Let’s face it, Scuba Diving is just plain fun.  No matter what your motivation for joining the scuba community, one thing is for sure – you’ll need proper training to enjoy the sport while remaining safe.

Scuba diving is enjoyed worldwide by more than 6 million people in areas ranging from clear tropical ocean dive sites to the most remote black water inland lakes and rivers.  By earning a Scuba certification you are taking the first step in joining this sport.

Our scuba training programs include all the skills necessary to navigate this new world of adventure with topics including modern dive equipment, diving sciences, responsible diving practices, and environmental conservation.  This comes from experience over the years that comfortable divers are safer divers and that has become our goal in training development.

Of course, practice makes perfect, in fact we can go one step further by stating that only “perfect practice makes perfect”.  This is why we include a combination of academic’s study, in-water skills practice, and open water demonstration to provide the confidence with the scuba diving sport and help you proudly earn your certification as a Scuba Diver.

How does the class work?

We offer private courses on-demand for all our students as a matter of standard.  It’s been found that students tend to do better in their training when there is better student-instructor face time.  This course is offered to individuals or groups up to 6 students.  You will complete an e-learning program provided through our training agency, followed by the practical skill work in our training pool.  Once your written test and all pool sessions are complete, we will go to the local open water training site for our final dives.  We conduct our open water check out dives in Lake Thurmond (Clark’s Hill) at the East Dam dive sites.

Students between 10-14 years of age are eligible for Junior Scuba Diver certification.  Once a Junior Scuba Diver reaches 15 years of age, they are eligible for conversion to full Scuba Diver certification.

How much does the class cost?

This course has a price tag of $400 USD.  There is a registration fee of $100 USD required for enrollment and to get access to the academic material.  This registration fee is included in the total cost of the course with the remaining balance due no later than the 2^nd instructor led pool session.  Equipment rentals will be in addition to this cost.  Equipment rentals will require prior arrangements.

The price of this course does include all academic, pool training, and open water sessions.

Prerequisites:

• No previous training required
• Age – 15 and older at the start of in-water training

(10-14 years old eligible for Junior Scuba Diver certification)

• Participants should be in good general physical condition

Program Structure:

This program is broken into three primary sections including Academic, Practical Study (pool), Practical Application (open water).

Academics:

The academics portion of this class is commonly delivered as a combination of e-learning and instructor led classroom training.  Upon enrollment you will receive access to the e-learning modules which you can complete on any device of your choosing as your schedule permits.  Instructor led classroom training will be combined with your practical study sessions conducted at our training pool.

Practical Study (pool):

Success in the scuba diving program will rely heavily on your ability to perform the required skills confidently and comfortably.  This course requires between 10 and 17 hours of practical skill study in the pool environment.  Not every diver learns the same so we will work together at your pace until you are comfortable performing each skill with no pressure.

Practical Application (open water):

This is the final event, it’s your chance to go out into the open water with your instructor and put all the skills you’ve learned to good use.  Our program includes a total of 5 open water dives, usually performed over a single weekend.

Equipment Requirements:

Scuba diving is an extreme sport, and as with any good sport there is a requirement for specialized equipment.  In a very broad manner, we categorize gear into two major groups: Personal Gear and Scuba gear.  Your training course does cover the use of our tanks and weights for the entire duration of your training course.  This course does include the use of air as our breathing gas, additional fees may apply if you have included Nitrox as a course bundle.

Personal Gear:

Required by all students before the start of the first pool session.

Equipment:  Mask, Fin, Snorkel, Gloves, Booties

Scuba Gear:

It is highly recommended that all students by their own scuba gear as we have found that a diver is far more comfortable in their own properly fitted equipment.  This gear is not required for completion of this course, however.  We will provide all required gear (except wet suit) for all pool training sessions.  If you don’t purchase your own equipment before the start of your open water dive sessions, you may rent equipment either from our facility or one of our local dive shops.

Equipment:  Buoyancy Compensator Device (BCD), Regulator Set (1^st stage, 2^nd stage, safe second), Divers console gauge set or divers computer, and weight belt.