PADI Open Water Summer Certification (2 Week Program)
Why train with us?
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Low student to instructor ratios : 3 or 4 students per instructor both in the pool and ocean
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Our retail store is located downtown.
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Diving courses available all year-round. Private courses available.
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We teach children 10 years and older.
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Passionate team of Instructors and Divemasters who love to teach.
Want to learn how to SCUBA DIVE this summer?! We are happy to offer the Diving Sports 2 Week Summer PADI Open Water Certification Course. We are taking advantage of the good weather and going to be using Buntzen Lake as part of the Confined Water and Open Water Dives! You will be able to complete your full certification in 4 evening pool sessions, 1 day in the lake, and your last day in the ocean!
At Diving Sports we believe in making sure all our students receive the highest quality instruction and customer service. We are in the business of training, mentoring, and supporting people to become safe, skillful and confident divers. We begin by scheduling our courses with the number of classes it typically takes most students to master the knowledge and skills, then adapt and tailor our schedule to fit our individual student’s needs. Our instructors are open and honest about your progress during each part of the course. Students may need to schedule additional pool or ocean training dives prior to certification. This ensures our students complete their courses with all the skills and knowledge they need to be safe and enjoy their future dives and courses. When you take a course with Diving Sports, you are welcomed into a passionate and inclusive community of divers eager to support your diving journey well beyond the duration of your class. We do offer private instruction for those needing more one-on-one time with their instructor.
Prerequisites for the Open Water Training
All prerequisites must be met before the beginning of the training otherwise students may be required to reschedule. See our Rescheduling Policy HERE
What is Included
What is Not Included
Course Description
To enroll in the PADI Open Water Diver course with Diving Sports you must be 12 years old or older. Students WILL be required to demonstrate the ability to swim 200 meters without stopping and treading water/floating for 10 minutes prior to any SCUBA training as it is a prerequisite for the course. Throughout your course you will learn all the required scuba skills to plan and execute dives without a Divemaster or Instructor. On completion of the full course you will be issued with your certification card and will be allowed to present your card anywhere in the world and dive to a maximum depth of 60ft.
The Open Water Course requires you to complete 3 components for your certification:
- 1: eLearning/Knowledge Development. We are doing all of our courses with the online theory so you can go learn at your own pace, however all students are required to complete ALL sections and the final exam before the start of the Confined Water (pool) sessions, otherwise we will ask to reschedule the start date. On the first evening of your course, students will meet at Diving Sports to receive a full orientation, equipment fitting, and theory review before the Confined Water Training.
- 2: Confined Water Sessions. All new divers will begin learning their skills in a Confined Water first. We are going to be taking advantage of the pool and lake to complete this portion of the course. Instead of spending 6 separate nights in the pool, we will have 4 evenings in the pool, followed by 1 full day in the lake. Some divers require more training sessions before they have mastered the skills required for the course, so be sure to ask your instructor how you are progressing along the way! Drysuit training is not included for our Summer Program as it is a condensed course. Students wishing to achieve a Drysuit Specialty can sign up after their Open Water Certification.
- 3: Open Water Dives. After you have mastered all the skills in confined water, you will begin your open water dives to explore, see some exciting wildlife and complete your certification. We will be completing Saturday at Buntzen Lake and Sunday at Whytecliff Park. You are required to attend both days of training for this course and cannot schedule them on separate weekends.
Meet times are 1 hour earlier for those needing transportation for Open Water dives.
What You Will Learn
At Diving Sports you will learn how to safely use all of the necessary SCUBA diving equipment to have safe and enjoyable dives. You will also learn about decompression theory and how to plan dives on your own. After the Open Water course, you and a buddy are certified to dive without a professional or guide, and we will make sure you are well prepared to do that and have fun!
Summer Program Requirements
Even though we are going to be running our course from start to finish in 2 weeks, compared to our usual 3, we still hold all students to the same standards. This means after your second or third pool session if you need more time to practice and get comfortable you may be asked by your instructor to schedule more evening pool training session, either with our standard course or privately, to give yourself more time to practice and master the skills required. See our Rates for Group and Private Training HERE
Prior to signing up, we encourage everyone to look over the Diver Medical Form to make sure they will be cleared to dive.
Student Discount :
When you enroll in your PADI Open Water Course, you’ll automatically receive 10% off a customized Mask, Snorkel, and Fins package of your choosing if you purchase all items together!
Equipment Rental :
Diving Sports includes all the basic gear included in our Wetsuit rental packages. All divers must have their own mask and snorkel.
Transportation :
Transport can be provided from our shop to the dive site. We have our shop van (limited to a 6 passenger maximum capacity). Available passenger places in the shop van will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Please see our Cancellation and Refund Policy for Courses and Trips here:
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Commitment to Safety and Enjoyment
At Diving Sports we believe in making sure all our divers (Scuba and Freedivers) receive the best possible experience while maintaining a high standard for safety, both for the divers, the guide, and the environment we are visiting. Our dive guides have many years of experience diving locally in cold water. All Dive guides are trained in first aid and oxygen delivery. First Aid kits and DAN Oxygen Kits are present on all trips and courses. Dive sites or dive plans may be changed due to weather conditions or experience level of the group, as well as anyone not adhering to proper dive practices will politely be asked to adapt to better interact with the underwater environment.
