open water scuba diver
Get Scuba Certified!
The Open Water Scuba Diver course is designed to give you the neccessary skills to safely conduct open water dives. This course is the key to start exploring dive destinations around the globe, or even in your own backyard!
STEP 1: Buy your E-Learning Code
The online learning program can be completed at home at your leisure. This program consists of several chapters, quiz questions, and a review test at the end of the program. You can start and stop, if you would like to take your time with it. On average this program takes about 5-7 hours to complete. Please have the program fully completed before your first CW (Confined Water) classroom session.
** There is a medical questionaire within this certification program. If a student answers “YES” to any of the medical questions, a physician sign-off form will be required before steps 2 & 3 of your training.**
Prerequisites:
- Age 10-14 = Junior Open Water certification
- Minimum age 18, 15 with parental consent
- Can survival swimfloat for 10min
- Complete a 200 meter non-stop swim using any stroke without the use of aids *or* 300 meter non-stop swim using mask, snorkel & fins
- Steps 1 -2- 3 need to be completed within a 1 year timeline. This timeline begins the day of registering for the e-leaning program
STEP 2: Sign up for Confined Water (CW) Training
This portion of the course consists of 1 classroom session and 4-8 hours of pool training (depending on class size). When arriving to your Confined Water session, please bring a printed copy of your course completion summary. This can be found at the end of the E-Learning program. The course completion summery will be reviewed during day 1 of CW. During the first class you will also be issued the included life support rental equipment used during contingent pool sessions. Students must purchase their own personal equipment from New England Dive for class.
Personal Equipment:
Consists of Mask, Snorkel, Boots, & Fins. This is the only equipment not supplied for class. This type of equipment fits everyone differently. Therefore, it is not available for rent. The industry standard is that divers should own thier own set of personal gear. A good custom fit is much safer due to familiararity. Proper fitting personal equipment can also make diving much more enjoyable. As a New England Dive student, you will receive special discounts when purchasing personal gear prior to class. New England Dive pricematches competitors, and offers student disounts that often beat internet pricing. This equipment must be purchased from New England Dive for class. You will not only be supporting your local dive shop, but we will also be able to take care of any fit or comfort issues efficiently during class.
STEP 3: Complete the Open Water (OW) Training
Open Water (OW) dive training consists of a minimum of 4 dives, completed over a span of at least 2 days. This is a standard requirement by the scuba industry. NED offers OW weekends about twice a month during the New England Dive season (May- October). This step of training incudes instruction, rental of life support equipment, thermal protection, and the cost of registration with your training agency. Upon successful completion of this training step, you will have earned an Open Water Scuba Diver certification. With this certification, you can dive anywhere in the world, for the rest of your life.
Open Water Referral:
Going on vacation? Open Water training dives can be completed at your vacation destination. Make sure to pre-arrange your check out dives with your vacation destination before you travel. Please notify your originating instructor of your travel plans during to your Confined Water training. Your originating instructor can issue you referral paperwork. You will need to bring this paperwork with you to your vacation destination dive training facility.
Help support your dive store by shopping local!
Please think of New England Dive as an information resource, not just a sales team. We are here to help you become your best kind of diver. We can help keep you up to date about the latest products and help you decide what the best products for you are. There are no high pressure sales tactics here. You will soon learn that scuba diving can be a very social sport. We hope to make new divers, as well as new friends. Please feel free to reach out to the New England Dive team with any questions you may have.
