Open Water Course

Open Water Diver Course with Dayo Scuba, Winter Park/Orlando, Florida

This is the most popular course we do! We certify hundreds of people per year as "Open Water Divers".

The open water course is an entry-level certification course designed to give you the necessary skills to safely conduct open water dives anywhere in the world (to a depth of 60 feet/18 meters) with a buddy.

The open water course covers all the basic knowledge about equipment, physiology and the aquatic environment while training students to perform basic skills underwater. Some of the many skills you will learn include buoyancy, proper weighting, equipment assembly, proper dive planning and scuba gear maintenance. We will also go over conservation matters.

The open water certification is your ticket to see the amazing underwater world, and will give you experiences and adventures you will remember for the rest of your your life.

There are 4 parts of the open water course each student must complete to graduate:

Step One: Academics

The academics are completed online at home or wherever you have access to the internet. You can come by the store or pay online for your scuba class. This is a self-study course where you review the material at your own pace and typically takes 8 -12 hours to complete. When you are finished with your academics, you will meet with your scuba Instructor to review the material and get fitted for scuba gear (Step 2).


Step Two: Academic Review, Paperwork and Gear Fitting

Gear fitting and classroom review is normally scheduled Friday afternoon at 3pm.

On the dates and times you picked on the online forms, we do the tests, forms and gear session at the Dayo Scuba store, and it normally takes 3 hours.

Private Classes: We set up this session around YOUR schedule.

Public Classes: You can attend Friday 3pm. Check out our calendar and schedule of available dates < Click Here > .

This session starts with a meet-and-greet with your scuba Instructor, and you review the academics you completed at home. Then you complete 50 question multiple choice test, which is based on the material you reviewed at home. Students must obtain a 75% grade or higher to pass this test. If more time is needed to obtain the 75%, we will reschedule you for another class, so you have more time to study and be prepared. Note, we rarely have anyone fail these days because the online and DVD kits courses really do well to make you pass that test.

Participation in any of our scuba programs is subject to the completion of a Medical Release form. Students will need to answer each line of the medical statement with a complete yes or no. If you answer YES to any of the medical questions, you will need to have a physician sign off stating that you are able to join us in the class. This must be done PRIOR to any pool or water sessions. Lots of people have questions about this, so please feel free to call or email us.

There are also some other forms to complete, which will be provided at the dive store that day, OR you can print have have them filled in when you arrive for class.

We then get you fitted for all the scuba gear you will need aside from your basic gear (mask, fins, booties, snorkel). As part of our course fee we will provide students with a BCD, Regulator, tanks and weights. We will teach you how to put all the scuba gear together, and let you practice until you are comfortable assembling and dissassembling all by yourself. Note, we have specials on the basic gear (mask, fins, booties, snorkel) .


Step Three: Pool Session

We do this session at a local pool or (during the hot summer months) at a nice warm lake with a sandy bottom.

Private Classes: We set up this session around YOUR schedule.

Public Classes: If pool, on Friday from 4-9pm, and if Lake, on Saturday.

At the start of the pool session, students must do the following, before any in water Scuba Skills :

* Ten Minute Float in the 12' section of the Dive Pool

* Two hundred meter/yard swim - no time limit, any stroke may be used, must be continued swimming without touching the bottom of the pool.

* Two hundred meter/yard snorkel swim - no time limit. Show (or learn) proficiency at using a mask, snorkel and fins..

Students need to be comfortable in the water, and have basic swimming abilities to participate in scuba. You don’t have to be an athlete, but you should be in good health. Mentally you need to have a mature attitude and the self-discipline to follow the guide-lines and principles required for safe diving.

Students learn how to scuba dive in the pool session. We start off in the shallow end, so students can get familiar with the scuba gear. Throughout the session, all the of the academics are reinforced, and you learn lots of new things too!

Step Four: Open Water Checkout Dives

After successful completion of your pool session, we improve your scuba skills by doing the checkout open water dives, in a local spring, lake or ocean. Four open water dives are required on two different calendar days to complete the course.

Private Classes: We set up the dives around YOUR schedule.

Public Classes: Click here for our schedule of available dates here < Click Here >

Upon successful completion of your scuba homework, the academic test, your pool session and 4 open water checkout dives you will awarded certification as an Open Water Diver! You are ready to and explore the beautiful underwater world.

Agencies we teach for:

We certify open water divers through SDI and however, we accept referrals from all agencies!

Course Cost:

We offer private, semi-private and public classes. Click here for Prices

Our course fee includes all the educational materials, your dive training, scuba gear rental (tanks, bcd, regulators), certification card & photos (above and below water).

The following is not included in our course fee: food, lodging & transportation.

Age requirements:

You must be at least 15 years old to receive an Open Water Diver certification; there is no maximum age.

Those aged 10-14 can enroll in the Junior Open Water Diver certification, which means they must dive with a certified adult until their 15th birthday, when, at that time, their Junior card can be upgraded or not (works fine for life).

Notes regarding the Open Water Classes at Dayo Scuba:

Usually (almost always) we complete the wet portion of the open water course in 3 days, but sometimes it is necessary to dive more than 3 days because of learning difficulties, clearing or weather issues. If necessary, we will dive extra days to get you properly certified, at no extra charge. It is our mission to make you a safe and competent diver, and our students represent us around the world, so we really want you to be good.

Cancellation Policy: We are happy to transfer you to another class at no charge if you need to reschedule 72 hours prior to the start of your course. If you are a NO SHOW and haven’t called 72 hours prior to your class to reschedule, you will be charged $100.00 to cover facility & instructor fees. Sorry, but the logistics of setting up pools, dive sites, and staff (Instructors and divemasters) can be expensive.

The dive sites we use depend on the season. During the summer months (May-October) we train at Lake Denton, a nice, warm water lake that has turned into a scuba park. This site is south of Orlando. During the winter months we train at the local springs; usually Alexander Springs, located just north and west of Orlando.