What is Involved?

 

Becoming certified consists of three phases. These are:

• Self study.
• Academic review and pool training.
• Open-water training.

Self Study

At one time, a beginning scuba class could drag on for weeks. These days, few people have that kind of time — nor is it needed.

With PADI’s unique self-study materials, the adventure begins the moment you sign up. You will be able to easily complete most of the necessary academic learning when and where it is convenient, and at your own pace.

PADI gives you two choices for completing the necessary self-study:

By far the fastest, easiest, most effective and most enjoyable way to do so is with PADI’s new eLearning program. It combines text, photos, illustrations, charts, graphs, animations and live-action video in a way that makes learning easy and fun.

Students who are more comfortable with traditional textbooks and classroom lectures can also choose to use our textbook-based learning materials. If you opt for this route, it is important you be good at reading carefully, taking notes and underlining or highlighting important information.

When you complete the self-study phase of the course, it’s time to get wet.

Academic Review and Pool Training

Just Add Water’s academic review and pool training sessions take just a Friday evening, a Saturday and a Sunday (and, if you take advantage of the eLearning option, your involvement may be limited to just attending a pre-course orientation and coming the the Saturday and Sunday pool sessions). See dates, times, locations.

• During your academic review, your instructor will go over the information you’ve gained by working through the self-study materials. He or she will bring this information to life with first-hand examples of how divers apply this information on dive vacations and here at home.
• In the pool, your instructor will demonstrate and have you practice diving’s fundamental skills. Like all aspects of learning to dive, pool sessions are fun and enjoyable.

When you’ve completed your academic and confined-water training, you’ll be ready for the final and most important phase of earning your entry-level diver certification: your open-water training dives.

Open Water Training

Open water training consists of four dives conducted over two days. Each of the four sessions consists of the opportunity to apply the skills you mastered in the pool, and to make a guided dive under the supervision of your instructor and his or her assistants. As far as open-water training goes, you have three options:

• During warmer weather, you can join us at White Star Quarry, near Sandusky, for a weekend of open-water training. This beautiful setting is famous for their convenient parking, easy entries, friendly fish, fascinating underwater wrecks and artifacts, and good visibility.

• Throughout the year, Just Add Water conducts a number of week-long group dive vacations to some of the world’s most popular dive destinations. These trips provide a wonderful opportunity to complete your open-water training requirements while enjoying a world-class dive vacation. See current schedule…
• If you already have a vacation planned to a warm-water destination anywhere in the world, we can provide you with referral paperwork so that you can complete your training at the dive destination of your choice.

And, When You Are Finished…

Once you’ve completed your academic/confined and open-water training, you’ll be awarded your PADI Open Water Diver certification. Bear in mind, however, that this is only the beginning.

As soon as possible, you will want to obtain (as a minimum) your Advanced Open Water Diver and Enriched Air Nitrox Diver certifications. These two ratings will allow you to participate in a much wider range or activities, both here at home and on vacation.

Your learning opportunities don’t stop there. Depending on your interests, you can take further training in activities such as underwater photography or video, and wreck diving. By taking five such Specialty Diver courses, and earning Rescue Diver certification, you can eventually obtain the coveted Master Scuba Diver rating.

 

	Who Can Learn?		How Much?
	Where Do You Learn?		What Equipment Will You Need?
	When Can You Start?		Sign Up On Line