Open Water Diver (Academics & Pool Only)

The SSI Try Scuba program is the best way to try scuba diving for the first time. You will be in confined water and well looked after by your instructor, so you can enjoy those first unforgettable breaths underwater and experience the magic of scuba diving. At the end of this short course, you will have earned your SSI Try Scuba recognition card and undoubtedly want to go diving again. Endless scuba diving adventures are waiting for you and this course is where it all begins. Start today!

As a Nitrox diver, you can increase your bottom times and safety margins, plus shorten your surface intervals - so you can spend more time diving and less time waiting! In this program, you will learn new skills and increase your diving knowledge whilst learning how to safely plan and dive with enriched air mixtures of up to 40% oxygen. Upon completion, you will earn an SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 40% certification.

The SSI Decompression Diving Specialty will teach you how to dive beyond the no-decompression limits. You will learn to plan and conduct dives to a maximum depth of 130 feet / 40 meters with limited decompression using your recreational total diving system and a single decompression cylinder. You will learn and practice how to effectively use your dive computer features, including switching gases, gas integration, time-to-reserve, and time-to-surface. Using these computer functions will become second nature, enabling you to safely conduct dives with limited decompression without hours of dive planning. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Decompression Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore stunning deep dive sites or larger wrecks without being restricted by the traditional no-decompression limits. The opportunities to expand your diving adventures have just got bigger!

The cavern zone is determined as the area of the cave where daylight from the entrance is still visible. The moment daylight disappears, you have left the cavern zone and entered into the cave. With the SSI Cavern & Cenote Diving class, you will be introduced into the realm of diving in overhead environments and how to navigate these areas safely. Proper trim and bouyancy control are key skills for cavern and cave diving. This course will challenge you to fine tune those skills, and it is the first step towards becoming a Cave Diver. The SSI Cavern Diving course will teach you skills such as properly laying and tying lines, light usage, and how to navigate your way out in blackout scenarios. PREREQUISITES: MINIMUM AGE: 15 YEARS OLD MUST HAVE LOGGED AT LEAST: 24 DIVES MUST BE A CERTIFIED OPEN WATER DIVER EQUIPMENT REQUIRED: 100-140 FT. REEL 2 UNDERWATER FLASHLIGHTS BACKPLATE & WING STYLE BC PREFERRED 40 CU.FT. STAGE CYLINDERS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR RENT BUT ARE LIMITED IN SUPPLY. CYLINDER STAGE RIGGING WILL NOT BE PROVIDED. AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE THROUGH THE SHOP. COURSE COST INCLUDES ALL CLASS AND POOL SESSIONS PLUS INSTRUCTOR FEES FOR TRAVEL TO THE FLORIDA SPRINGS FOR CERTIFICATION DIVES. ALL STUDENTS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THEIR OWN MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION AND ACCOMMODATIONS.

The SSI Extended Range Foundations program provides you with an opportunity to enhance your advanced diving skills in a workshop environment. Learn more about using tec diving gear with any total diving system you are certified to use and build upon your basic skill set to master buoyancy, trim, finning techniques, positioning, and communication. The Extended Range Foundations program provides supplementary training to existing certifications to increase your confidence and in-water control. All in-water sessions are completed in a pool/confined water environment at depths less than 40 feet / 12 meters. You will earn the SSI Extended Range Foundations certification after completing this program.

Join the SSI Science of Diving specialty and you will develop a complete understanding of the underwater world and its effects on the human body. This specialty is required training for most SSI Professional programs, as well as some Extended Range programs, and is an essential way to expand your dive knowledge. Available online, you can earn your SSI Science of Diving specialty certification from home and get ready to begin your dive professional career. Upon completion, you will be halfway to earning the coveted SSI Divemaster rating and earn the SSI Science of Diving specialty certification.

In this sidemount diving course, you’ll learn all you need to go single or two-cylinder recreational sidemount diving up to a maximum depth of 100 feet / 30 meters or to your certification depth, whichever is deeper. Sidemount diving is already common practice for wreck, mine, and cave divers, but now the benefits are being discovered by more recreational divers. With no heavy tank on your back, you’ll be more comfortable in the water and find your streamlining and trim improve effortlessly. By using less energy you may reduce your gas consumption so you can make the most of your dive time. With better buoyancy control, easier access to your valves and more redundancy as well, sidemount diving offers safety and peace of mind. This is the best sidemount diving course to discover and enjoy the enticing advantages of this dive style. You learn all the skills and knowledge you need to safely and comfortably dive with a single or two-cylinder sidemount equipment configuration.