecutive weekends. The first session will meet between 5:00-6:00pm on the date chosen here (your instructor will contact you with a specific time the week of the first session); all other start times will be announced during the first session. The first four sessions will be held in the confined water training pools; the final two sessions will be dedicated to check-out dives.

All Open Water students are required to have their own dive-quality mask, fins, snorkel, dive boots, and wetsuit. The discounted class fee of $575 applies only to students who opt to purchase this gear from Scuba Ventures. For those who choose to shop elsewhere, the full class fee of $650 will be applied.

To ensure that students have sufficient time to begin their academic coursework before getting in the water, the deadline to sign up for any of our classes is one week before the first session. If you have any questions or concerns regarding dive training, please call or come by Scuba Ventures BEFORE registering for a class. 205-822-2121, 610 Montgomery Highway, Vestavia Hills AL 35216

Prerequisites:

• Students must have the skills necessary to perform a basic swim test (consisting of a 200 yard swim and a 10 minute tread)
• All students must be a minimum of 10 years of age (written consent from a parent/guardian is required for all students under 18)

Course fee includes:

• Open Water coursework*
• Four (4) classroom/pool sessions lead by a certified instructor
• Four (4) check-out dives at Blue Water Park lead by a certified instructor
• Equipment necessary for diving**
• Certification processing

*Coursework is done online and in your own time. Students are expected to have at least half of the coursework completed before the first session; coursework must be fully completed – including the final exam – before the last session.

**All students are required to have their own personal mask, fins, snorkel, dive boots, and wetsuit. All other gear will be provided for use in the pool and during check-out dives.