Ever looked out into the water and wondered what it would be like to explore its unending beauty? You’re not alone! The Earth’s surface is about 71% water and is filled with incredible plants and animals. In the Open Water class, you will learn how to safely explore the undersea world through a combination of knowledge development, skill development in a pool, and finally skill refinement in the ocean.

We offer a number of options for learning how to SCUBA dive ranging from group class training to private training. The goal of the Open Water program is mastery learning. Every person comes to the Open Water class with varying skill sets and experience with water. We have helped students overcome fear of the water or what lives in the water. We want to help you create a plan that will allow you to feel confident and comfortable starting your underwater adventure.

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The Open Water class consists of three main components: knowledge development, confined water training, and ocean dives.

Knowledge Development

During the Knowledge Development segment of the class, we will work through the physics, physiology, gear, and history of diving. We will also explain the methods we use to safely plan and execute recreational dives.

To prepare for the course, students complete digital student materials. The digital student materials are a great option for busy individuals who wish to complete their knowledge development at their own convenience. Using a tablet, laptop, phone, or combination of the three, students learn the basic information that will become the foundation of their diving knowledge. Once they have successfully completed the digital learning course, students will participate in a classroom review of this information and take a final exam.

Confined Water

The Confined Water or pool sessions are the core of the Open Water class. During this time, divers will learn the core dive skills, ranging from basic skills, such as clearing your mask, to emergency preparedness skills. We believe in the philosophy of comfort through repitition, so divers progress their dive skills while practicing the skills they have already learned.

Ocean Dives

The Ocean Dives are where student divers apply their new knowledge and skills to the real world and begin their journey of exploration! During five ocean dives and a snorkel, student divers will practice their dive skills and explore the beautiful waters of Southern California.

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SCHEDULE 

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

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Why should I take the Open Water class with Beyond Land Adventures?
Great question! We pride ourselves on producing excellent divers who are trained to explore the underwater world. We have the highest quality rental gear and only hire exceptional dive professionals. We commit ourselves to small class sizes to maintain a good relationship between instructors and students. We are instructor owned and operated, so our focus is and always will be on diver education. Learn more about what makes us excpetional!

What certification will I earn by completing of the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be certified as an Open Water Diver, which means you can dive down to 60 feet. Your certification is valid all across the world and does not expire (if you do not dive for a long period of time, such as more than a year, dive boats and resorts may require that you take a refresher course before joining them on dives). 

How good of a swimmer do I have to be to participate in SCUBA diving?
Most divers are not competing with Michael Phelps, but diving does require basic swimming skills and comfort in the water. All divers must complete a 200 yard swim and a 10 minute tread / float.

I really want to become a diver, but I have some fears about the water; what can I do to work through my fears?
First of all, congratulations on deciding to face your fears! That is an incredibly challenging thing to do and one of the most amazing things to watch for us as your instructors. We have helped many new divers work through their personal challenges. We recommend considering the private Open Water class. In a one-on-one environment, the instructor can focus all of his or her attention on working through your dive skills to ensure mastery learning. Learn more about Private Training!

Is SCUBA Diving dangerous?
SCUBA Diving does have inherent risks. We spend many hours covering how to dive recreationally to teach you how to dive in the safe manner that thousands of divers, all over the world, use every year.

How intense is SCUBA Diving?
Recreational SCUBA Diving is most akin to hiking. It's a calm exploration of the awe-inspiring beauty of nature. When diving, we are not swimming rapidly or working hard as this would disrupt the enviornment we are trying to observe. There are specialized sub-sports within diving, such as Cave Diving and Extended Range Diving, that can be more intense, but few divers participate in those relative to the millions that dive recreationally. 

What about sharks?
We have many native sharks in San Diego, but they're probably not the ones you're thinking of. The sharks we most commonly encounter are small, bottom-feeder sharks that are terrified of us. As a diver, you will learn how much of a challenge it is to find sharks underwater. Thousands of divers share the ocean with sharks every day by being respectful of the ocean and its inhabitants. Shark attacks among divers are incredibly rare, even more rare than among surfers, and usually provoked by the human doing something that defies common sense. Want to learn more about sharks? Take our Shark Ecology Specialty!

