This is where you start, you’ll get the keys to the underwater world. The SDI open water scuba diver course is a lot of FUN and certifies you to dive to a max depth of 60’. The course typically takes 5-6 days to complete with an optional day of salt water or freshwater spring diving. Not only will you emerge from this course a confident and competent diver, you’ll learn tons of interesting facts about marine life, oceanography, physics, dive gear, and more. There’s some great info on the SDI website about what to expect from the Open Water Scuba Diver Course.
I teach the Open Water SCUBA Diver course a bit differently than most dive shops. Some consider the core skills of trim, buoyancy and propulsion to be advanced diver skills. I do not. I believe that once these fundamental core skills are understood and applied, diving is so much more safe…and fun.
5-6 days should be plenty of time to meet the requirements to earn your certification however each student has unique goals, traits and personalities which makes it impossible to say that the requirements will be met in “X” amount of time. Needing a little more time to practice skills is no big deal. Ask about additional training days before signing up for a class, I am always transparent and forthcoming about additional training costs and scheduling. We have some great training sites in the greater Nashville area, however in most cases I don’t believe that you can become a well rounded, fully prepared diver without experiencing multiple environments. Most of the training for the Open Water SCUBA course will be done right here in Middle TN, the optional dive day(s) would be for final skill evaluation in a salt water or freshwater spring environment. This is also a great opportunity to dive in the ocean alongside a SCUBA Instructor, and learn the nuances of boat diving, drift diving, and diver etiquette that you just cant get in inland quarries or lakes.
BUOYANCY, TRIM and PROPULSION COME BEFORE SKILLS The list of skills students need to learn in this course may seem daunting, but proficiency in the areas of buoyancy, trim and propulsion will greatly increase the success rate of skill mastery. Imagine a simple skill like mask removal and replacement, it’s really no big deal if breathing and buoyancy are under control. Get steady, reference something, remove the mask and replace it just as students will be taught. The possibility of rocketing up to the surface or sinking like a stone is drastically reduced because you have learned how be stable and neutral in the water. Tasking a student with SCUBA skills before they are comfortable and neutrally buoyant in the water would yield a much different result. Erratic breathing and unnecessary movement of fins and hands will have the student moving around as well as up and down in the water column. How could they possibly focus on the skill at hand when they can not control where they are in the water? A common practice is to have students kneel on the bottom and perform skills, this promotes a culture of bad divers. Every SCUBA training agency recommends to minimize contact with the bottom while diving, so it doesn’t make sense to train divers to immediately kneel on delicate surfaces if they have a minor issue.
This Open Water Scuba Diver course is not for everyone. There are certainly easier, faster and less expensive options out there, but you would be hard pressed to find a more thorough and complete training program. With no more than 4 students at a time your safety and skill comprehension are always top priority. Read “why train with C.J.?” to see what sets us apart from other dive shops/instructors.
Call or email for course cost and availability
CLASS SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:
DAY 1- CLASSROOM & POOL DAY 2- CLASSROOM & POOL DAY 3- OPEN WATER DIVE SITE DAY 4- OPEN WATER DIVE SITE DAY 5- OPEN WATER / CLASSROOM
DAY 6- OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMENDED, OCEAN OR FLORIDA SPRINGS DIVE.
Day 6 can also be used for any remedial training needed or just for “fun” diving
