Open Water SCUBA Course

PADI® Open Water Diver is the first SCUBA certification level. A highly trained PADI® Instructor will teach you how to SCUBA dive in a relaxed, supportive learning environment. By the end of the course, you'll have the skills and knowledge to dive at home or abroad.

Requirements

• Must be 17 years of age before course orientation, and in good health
• Must be comfortable in the water and able to swim 200 yards and float for 10 minutes

Costs

• $500 for course instruction, diving equipment and maintenance and lifeguard
• $260 for PADI® course materials
• $150 for Open Water Dive at Otsego Lake (other dive options available)
• $180+ for exposure equipment (wetsuit, boots, gloves)

Registration

A payment of $500 (the course cost) is due at the time of registration.

Schedule

The next course begins in early Fall, and has four components:

1. Orientation: SUNY Oneonta Classroom, date TBD.
   During orientation, we will answer all your questions about the course, complete paperwork (medical and liability forms) and register for the online learning portion. Bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone to ensure that you can access the course materials. We will also collect the fee for the course materials at orientation.
2. Self-study of PADI® course: self-paced online learning, consists of five modules and takes approximately 12-15 hours to complete. The first module must be completed before the first pool session.
3. Three Pool Sessions: There are three required pool sessions at the SUNY Oneonta pool:
   • Dates TBD
     There will be a makeup date TBD for a student who may face an extenuating circumstance causing a missed pool class. If a makeup pool class is required, the cost to cover a lifeguard will be absorbed by the student needing the makeup class.
4. Open Water Dive: An Open Water Dive is required for certification:
   1. Instructor-led dive locally at Otsego Lake: Will be scheduled for a weekend in the Fall.
   2. Instructor referral to another dive location separate from this SUNY Oneonta course, anywhere in the world that offers the certification.

Note: This course requires a minimum of two students to run