Scuba certification how many hours

You will be asked to swim yards without stopping, but you can do any stroke you like and can take as long as you like to complete the distance. You will also be asked to tread water for 10 minutes in water too deep to stand.

Almost anyone who is in good health and reasonably fit can participate in scuba. However, there are some conditions that may prevent you from diving. Review this form prior to registering for class.

Should you need to answer Yes to any condition on the form, you will be asked to have a physician certify you fit for scuba before you will be allowed to participate in training.

Download the form so your physician can determining whether diving is safe for you. If your physician finds no reason why you cannot participate in scuba, have the form signed and bring it with you when registering for class.

The cost of getting certified can vary greatly depending on where, when, and how you take your course. For current pricing at Aquatic Adventures, start by reviewing your training options on our Get Scuba Certified page.

Once you have decided on the option that is best for you, you can sign up at Aquatic Adventures Online , calling us at or stopping in at our store in Brookfield. Students at Aquatic Adventures are asked to have their own mask, fins, snorkel, and boots because this is the minimum investment a certified diver will want to make in equipment.

Also, ensuring that you have scuba quality fins, mask and snorkel will increase your safety and enjoyment in the water. We provide student discounts to help reduce the cost of this equipment, and our sales people are trained to ensure you get the equipment that is right for you. To learn more about purchasing mask, snorkel and fins, see our Purchase Mask, Snorkel and Fins page. Finally, students are also responsible for entry fees to the parks where we train.

If training is done on one of our trips, you would be responsible for boat or resort operator fees. So make sure to take these fees into account when budgeting for your training. Your sales representative or PADI instructor can fill you in on these fees when you start planning your open water dives. Yes, divers need buddies. For safety reasons, you should never dive alone no matter how many scuba classes you've taken or how many dives you've done.

But you won't have to supply a buddy for your certification class. Although it is nice to have a friend or family member join you in your training, it is certainly not necessary. Your scuba training will provide you an opportunity to meet other people who are interested in diving. Many of those new divers will be looking for buddies as well.

So if you have a friend who's interested in learning to dive, bring your friend along. If not, you're sure to meet someone in class. Because the media tends to portray diving as high adventure or dangerous, many people falsely believe that diving is an extreme sport. Fortunately, the truth isn't quite so exciting. Because of the strict training standards found in most scuba courses, the reliability of scuba equipment, and the strict adherence to safe diving practiced by most trained divers, very few people are injured while diving.

In fact, the rate of injury per participant is about the same for diving as it is for bowling. Generally when injuries do occur, it is because someone participates in diving without proper training or a properly trained diver disregards his training. Unfortunately, some sharks have been known to attack divers, just as some bears have been known to attack hikers. But just like bear attacks, shark attacks are very rare and generally only occur when divers harass these animals.

The sad reality is that people kill sharks by the millions every year, and many shark species are now endangered. Most divers today consider themselves lucky to see sharks because sharks are becoming so rare. The answer to this question really depends on your schedule.

The first step of certification is a self-study, so you can read and study the material at your own pace. Some take multiple days to review all of the materials, while others can complete this step in hours. The second step swimming pool sections can be completed in as little as one weekend or in three evening segments over two weeks. Private lessons are also available when time restrictions apply.

After skydiving for the first time which holy smokes, I was petrified! It was incredible. But now it was time to jump, or rather dive, into the deep blue and get open water scuba certified! And then all the overwhelming questions began to take hold: How do you get scuba certified? Where do you go? Which company should I go with? How much does it cost?

How long is the process? What if I feel claustrophobic? Forget watching dives on the Discovery Channel, and see what life is like under the surface of the ocean for yourself!

When your curiosity is piqued and you begin searching about which company to get certified with…it might be a little overwhelming.

Truth be told, there are countless diving companies around the world. Seriously, there are hundreds. The first certification you will need is your Open Water Diver, but you can continue your education to get your Advanced Diver, Rescue Diver, or even Divemaster certification. To get scuba certified, you have to be able to swim. The basics. This is typically over the course of two days.

Again, this might seem scary, but this is all about conquering your fears, right? The test is kind of similar to the one you would take when getting a learning permit for driving—as in a lot of practical questions about signaling and information you learned along the way. Around three to four days is pretty common! If you choose to do the online course and learn diving knowledge at home, that will quicken the process.

As for the four open water dives? They usually span two days. Your dive center will sort you out with all the gear you need. You can check with your PADI dive shop to see what gear is included in your course package and what gear is available for rent.

You can rent a mask, wetsuit, snorkels, and fins the shop will help find ones that best fit you! Some people choose to invest in their own scuba gear after they get certified and have done a bit more diving…but again, totally up to you! I personally invested in my own mask, wetsuit and dive computer after I got Open Water Certified, but I still rent the rest of my gear from dive shops since most of my dive trips require lots of travel.

Is rental gear included? Once you finish this course and pass the tests and dives as outlined above , you are good to go. The open water certification level qualifies you to go diving down to 60 feet. To go down to the recreational limit of feet requires that you do additional training to qualify for the advanced open water certification. The advanced open water certification requires some book work and an additional five dives. One of the dives for the advanced open water certification must be an underwater navigation dive and one must be a deeper water dive where you dive between feet.

You get to choose from a list for the other 3 dives so you can pick what interests you such as fish ID, photography, boat diving, etc. You can do the book learning part of the advanced course online also. You then get a referral to a dive shop where you will do the actual dives. You do not have to wait to become an advanced open water diver. You can go straight from your open water certification to your advanced open water certification.

However you must be at least 12 years old for the advanced certification. If you don't know where to go to get your scuba diving certification, the first place to look would be your local dive shop. Most dive shops offer certification courses and can be very convenient. University and community colleges may also offer training. You can also check the yellow pages and online for listing of dive operators in your area. Quite a few people get certified while they are on vacation.

Most dive shops worldwide, including the Caribbean, offer certification courses. Just be aware that if you decide to take this route, you will be spending a large portion of your vacation in training. We did the book and pool part of the course in NYC and the open water portion of the course in Antigua. So you really can get certified anywhere. Once you have received your open water c-card, there are additional courses you can take to add to your scuba diving certification.

These include:. So, no matter how far you want to go with your scuba dive certification, just get started. You won't regret it. Scuba diving basics. Costs of scuba diving. Explantion of scuba gear. Scuba gear guides.

Scuba diving resort courses. Diving is a great and fun sport but it is not without its' risks. Follow these scuba diving safety rules to make sure your next dive is a safe one