Get Certified as a Diver

Get Certified as a Diver

Be adventurous. Be amazed. Be a diver. Your first step is earning your Open Water Diver certification—becoming what is commonly known as a "certified diver."

Even if you've previously taken part in introductory scuba experiences (commonly known as "resort courses" or "Discover Scuba"), you are most likely aware that the best opportunities in diving await those who are fully certified.

In this section, we answer all of the most common questions about learning to dive, including who can learn, what is involved, when can you learn, and how much does becoming certified cost? Nevertheless, if you have a question, this section doesn't answer, just call or email us. We will be happy to answer it.

Just about anybody who is comfortable and relaxed in the water—and who has the desire—can learn to scuba dive. This includes children as young as ten and seniors well into their seventies.

Do you have to be an athlete or a competitive swimmer?

Hardly. The only requirement here is that you be able to swim 200 yards (no time limit, any stroke). You also need to be able to tread water, drownproof, or float in water too deep to stand for ten minutes. Rarely do we find anyone who has difficulty with this.

What about kids?

Children ages 10 to 14 can qualify for Junior certification, which requires they dive with an adult until age 15.

Don't certain medical conditions disqualify you from diving?

Only very few. So long as you are in good cardiovascular and respiratory health and not on any drugs that might cause complications underwater, getting a physician's approval to dive is generally easy. And, if you can honestly answer No to all of the questions on the Medical History form, you won't even have to get your
doctor's okay.

You would be surprised at the range of people who dive. There are even special programs to help paraplegics and quadriplegics experience the underwater world. More than anything else, it just takes desire.

Becoming Certified Consists of Three Phases:

  • Orientation and Self Study
  • Academic Review/Confined-Water Training
  • Open Water Training

In the classroom, your instructor will review the information you've gained by working through the self-study materials. He or she will bring this information to life with first-hand examples of how divers apply this information on dive vacations and here at home. Discussions with your instructor and fellow students help you learn and add to the enjoyment.

In the pool, your instructor will demonstrate and have you practice diving's fundamental skills. Like all aspects of learning to dive, pool sessions are fun and enjoyable. They increase your comfort level and make the transition to open water diving easier.

When you've completed your academic review and confined-water training, you'll be ready for the final and most important phase of earning your entry-level diver certification: your open water training dives.

Open Water Training

Open water training consists of 4 dives conducted over two days. Each of the sessions consists of the opportunity to apply the skills you mastered in the pool and to make a guided dive under the supervision of your instructor and his or her assistants. As far as open water training goes, you have three options:

  • During warmer weather, you can join us at Inland Lake for a weekend of open water training.
  • Throughout the year, The Dive Shop may conduct a long-weekend trip to Gilboa Quarry in Findley, Ohio.
  • If you already have a vacation planned to a warm-water destination anywhere in the world, we can provide you with referral paperwork so that you can complete your training at the dive destination of your choice.

Once you've completed your academic review and confined and open water training, you'll be awarded Open Water Diver certification, your ticket to a lifetime of diving adventure.

  • The Dive Shop's beginning scuba courses cost $240.00.
  • Digital Materials $110.00
  • The Open Water Test costs $215.00

Course includes:

  • All instruction
  • A comprehensive package of self-study materials, including the online manual and a training folder
  • Use of BCs, regulators, tanks, weight belts, and weights
  • Thermal protection for open waters
  • The personal equipment listed on the What Equipment Will You Need? page
  • Swimsuit, towel, and other personal items as needed

Important: Be aware that if you elect to complete your open water training at a destination of your own choosing, you will be responsible for paying any fees the dive operator at that destination charges for this service. These will vary by dive operator and destination. You can avoid paying any additional fees by completing all of your training with us.

Monday/Wednesday 6 – 9 PM

Classes take place at the following places and times:

  • Classroom sessions take place Mondays, for 3 weeks, from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Pool sessions take place Wednesdays, for 3 weeks, from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Open water training dives take place Saturday and Sunday at one of our
    local lakes.