Is the water much colder in the winter?
This is a pretty common misconception, but water temperature varies much less drastically than land temperatures in the San Diego area. While there are fluctuations and the winter is usually a little colder, we wear 7mm thick wetsuits to keep us comfortable year-round.

I have a particular health condition that I am concerned about. Can I SCUBA dive?
There are many conditions that may be affected by SCUBA diving and the best course of action is to check with your physician. If you would like to check whether you are medically fit to dive, have your physician complete this form.

I have some gear that I think I can use for the course. How do I figure out what works?
The best thing you can do is bring it to our store and let our dive professionals look at the gear. We can give you a better idea of what gear will help you succeed in the program and what will not. We do require that we are able to inspect all life-support gear (BC, Regulator, Gauges, and Dive Computer) to be used in our Open Water courses at least 14 days prior to the first day of the course for the safety of all participants.

Why do you suggest students purchase their own mask, snorkel, fins, gloves and boots?
Safety and comfort. A diver's mask is her or his window to the underwater world, but the window does not work well when there is water inside it. A well fitting mask is essential to being able to dive safely and the best way to find one is to be professionally fitted for a mask by one of our dive professionals. Additionally, good gear allows divers with differing sensitivities to cold, differing body types, and differing swimming abilities to all dive comfortably and enjoy the underwater world. We do our best to help our students find the right gear and offer 10% off all personal gear purchased for the course!

Do the weekends have to be back-to-back?
Our group courses run over two consecutive weekends, but we do have private training options that can be scheduled much more flexibly.

I was certified before, but I do not feel confident going diving. What course is right for me?
First of all, great job on recognizing that dive skills are perishable and making sure you are ready to dive before heading into the water! Many things happen in life that take us out of the water, so when we are ready to head back, we want to make sure our skills are up to date. The general recommendation is that divers complete a refresher course after 6 months of inactivity. If it has been more than 5 years since your last dive, we recommend you take the Open Water course again so you can be brought up to date on some of the changes to diving and feel confident heading back into the water!

I started the course, but did not complete my training. Do I need to start over?
Divers may not have longer than a year gap in their training, so if it has been more than a year, you will have to start the course from the beginning. If it has been less than a year, simply bring us a referral form from your previous instructor and we can guide you on the next steps to getting certified!

How old do you have to be get certified?
8 year olds may participate in the SCUBA Rangers program
10 year olds may participate in the Junior Open Water program
12 year olds may participate in the standard Open Water course with some considerations
15 year olds may participate in the standard Open Water program

There are no waivers for age. All participants must be the minimum age for the program they are in on the day the sign up for the program.

I have some friends who say they were certified under SSI, others that say PADI, and others say something else. What is the difference and what do you teach?

Here at Beyond Land Adventures, we are certified to train new divers all the way through dive professionals under both SSI and PADI. We primarily train divers in SSI and all our group courses are offered as SSI courses. We offer PADI courses as private courses for those who are specifically interested in getting the PADI certification. We strongly believe in our courses and look forward to teaching you! Learn more about certification agencies here.

How soon after the course may I get on an airplane?
You should plan to board your flight no sooner than 24 hours after the end of your final day of training. 

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COSTS

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We believe in producing exceptional divers at a fair price. We work hard to ensure that our divers are trained in a careful and safe environment by taking steps such as limiting our class sizes and spending extra time in the classroom, pool, and ocean. Here's a breakdown of the costs of getting certified:

Tuition: We currently have a promotion that reduces the tuition of the course to $179!

Student Materials: $145 (SSI Open Water Digital Student Materials)

Open Water Student Rental Package: $139.90 (BCD, Wetsuit, Hood, Regulator, Dive Computer, Tanks, and Weights for all four days of the class)

Personal Gear: Starts at $150 for all five items together (mask, snorkel, fins, gloves, and boots). We strongly recommend letting our dive professional staff fit you for your personal gear. The fit and styling of these items is critical in ensuring your success and comfort in the program. We carry a variety of options to meet every diver's goals and budget. We price match authorized dealers of any gear we sell. You also receive 10% discount off personal gear when purchased with the class. We want to help you be successful as a diver and part of that is ensuring you have the right gear to keep you safe and comfortable in the underwater world!