top of page

PADI Open Water Diver

 

Get Certified! With the PADI Open Water Diver Course

 

If you’ve always wanted to learn how to scuba dive, discover new adventures or simply see the wondrous world beneath the waves, this is where it starts.  Get your PADI scuba certification.

 

The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world’s most popular scuba course and has introduced millions of people to the adventurous diving lifestyle.

 

What You Learn

 

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three phases which you must complete:

 

  • Knowledge Development (Traditional or Online) to understand basic principles of scuba diving

  • Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills

  • Open Water Dives to review your skills and explore!

 

If you’ve tried diving through a Discover Scuba Diving experience or resort course, the skills you learned may be credited towards a portion of the full PADI Open Water Diver course certification.

 

LET'S GET STARTED!!!

 

Choose How You Complete Your Knowledge Development

 

PADI offers a variety of home-study materials for the Open Water Diver course. With this, you have a couple options as to how you take the course with Scuba 8.  

The Traditional Option:  First, you will need a crewpack.  A crewpack consists of a book, logbook, and a digital eRDPml. These can be picked up at the shop or we can ship them to you.  Once you have your crewpack you will read the book, complete the knowledge reviews for each chapter, download and practice with the eRDPml, and watch a DVD.  This all needs to be completed prior to our first classroom session.  Once completed, you will attend the equipment orientation and the classroom portions where we will review what you have learned, take quizzes and the final test.

 

The Online Option:  This option allows you to complete the full Knowledge Development Phase online.  Once you have purchased the course, you will be sent instructions on how to create a PADI profile and a program code.  Once you log in and enter your program code, you will have access to the online materials.  You will complete "the book", knowledge reviews at the end of the chapters, go over the eRPDml, watch the video, and take all the quizzes and test online.  Once completed, you will print out your completion certificate and bring that in to us at the shop.  When you come to the equipment session, you will take a "Quick Review" to ensure that you retained the information.  The one thing the PADI online course materials do not include is a Logbook.  You will need to purchase a logbook if you choose the online option.

 

Confined Water Training

 

Now we're really having fun!!  This will be your first opportunity to breathe underwater!!!  In the confined water training you will work your way through five "dives" where you will learn skills that build upon each other on each dive.  During your fifth dive you will actually be planning a dive and reviewing things that you have learned!!  During confined water training you will also go over skin diving skills and complete a Waterskills Assessment before the open water training.

 

Open Water Training

 

You're almost finished!!!!  Once the knowledge development and confined water training have been completed, we are ready to move to the OPEN WATER!!! During this portion of the course we generally go to a local dive spot (Blue Hole, Santa Rosa, NM) where you will perform four (4) open water dives over a two day period. 

 

Get College Credit

 

You may be able to earn college credit for the PADI Open Water Diver course!  (Call for details)

 

 

The Scuba Gear You Use

 

To participate in the course you will need to purchase your own "Personal Gear" which consists of a mask and snorkel, mask cleaner, fins, and boots.  

 

In the PADI Open Water Diver course, you learn to use basic scuba gear including your personal gear, a BCD, air cylinder, air source, dive computer, and standard accessories.

 

The thermal protection you wear varies somewhat, depending upon whether you’re diving in tropical, temperate or cold water.  We will be wearing 7mm wet suits at Blue Hole.

 

We can work with you on options if you would like to go somewhere outside of New Mexico to do your course.  Travel expenses of course are not included in the cost of the course.

 

The Fun Part

 

The fun part about this course is . . . well, the whole course is fun because you are learning to dive!!! Which is incredible!!!

 

Think about this.... You're going to breathe underwater for the first time (something you’ll never forget), you'll learn what you need to know to become a certified diver, AND you will now be able to explore a whole new underwater world.

 

 

Other Costs:

 

The only other expenses not listed here are your personal expenses during the Open Water Sessions. You will be responsible for food and lodging as well as the fees that are charged by the City of Santa Rosa for Diving (and parking during summer season).  Other than that, all of the cost have been discussed here or are included.

​

No refunds on courses

Prerequisites

 

To enroll in the PADI Open Diver course (or Junior Open Water Diver course) you must:

 

  • Be 10 years or older (PADI eLearning requires an extra registration step for students under 13 years due to international internet laws)

  • Complete, sign and return to us the Medical Questionnaire, (click link to open).

  • Understand there are no refunds on paid courses.

Open Water Course with Traditional Knowledge Development - $480 plus tax  (call for group rates of 4 or more)

Open Water Course with Online Knowledge Development - $440 plus tax  (call for group rates of 4 or more)

bottom of page