    2023 Schedule Start Dates:
    October 30
    November 27

    2024 Schedule Start Dates:
    January 8
    February 5
    March 4
    April 8
    May 6
    June 3
    July 8
    August 5
    September 9
    September 30
    November 4
    December 2

Tuesday/Thursday 6 – 9 PM

Classes take place at the following places and times:

  • Classroom sessions take place Tuesdays, for 3 weeks, from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Pool sessions take place Thursdays, for 3 weeks, from 6:00 PM until 9:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Open water training dives take place Saturday and Sunday at one of our
    local lakes.

    2023 Schedule Start Dates:
    November 28

    2024 Schedule Start Dates:
    January 9
    February 6
    March 5
    April 9
    May 7
    June 4
    July 9
    August 6
    September 10
    October 1
    November 5
    December 3

Monday/Wednesday 10 AM –1 PM

Classes take place at the following places and times:

  • Classroom sessions take place Mondays, for 3 weeks, from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Pool sessions take place Wednesdays, for 3 weeks, from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Open water training dives take place Saturday and Sunday at one of our
    local lakes.

    2024 Schedule Start Dates:
    February 5
    April 8
    June 3
    August 5
    September 30

Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM

Classes take place at the following places and times:

  • Classroom sessions take place Saturdays, for 3 weeks, from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Pool sessions take place Saturdays, for 3 weeks, from 1:30 PM until 4:00 PM, at The Dive Shop.
  • Open water training dives take place Saturday and Sunday at one of our
    local lakes.

    2023 Schedule Start Dates:
    November 4

    2024 Schedule Start Dates
    January 13
    March 9
    May 4
    July 13
    September 14
    November 9

If neither of our regularly scheduled course formats meets your needs, there is a good possibility we are able to arrange for private instruction on a one-on-one basis with our instructors. The class is structured around you and one of our instructors schedule. Contact us for more information.

  • Private Class Fee: $375.00
  • Digital Materials: $110.00

You are required to have your own mask, snorkel, fins, and boots of SCUBA quality.  All of which we sell at The Dive Shop.  We supply the regulator set, buoyancy compensator, tank, and weight system.

Diving is an equipment-intensive activity. This means that the quality of the equipment you use and its suitability for specific diving activities has a tremendous bearing on your overall comfort, safety, and enjoyment. Few things can ruin the investment you make in learning to dive safely than having the wrong equipment.

The good news is we supply most of the equipment you need for your pool and open water training dives, including wet suits, cylinders, and regulators. This is top-quality equipment that we would not only be happy to use ourselves but have our friends, and loved ones use as well.

Required Equipment for All Course Activities

Students in our beginning scuba courses are required to provide the following items:

  • Mask
  • Snorkel
  • Adjustable Fins
  • Wetsuit Boots

These personal equipment items are ones for which comfort and fit are not only important, they're critical. They are also items that, as a certified diver, dive operators expect you to own. In other words, you do not want to go anywhere as a diver without them.

It's also important to understand that, to be suitable for scuba diving, masks, snorkels, and fins must meet a very different set of requirements than they might for casual snorkeling. Therefore, it's important you not purchase any equipment items without talking to us first.

Required Equipment for Open Water Dives

Students must provide the following equipment for all open water training dives:

  • Mask
  • Snorkel
  • Adjustable Fins
  • Wetsuit Boots

All the above items are available at The Dive Shop.

Whether you supply your own equipment or rent from us, bear in mind that our insurance policy requires all life-support equipment used in training to have been assembled, tested, maintained, and tagged by us.

You will be expected to use the same BC and regulator system during open water training that you did in the pool (this is no time to be coping with
unfamiliar equipment).

Classroom Sessions

All classroom sessions are held at The Dive Shop.

Pool Sessions

All pool sessions are held at The Dive Shop in our indoor heated pool.

Open Water Training Dives

Most of our training dives are held at Inland Lake. We also go to local lakes around the area.

2024 Dates:

June 1 & 2
June 15 & 16
July 13 & 14
July 27 & 28
August 10 & 11
August 24 & 25
September 7 & 8
September 21 & 22
October 5 & 6
October 19 & 20