**** Special: Book on today for your Open Water Diver Course for only $695 and receive a FREE 7mm Neptune Blitz Wetsuit. Perfect for South Australian diving all year round! Limited to January, February and March 2012.
The Open Water Diver Course - Your ticket to the underwater world!
Whether you've done a Try Scuba Diving program before or you are completely new to diving, The Dive Shack's SSI Open Water Diver Course is the way to go when you want to learn how to scuba dive in a comfortable and fun way! The Open Water Diver Course will open the door to a completely new world, with different animals, plants and objects that we're used to on land.
Besides the pristine reefs and worldfamous wreck and jetty dives in South Australia, think about what you can see on local, interstate or international trips! Think about trips to Kangaroo Island, the famous Great Barrier Barrier reef or a trip to the tropical waters of Thailand or Fiji. By becoming a certified Open Water Diver, you open the door to these whole new worlds.
The Dive Shack normally offers the Open Water Diver Course in two consecutive weekends (or 4 days), but if you would like a different format (for example, because you're only staying in Adelaide for a week), just give us a call and we will make it happen for you! The Open Water Course basically consists of three parts: knowledge development, confined in-water training (in the pool) and open water training (in the ocean).
For the first part, you will have to do a little home studying, by using SSI's Online Training or by reading the SSI Open Water Diver Manual and completing the questions after each section. You will learn things such as how underwater pressure will affect your body, how to plan a dive and what to consider when buying new dive gear. During the in-water training sessions in the pool (the second part of the course), you will learn the basic steps of diving, such as setting up your equipment, how to easily put it on and take it off and simple scuba skills, such as getting water out of your mask without having to surface. The second weekend (or day 3 and 4) your instructor will take you out into a typical dive environment, such as Port Noarlunga Reef, to show you what diving really is all about. Here you will practice all the skills you've learned before in the pool, but now you'll be in the open water!
The SSI Open Water Diver Manual or Online Training, some classroom training and the pool and ocean training sessions combined will help you learn everything you need to know to start your adventure the fun and correct way! The SSI Open Water Diver manual includes study guide questions at the end of each section to help you retain your new knowledge and test your retention. During your SSI Open Water Diver Training sessions that are held right here at The Dive Shack, you will learn all of the necessary skills and safe diving procedures to be a comfortable confident diver.
You'll be amazed how simple it is to become a safe and confident diver with the SSI training provided by The Dive Shack! And once you're certified, you can go diving whenever you want, wherever you want! Your SSI Open Water Diver certification card will be recognized throughout the world and will entitle you to dive with other certified divers wherever you go. It will enable you to purchase/rent equipment and obtain air fills anywhere you choose to dive and the beauty of it all is that it will never expire, so when you invest in scuba diving lessons, you know that you will learn something that you can enjoy for the rest of your life!
Start your training online today for FREE in just 6 simple steps:
Step 1 - Follow this link to the SSI Training Website to be directly affiliated with The Dive Shack.
Step 2 - Registration: To start the FREE online Try Scuba Diving program you must first register. SSI only needs your first name, last name, date of birth, email address and zip code - entering all other information is optional. The Dive Shack will be notified of your registration (with your permission). We are here to help you every step of the way and can answer any of your questions or concerns. If you did not automatically get referred to us, you can easily select us by clicking on 'My Profile' (when logged into the SSI Training Website) and by search for 'The Dive Shack' in the dive centre search engine.
Step 3 - The Online Training Program: The SSI Online Training covers the exact same information as the Try Scuba Diving manual and DVD, but utilizes a more hands-on and interactive approach.
Step 4 - Completion of the Online Academics: If you want to further your scuba diving training, you will need to choose The Dive Shack, while completing or right after you've completed the Online Training portion and sign up for the in-water training part of the experience.
Step 5 - Dive Center Sign up: Once you have registered, we will get an access code from SSI to make sure that you have done the online part of the experience.
Step 6 - The final step: Get in the water and get certified :) Let's get the adventure started today!
Frequently Asked Questions
For whom is the Open Water Diver course intended?
The SSI Open Water Diver course is intended for everyone that wants to experience new sensations and explore new worlds!
What do I need to start?
You will need to be reasonably comfortable in the water and be able to swim 200 metres (without a time limit and by using any swimming strokes you like best). And last but not least, you'll need a sense of adventure!
Will I be needing any gear?
You won't need to buy any training materials as these are all provided by The Dive Shack (SSI Open Water Diver Manual, a log book and the SSI Recreational Dive Planning Tables are included in the course cost). We do however suggest to our Open Water students to invest in your software (mask, snorkel, boots and fins). These will have a personal fit and exactly the features that suit you best. It is always a good idea to get as much of your own equipment as possible, as you will be more comfortable during training when using gear that is chosen by and fitted for you. You will be provided ample opportunity to invest in your equipment during the course, and you can exchange items at any moment if you are not happy with them during the pool sessions of the course! We do however have a lot of rental equipment that can be hired during the course. All of the hardware (buoyancy control vest, regulators, weightbelt, weights) is supplied by us for you to use during your Open Water Course!
What can I do after the Open Water Diver course?
First of all, you can go diving whenever you want, wherever you want throughout the world as long as you take your SSI Open Water Diver certification card with you! Because SSI is one of the world's largest diving associations with more than 2000 facilities in over 90 countries, there is always an SSI facility near you wherever you'll want to go diving - and even if there isn't, the SSI certification cards are recognized by all other major diving associations, because SSI has been a leading training agency for more than 35 years! As far as continuing education goes, the possibilities are endless! At The Dive Shack, we recommend to get a couple of dives under your belt, to be able to figure out which specialties you would like to do or you could test-dive five specialties first before deciding which one to take by doing the SSI Advanced Adventurer course!
