PADI Open Water Diver

Dive Into the Essentials to Get Certified

THE EXPERIENCE

Ready to dive into the amazing world of scuba diving? Brought to you by Scuba Dogs, a PADI 5-Star Dive & Aquatic Center operating in Puerto Rico since year 2000, the Open Water Diver course will teach, train, certify, and empower you to enjoy scuba diving safely anywhere you go. This training will have you geared up and ready to explore the amazing wonders of the deep with your buddy; no babysitters required.

TRAINING DETAILS

Consider the main components of this service:

- Price – Varies per location, enter “Book Now” link for details
- Special Discount – $25 off per person when booking 2+ participants, plus 20% discount on any gear purchased on or before your first training day
- Duration – You have 2 basic options for the aquatic portion of your training: the 2-Day or 3-Day Program. Most of our clients complete the 2-day training because of time constraints and price, but our recommendation is the 3-day training because you will have another full day to learn and master your skills. In fact, our official recommendation is as follows for $775 regular price:
  - Day 1 @ Guaynabo – Confined Water training in the comfort of our 12’ deep, heated pool
  - Day 2 @ Escambrón – Open Water dives 1 & 2 to learn shore diving at the Marine Park in San Juan
  - Day 2 @ Copamarina – Open Water dives 3 & 4 to learn boat diving at the Resort in Guánica
- Private Tours – This is a unique service that we are happy to offer when only one participant has signed up and for customers wanting to receive a higher level of personalized attention with an exclusive PADI Instructor. The price is double, but it will allow you to schedule at your best convenience and optimize the quality of your training.

STEP BY STEP

Let’s break down the main phases of your training program:

1. Knowledge Development: Welcome to the amazing science of diving. Here, you’ll get the lowdown on basic topics like how pressure affects your body, selecting the right gear, planning your immersions, and dive safety standards. It’s divided into five (5) modules including a series of videos and final exam to make sure you understand the best practices applied worldwide to enjoy scuba diving safely. Kindly enter here to pay PADI directly for the online course and complete the theory portion PADI.COM. Be sure to select Scuba Dogs in the PADI portal, this will avoid a $50 certification processing fee upon completing your training.

2. Confined Water Training: Now, let’s get wet! We’re diving into five (5) sessions of confined water training with a PADI certified Instructor. This is purposely conducted in a swimming pool or pool-like environment starting in the shallow to help you adapt and learn the basics. You’ll learn the nitty-gritty skills of setting up gear, mastering buoyancy, pre-dive safety check, communicating with your partner underwater, emergency management procedures, and other essential skills. This is typically completed in one day, but may vary depending on logistics and your ability complete all the required skills.

3. Open Water Dives: Here’s where the rubber meets the road. You’ll have four (4) open water dive immersions, usually spread over two (2) or three (3) days. It’s time to put all that knowledge and skills you’ve soaked up into practice. Each dive is like a mini adventure, building your confidence and gaining experience underwater. The Instructor keeps an eye on your skills checklist to assure full completion. Some skills are dive-specific, while others are flexible and can be done on any of the required checkout dives. Your Instructor will guide you accordingly.

Once you’ve rocked these three phases, you’re officially a PADI Open Water Diver. That means you can dive down to 18 meters (60 feet) with your buddy, rent or buy scuba gear, join dive trips, get your tanks filled at local dive shops, and continue to more advanced trainings and adventures.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

This experience service includes:

Excellent Facilities – Gift shop, lockers, restroom, showers, storage, swings, and seating area
SCUBA Rentals – Top quality BCD jacket, regulator, tanks, and weight belt
Theory Review – “Quick Review” quiz and discussion on the science of diving with your PADI InstructoR
Confined Water Training – Skills training circuit divided into five (5) modules
Open Water Training – Four (4) open water training sessions
Aquatic Tour – Beyond completing the required skills, each dive includes a tour portion to explore and interact underwater with marine life
Certified Professionals – PADI Instructors; fully trained and certified
PADI Certification – Processing fee to generate the required digital certificate ($50 certification processing fee applies if Scuba Dogs is not the selected PADI Dive Center)

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

Consider the following options for your adventure:

