Learning to scuba dive with SCUBADIVE WEST and PADI is an incredible adventure! With PADI as your training organization, your path to breathing underwater is accomplished in three exciting phases:

1. Knowledge Development - Learn the lingo.

During the first phase of your PADI Open Water Diver  scuba certification, you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear and what to consider when planning dives. You briefly review what you have studied in the five knowledge sections with your instructor and take a short quiz to be sure you’re getting it.

At the end of the course, you’ll take a longer quiz that makes sure you have all the key concepts and ideas down. You and your SCUBADIVE WEST Instructor will review anything that you don’t quite get until it’s clear.

Knowledge development:

  • Start right now and learn to scuba dive online with SCUBADIVE WEST via PADI eLearning at your own pace—anytime, anywhere (great for busy schedules)
2. Confined Water Dives - Scuba Skills Training.

This is what it’s all about – diving. You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving in the shallow claer waters of our private, sheltered training cove in the sea, at Scubadive West. Here you’ll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your scuba mask without surfacing. You’ll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or replacing your scuba mask. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends and have a great time. There are five confined water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these five dives, you attain the skills you need to dive in open water.

3. Open Water Dives - Locally or on Vacation.

After your confined water dives, you and the new friends you’ve made continue learning during four open water dives with your PADI Instructor at SCUBADIVE WEST. This is where you fully experience the underwater adventure – at the beginner level, of course. You may make these dives from the shore and out on our boat, departing from SCUBADIVE WEST.