DESCRIPTION:This class is for those that can't fit our group class schedule or would just prefer to do all the academic work privately. This allows you to go at a slower (or faster) pace than being in a group. The pool and open water dives will be done with other students but with a much smaller ratio than our group classes. Just come in or call us and we will give/send you your Open Water Manual and DVD. Read the book, watch the video and then complete the knowledge reviews at the end of each chapter. Once you have completed the homework assignments you are ready to take the class.
Want to start right now? You can now do all the academic work, quizzes and final exam all on line in the comfort of your home..or anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. When you have completed the e-learning portion you then will only need to complete the water training with us to complete the class. There is a reduced rate for the water training if you take the e learning class. Click here for more info or to sign up for this program. The e-learning program is also available in Spanish. SCHEDULE:
You can start this class any day of the week that you want. At A.U.T.S. we use the Day's Inn Airport pool. All of the basics of scuba are learnt and mastered in the pool before you progress to open water. Once you have completed the pool sessions we then review your knowledge reviews and then we give you four simple quizzes and then the final exam (don't worry, it's multiple choice and if you get 100% we will give you a free t-shirt). If you do the e-learning portion at home then you would skip this part.
Next, schedule & Complete the 4 Open Water Dives!
The first day you will complete Open Water Dives #1 & 2. Usually, these will be conducted at alocal dive site(freshwater site). These locations enable us to complete many of the skills from shore to facilitate completion.
Day two you will complete your dives #3 & 4, in the Gulf of Mexico(weather permitting) or a freshwater site to be announced. Although we plan some all our dive excursions from boats, inclement weather may force us to dive in alternate land based locations for the sole purpose of being able to complete your dive training. Most day's dives will be completed by 12.00 noon. We can typically see turtles, otters, manatees, snappers, mullet and many others.
Upon returning (and passing) you will be issued a temporary certification card so you can start diving right away. We process your PADI certification card online so you will get your permanent license in as little as 7 days and it can be sent anywhere in the world. You will also then be qualified to take the PADI Advanced Class as well numerous specialty classes like Wreck Diver and Underwater Photographer. All students that graduate will receive a $50 credit towards the next class if purchased within 30 days of completing with Open Water Class.
REQUIERMENTS:
Reservations are required.
Classes are paid in full when enrolling.
Must complete a student record file.
Minimum age is 10 for certification, however, only a Junior Open Water License will be issued to those under 15.
Those under 18 need a parent or guardians approval and signature.
You must be able to swim 200 yards using any stroke or combination of stokes you choose and be able to tread water for 10 minutes.
Although not required, we recommend that all divers have diving insurance. The cost is very low and benefits high. Please take a look here!
YOU MUST COMPLETE THE 5 KNOWLEDGE REVIEWS IN THE OPEN WATER MANUAL AND PRESENT THEM THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN A FORFEUTURE OF THE CLASS!
COSTS:
The price of the course is $399.99 per person for one person or $350.00 per person for 2 or more people in the same class. This includes you PADI Open Water Diver Manual, dive tables, use of a DVD, classroom and pool work, photo, certification card, All scuba rental gear (tanks, weights, BCD, regulator) with the exception of personal gear. Personal gear is considered to be your mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit*. These are available for sale at our store. Private students receive 15% off any items purchased in the shop. Your instructor will be available to personally fit you for any gear that you may need for the class. * Wetsuits are available for rent.
GOLIATH IN THE GULF. WEEKI WACHEE DIVING! HOW TO MAKE AN ALUMINUM SCUBA TANK! HOW TO MAKE A STEEL SCUBA TANK!
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Robert Malone went fishing for shrimp and pulled in a surprise: a 27-pound Maine lobster that could never be viewed as shrimpy. The beast, caught in the vicinity of Rockland, Maine, was dubbed Rocky, reports the Associated Press. Of course, the size of the lobster's fearsome claws also bring to mind the meaty fists of that boxer named Balboa.
Malone opted to donate the nearly 40-inch-long crustacean to the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay Harbor, the AP says. That's pretty magnanimous -- depending on how you look at it. Lobster prices aren't what they once were, having fallen along with the economy around 2008. But they were above $3.30 a pound in 2010, and the Maine lobster industry is bubbling over what looks to be a record haul in 2011, the new site says. And, as the AP reported last year, the harvest in 2010 was one to exclaim over, with 93.4 million pounds valued at $308 million. By the pound, Rocky should be a valuable lobster. But this crustacean's size could indicate a long life. And geezer lobsters don't make great eating. Times Food Editor Russ Parsons on Thursday said he would avoid making dinner out of Rocky. "The generally accepted wisdom on lobsters is that any time you get above, say, 3 pounds, bigger is certainly not better," Parsons said. "These are old beasts and they tend to be tough. An aquarium is almost certainly its highest and best use. Preferably a very large aquarium." ALSO:
If you think that meeting a great white is bad while scuba diving, then you think twice… specially if you go SCUBA DIVING in Florida… because … well, you never know what kind of Gator you will find.
Hello new marine life! hello PADI Gator Specialty.
As I cruised along the sand, from the hazy distance I could see a dark shadow,” Ruda writes. “Not being able to discern its shape too well, I thought to myself, ‘Holy cow! That’s a huge stingray.’”
Ruda said when he got closer, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“This creature was so out of place that I thought it was nothing more than a well-planned out hoax by my good friends,” he said. I took a photo from a distance in case it wasn't a hoax so I would have some kind of proof. As I approached closer I looked carefully at its mouth for the tell-tale sign of what I thought it was -- a salt water crocodile (in 60 feet of water!). But I could tell it wasn't a crocodile. It was, in fact, a 5 - 6 foot American alligator. Its eyes were closed and it did not move so I was almost certain this was one heck of a joke my friends were playing on me. I mean, no one can expect to see an alligator miles out in the ocean. So I approached within inches of it to get some pictures you know to play along with the joke. But suddenly its eyes opened and it moved its legs. Oh my goodness!! I could not believe this gator was the REAL thing.
FUN FACTS & SCUBA TRIVIA
(click on the stick scubaman above)
<>THOUGH Cousteau is given credit for the invention of SCUBA, Leonardo da Vinci had drawn up plans for a leather scuba suit about 300 years earlier.
<>EVER wonder why everything appears blue in underwater pictures and movies? The water above divers filters all the red and yellow light, making everything appear to have a blue hue. *Diving with an artificial light source will allow you to see true color under water.
<>IF you decide you really like to dive, it is possible to get married underwater!
<>HUMANS kill close to 100 million sharks per year, while the number of shark attacks of humans resulting in death is only 8-12 per year.
<>THE world record for longest dive is 69 days and 19 minutes and is held by Richard Presley. He completed this dive in 1992 in an deep-water module at Key Largo, Florida.
<>OVER 90% of all volcanic activity happens in the ocean!
<>SCIENTIST estimate that up to 80% of all life on earth is found under the ocean surface.
<>THE largest living organism on earth is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It has a larger surface area than all of England!
<>THE Blue Whale is the largest known animal on the planet, with a heart the size of a small car.
<>FISH can change sex during their lives, and some even have both male and female sex organs. Intrigued? Come explore the ocean with us to see for yourself, and bring a friend!