Swim Wear – Please bring a bathing suit; rash guard or wetsuit is available for purchase or rent
Snorkeling Gear – As a certified diver, we strongly recommend that you at least have your own mask, snorkel, and fins. If purchased at Scuba Dogs on or before your 1^st training day, you will receive a 20% discount on all items purchased. You may also choose to rent for $20 per day.
Transportation – Rental car, taxi or Uber are recommended

CRITERIA TO JOIN

All participants must meet the following requirements for this service:

Skills – Must successfully pass a water skills assessment swimming 200 meters or snorkeling 300 meters, and be able to float for 10 minutes in water too deep to stand up in
Age – Minimum 12 y/o. If 10 or 11 years old, you may first complete the PADI Master Seal Team program or do it as a private service (double rate)
Guardian Approval – Minors under 18 years old must obtain an adult guardian approval to participate
Safety First – All participants must be in good health. Kindly fill out and submit this medical waiver to confirm you are safe. If you have a health issue, you are required to see your physician for a medical approval.
Liability Release – All aquatic experiences always have a certain level of risk, thus a liability release must be filled and signed by all participants

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Following are answers to some of the most common questions and concerns:

What is the Open Water Diver certification? The first full scuba diving license, allowing you to dive independently with a buddy to depths up to 18 meters / 60 feet with any recognized dive center worldwide.
Do I need previous experience to start? No. The course is designed for beginners. You just need basic swimming skills and comfort in the water.
What is the difference between the “Junior Open Water” and the “Open Water” course? It is virtually the same training requiring the same skills, but upon completion the children (10-14 years old) obtain the “Junior” certificate with a recommendation to dive no deeper than 12 meters / 40 feet.
What if I’m not a strong swimmer? You don’t need to be an athlete, just able to swim calmly and stay afloat. Your Instructor will support you throughout.
What happens if I can’t complete the skills? It will be up to you. Depending on the gravity of the case being perhaps just 1 or 2 skills vs. several issues, you may want to sign up for swim or snorkeling lessons, pay an extra day of training to work on your skills, get certified as PADI Scuba Diver instead if meeting those standards, or simply leave the course incomplete. We will certainly do everything in our power to help you complete all the training requirements, but kindly understand that a person’s inability to complete certain skills is not a shortcoming on Scuba Dogs.
Can I wear glasses underwater? Regular glasses won’t fit inside a mask, but you can use a prescription dive mask or wear contact lenses. Regardless, many divers with a certain level of visual impairment can manage because of refraction with objects appearing 25% closer and 33% larger underwater.
After certification, can I dive anywhere? Yes, your certification is valid worldwide. You can join scuba tours, rent to dive independently, or continue with advanced courses.
How long is the certification valid? Lifetime. Although refresher sessions are recommended whenever you feel a bit rusty or haven’t dived in a while. The industry standard is over one (1) year without diving.

SPECIAL OFFERS

We appreciate your business and will happily extend these special deals:

$25 discount per person when booking for 2+ participants
$10 discount for Copamarina Resort guests in Guánica
50% discount for GoPro rental to capture your own pictures and videos
50% discount for groups events with 15+ participants
20% discount retroactively from all courses taken with Scuba Dogs when reaching the PADI Divemaster or Instructor level *

* Interested in professional training? We can put together a special package to reach your goals. Email us to start your journey to dive mastery. You could join our “Alpha Dogs” team and get paid for doing what you love! ♥

Cancellation Policy

Payment is required to make your reservation and our duty is to provide the best available service; this is our mutual commitment. Full refunds apply for cancellations notified in writing 48 hours prior and a 50% refund when notified 24 hours prior to the reservation. We do not offer refunds for cancellations made less than 24 hours, no-shows, or extreme circumstances that may impede continuing a service.

AVAILABILITY AGREEMENT

All bookings are subject to change due to factors like weather conditions, staff availability, quorum and unexpected events. If a reschedule is necessary, your flexibility to properly coordinate services is greatly appreciated.

PROCESSING FEES

All prices are based on our service only. A 17.5% processing fee is added at checkout to include the 10.5% state tax, 1% municipality tax, and 6% service fee. We sincerely appreciate your support and understanding.