SSI, PADI, NAUI, and YMCA are recognized worldwide as premier certification agencies and we have found that divers with these certifications are among the best trained divers in the world.

So what are you waiting for? Let's GET WET!

Great training is the beginning of a lifetime of confidence and fun under the water and continuing education improves your skills and abilities.

Beginning divers often think the danger in diving is limited to drowning or shark attacks, but the real danger is panic. Our only insulation against panic is control. Control comes from expert instruction, reliable equipment and experience diving.

If you are wanting to learn to dive, you should check with your local dive shop (LDS) about open water certification combined with a fun and relaxing trip to a dive location where your first open water dives will be in the company of instructors, experienced dive masters and a quality dive boat operator. We believe this is a fun way to begin building good diving habits and experience that will provide the foundation for your lifetime of diving pleasure.

While the beginning courses teach you the fundamentals, it doesn't make you an expert. I would highly recommend that students take the time to practice your skills and then take the advanced open water (AOW) courses as well to enhance their comfort in the water, their ability to avoid and correct problems, management of equipment, and understanding of dive physiology. This training is cost-effective and helps build your confidence and improves your enjoyment of diving. Generally, advanced courses are offered individually or in groups and include subjects such as equipment maintenance, deep diving, night and limited visibility diving, stress and rescue, navigation, boat diving, enriched air, wreck diving, computer usage, and photography to name a few.

So, after you have been trained, reliable equipment is the next big step a diver can take to avoid problems. Training on your own equipment adds to your comfort level and helps you deal with problems more effectively and calmly. Always choose equipment from reputable dealers and manufacturers and keep it properly serviced. Choosing the right equipment is probably among the most important decisions new divers can make. See Your Gear Bag for some of my buying and maintenance tips.

Diver's Alert Network recently published its updated Dive Accident Report. It reveals that 30% of the dive accidents involve experienced divers (more than 121 logged dives) doing something they should know not to do. All the rest of the accidents were new divers on their first dive trip. Most of these accidents resulted from borrowed or rented equipment that was unfamiliar to the diver or malfunctioned. Please take advantage of the knowledge of your instructor and LDS when you choose equipment. They can save you money, frustration, and help you find the right equipment for your needs and budget.

Experience is the final element of control. Keep in mind that not all experience is good. A bad diving experience for you or your dive partner can severely limit the amount of future diving that you do. My tip for gaining good experience is by diving with people who are already experienced at diving, such as your instructor and training assistants. Check with your LDS or friends that have been diving awhile, that are experts at local dive sites and resorts throughout the world. I am sure they would be eager to help you, as a new diver, maximize the enjoyment of your first open water dive experience.

A fun and informative way to learn the fundamentals of snorkeling and diving. Students learn dive and equipment techniques and practice skills in pool sessions and the open water. Classroom sessions are lecture, hands-on and feature information and entertaining videos. Completion of this course with 5 open water dives earns you the rating of Open Water Diver. This class is generally available as a private or group course, in short and long form and with optional water dives scheduled at a Caribbean location.


Available to students who complete the open water certification, a selection of courses is available and are generally taught over one or two sessions. These include: Enriched Air (Nitrox); Equipment Techniques; Boat Diving; Night and Limited Visibility Diving; Navigation; Underwater Photography; Computer Diving, Wreck Diving, Deep Diving and Stress and Rescue. Students who complete two specialty courses and log 24 dives are eligible be recognized as a Specialty Diver.


Students who complete the open water certification and 4 specialty courses and have logged 24 dives are rated as Advanced Open Water Divers. These courses can generally be taken individually or bundled in a group that includes Navigation, Boat Diving, Equipment Techniques, Night and Limited Visibility with an option for Deep Diving.


To earn the Master Diver rating students must complete four specialty courses and Stress and Rescue and have 50 logged dives. Completion of this course prepares you to begin a career in diving if you choose a leadership path.

Depending on what agencies you are familiar with, these consist of: Dive Control Specialists, Dive Masters, Open Water Instructors, Advanced Open Water Instructors, Dive-Con Instructors, Dive Master Instructors, Master Instructors and Instructor Trainers. Once you have completed your 'Leadership Training' program, you are well on your way to sharing your experience and teaching others the important rules of Scuba Diving.


A fast, inexpensive and highly recommended course to take before your next dive trip. Includes opportunity to test equipment in the pool. Recommended for certified divers who have not been diving within a year or those who just wish a check-out prior to their next dive trip.


Check with your LDS on availability. This course is designed to help you get the perfect gear for your needs and budget. A fun way to learn about the latest dive technology from the pros who dive every day. Great for new and experience divers and a must for anyone considering the purchase of dive equipment. A sampling of tips can be found in Your Gear Bag.


One of the most important diving skills you can master. Lose weight, save air, be neutral and fly through the water with grace and ease. This is a fun refresher for all certified divers and will improve your enjoyment of the sport. Check with your LDS on availability of their special clinics.


This course is designed for divers and nondivers who wish to know more about "the world below" or want to impress folks on the dive boat on the next trip. With an emphasis on gulf and Caribbean "critters" this course features beautiful amateur and professional photography and will really help you enjoy what you see on your next dive trip.