GENERAL INFORMATION

The PADI Open Water Diver (OWD) course is delivered in three portions: Knowledge, Confined Water (pool) and Open Water. We will cover the Knowledge and Pool portions. Price for these portions is $600. If you are a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCMP or are related please ask about the service member discount.

If you intend on traveling someplace warm in the next 12 months, you will receive a PADI referral form, and you can jump in at a dive shop at that location to participate in the four open water dives there. There are usually inexpensive to complete, and it will save you from doing classroom lectures while on vacation. Once complete, you get the full PADI OWD certification. If you do the remaining dives here in the summer, the only costs will be the air fills, and equipment rentals. That final Open Water (4 dives) portion is $200.

Regardless of where you go to complete the open water dives, you will have 1 year to get them completed.

PREQUISITED & MINIMUM AGE

Course prerequisites: able to swim, medically fit for diving, comfortable in the water

During the Open Water Diver course, you will need to:

• Float or tread water without aids for 10 minutes
• Swim 200 metres/yards with no aids or 300 metres/yards with mask, fins and snorkel

Minimum age: 10

Divers certified between the ages of 10-14 earn a Junior Diver certification, and those automatically become Open Water Divers at age 15. Children eight or older can try scuba diving in a pool. Ask about a Bubblemaker experience or the PADI Seal Team program.

PAPERWORK

Everyone taking the course will need to fill out three forms.

• Diver Medical form;
• Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding
• Release of Liability/Assumption of Risk/Non-agency Acknowledgment Form – General Training

Feel free to scan them or e-sign or print them and drop off. For the medical if you answer NO to the main questions, you do not need a doctor to sign off the form. If you do say yes there are directions on the remaining items needed to be signed off by a physician.

DATES / TIMES

Class Material: To mitigate COVID exposures, for the course I will be lending participants two DVD’s / USB to watch on your own time. The content of the DVD’s follow the content of the course books I’ll be providing (hint: have your books with you when you watch the DVD and you will get the answers to the questions in the end of the chapters). When complete, we will arrange to review and go over any questions. There is a written exam to complete as well, which we will do after reviewing.

Pools: We need to have paperwork and lessons completed before hitting the water. And I need about a week to give notice to book the space in the pool. I plan on running courses every month, so if you can’t make a class or session there will always be a chance to make up the missed session or complete later. I realize people have work schedules and other things going on, I try to make the schedule work for what is best for you. Generally, the pool sessions are Weds Nights at the pool 7:30 – 9:30 PM. For flexibility, scheduling occurs as the same time as the lane swims.

LOCATION

All of the pool sessions will be at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool.

BOOKS

I have the required reading material on hand already. You can get your books any time after payments have been sent. I’d recommend getting the books early so you can read ahead before the pool session.

PAYMENT

The cost of the Knowledge and pool portions is $600.00. That covers the books, air refills, certification fee, pool fees and gear rentals. E-transfer is preferred.

EQUIPMENT

Before the pool sessions, we provide everything. All you must bring is:

• Towel
• Water footwear (the fins fit better with water shoes)
• water wear (suggested long sleeve shirt), or if desired, a thin wetsuit

If you are going to continue with SCUBA you will want your own gear for the best comfort and fit. You don’t have to go expensive for gear, there are usually US Diver kits at Canadian Tire or Walmart year-round. I can also get offer prices on gear from: http://www.hollis.com/ or http://www.baresports.com/.