PADI Scuba Diver

Begin Your Dive Training With The PADI Scuba Diver Certification Course At Underwater Vision!

If you have limited time during your visit to Utila but have the urge to become a certified diver, the PADI Scuba Diver certification might just be for you. This beginner scuba diving course requires less time than the PADI Open Water Diver course, covering a little more than half of the requirements needed to complete the PADI Open Water Diver course. Once your training as a PADI Scuba Diver is completed you will be qualified to go scuba diving accompanied by a certified dive professional. If you have limited time to devote to your dive training or want to begin your dive education and training, consider becoming a PADI Scuba Diver while in Utila.

The PADI Scuba Diver certification is a great beginner introduction to the skills needed to complete the PADI Open Water Diver training course in the future, if that is your intention. You will receive credit for what you have successfully learned as a PADI Scuba Diver toward the PADI Open Water Diver course whenever you wish to continue your dive training.

Become a PADI Scuba Diver and explore the underwater world which surrounds Utila. It is vibrant, beautiful and unlike any other landscape you will have experienced on land. Scuba diving is an experience not to be missed due to an insignificant amount of time to complete the beginner PADI Open Water Course.

PADI Scuba Divers are qualified to:

• Dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Professional to a maximum depth of 12 metres/40 feet
• Obtain air fills, rent or purchase scuba equipment and participate in dive activities as long as properly supervised
• Continue dive training by completing the PADI Open Water Diver certification and taking certain specialty diver courses

To enroll in a PADI Scuba Diver course (or Junior Scuba Diver course), you must be 10 years old or older. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with scuba diving is required, but you can try it first through the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program.

The Prerequisites For This Course

In order to enroll in the PADI Scuba Diver certification course, you must be at least 15 years of age or 10 years old to do the PADI Junior Scuba Diver certification.

What will you learn?

The PADI Scuba Diver course consists of three main phases:

• Knowledge Development (eLearning for Open Water Diver, independent study or in a classroom) to understand basic principles of scuba diving – just the first three of five sections of the Open Water Diver course
• Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills – just the first three of five dives of the Open Water Diver course
• Open Water Dives ;to use your skills and explore – just two of four dives of the Open Water Diver course

How can you start learning now?

Get started by registering for eLearning for Open Water Diver – PADI’s eLearning option. The web-based system gives you the background information you need to dive safely and allows you to study at your own pace through an easy-to-use, interactive program. You only need to complete the first three sections, but have a year to complete the whole program if you choose to go on to earn your PADI Open Water Diver certification.

There are other home-study materials you can choose from including the Touch eLearning for Open Water Diver (a tablet app) and the Open Water Diver Manual and Open Water Diver Video (a book and DVD package). Stop by Underwater Vision to enroll in the course, get your materials and start reading the book and watching the video. Your PADI Instructor will meet with you to schedule knowledge review sessions, confined water and open water dives.

What scuba gear will you use?

Underwater Vision will provide you with all of the scuba diving gear you will require for the PADI Scuba Diver Course. The basic scuba gear you will use includes:

• a mask so you can see underwater 
• a snorkel to make breathing on the surface a breeze
• fins to move through the water efficiently and easily
• a buoyancy compensating jacket (BCD), which will hold your scuba tank and help you to float effortlessly at the surface
• a scuba regulator that will attach from your tank, to your BCD with which you will breathe air from
• a depth guage and air supply gauge, which both attach to your tank and BCD
• You may also wear a short-sleeved wet suit (all that's required on Utila), and a weight belt which your instructor will size and weigh correctly for you!
• If you have your own mask, snorkel and fins that you use for snorkeling and would prefer to use these for the PADI Scuba Diver course, please check with your instructor first to ensure that they are appropriate for use while scuba diving!

Check with your Underwater Vision to get advice about everything you need for your diving adventures.