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Learn to SCUBA Dive

Become a PADI Open Water SCUBA Diver

The PADI Open Water SCUBA Diver Course is your ticket to a world of adventure, meditation, and mastery. With a PADI Open Water certification you’ll have the opportunity to seek adventure, explore beautiful new underwater destinations, get access to a whole new lifestyle and passionate community of divers, and see marine life you may never have imagined. Under supervision from our highly-trained PADI Instructors, your Open Water certification course is within reach.

So, How Does it Work?

Limitations and Restrictions

SCUBA diving is not without risk. In order to participate in SCUBA training, a completed medical questionnaire stating that you are in good health is required. A doctor’s signature clearing you to participate may also be required. You will also need to be reasonably fit and comfortable in the water. If you are intending to certify a child who is between 10 and 14, we offer a PADI Junior Open Water Diver option. We can explain further when you contact us.

Course Schedule

Currently our Open Water group course runs for two weeks with an initial class orientation, then pool sessions on Tuesday & Thursday evenings. This means meeting at the pool at 6.00 pm. After two weeks and four pool sessions, the course will finish up in Florence, OR where students will complete four dives over the course of two days at local dive sites.

We also offer weekend options or private classes with flexible schedules as needed.

About Costs

Open Water Course - $550+

Group Classes - $550
$200 for the elearning portion; $295 for the in-water training

Private Classes - $650+
$650 per person (3-5 Students) - $695 per person. (1-2 Students)

Open Water Referral - $500+

Group Classes: $500 - $200 for the elearning portion; $300 for the in-water training

Private Classes: $550 - $200 for the elearning portion; $350 for the in-water training

All Open Water students receive up to 20% off discount on personal item gear purchases (ie, mask, fins, snorkel, boots, SMB)!

Dry Suit Option

Add the use of a Drysuit to any PADI class - +250

Please Note:  To allow PADI Open Water Diver students to use dry suits during course open water dives, students must be concurrently enrolled in the PADI Dry Suit Diver course. 

PADI Dry Suit Diver course  - +250

What’s Included in the Price of the Course

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you operate with regards to COVID-19?

At Eugene Skin Divers Supply your health and safety is our top priority -- after all, we want you to be able to dive safely! As such, we take all necessary precautions, including maintaining 6 feet of distance, wearing a mask at all times (except in the water), and sanitizing equipment after each use. At the start of your course, we will check out to you all of the equipment you will need for the swimming pool sessions. This will ensure you are the only one using your gear and there is no cross contamination.

What if I want to do my Open Water checkout dives on vacation?

No problem. We call that an “Open Water Referral.” To complete a referral, you simply complete your eLearning and Confined Water sessions with us. When you’re done, we’ll issue you a PADI Referral Form and help make the arrangements so that you can complete your certification at a PADI facility at your resort destination.

Do you offer private Open Water courses?

Absolutely. To book a private class, simply let us know when you contact us about our course options. Everything else works the same.

Do I need to buy all the SCUBA diving gear before I start my certification course?

No. The only gear you will need to purchase is gear personal to you - a mask, fins, snorkel, boots and surface marker buoy (SMB). We have discounted packages at the dive shop if you are taking a course with us, so be sure to let us know that you are a student diver. All other gear you will need to complete the course and get certified will be furnished to you as part of the overall fee for the course -- no extra charges!

How do I continue learning once I’ve completed my Open Water certification?

We offer a range of options for continuing your scuba diving education. We recommend taking the Advanced Open Water Diver course as an immediate next step. Don’t let the name mislead you! You can take this course right after your Open Water certification. After Advanced Open Water Diver we recommend the PADI Rescue Diver course.

Can I learn more about SCUBA diving?

We also offer a host of other certification specialties and dive opportunities designed to help you improve or build on specific skills, including (but not limited to) Altitude Diver, Search and Recovery, Underwater Navigator, Deep Diver, Drysuit Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox, Fish ID, Peak Performance Buoyancy, and more.

Who is PADI?

Eugene Skin Divers Supply has long been associated with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). As the largest scuba diver training organization in the world, with a PADI certification you’re not only getting access to a tried-and-tested curriculum and instructors who have been through rigorous training, you’re getting the equivalent of a globally-recognized driver’s license for diving.

There is nothing quite like the experience of another world. Only a very few have left our planet but millions have experienced the other 71% of our world. If you feel the tug of the aquatic realm, you’ve come to the right place. Tens of thousands of underwater explorers started right here.

Scuba lessons unlock the door to new adventures and amazing animal encounters. By the end of your
scuba certification course, you’ll see our ocean planet through new eyes. We have long been affiliated with PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors). It is the most recognized dive training organization in the world (28 million certifications and counting).

Open Water Certification

A scuba diving certification, also known as an Open Water Diver certification, allows you to dive anywhere in the world. Similar to driving a car, scuba diving requires specific knowledge, skills and training. A PADI Open Water Diver certification allows you to seek adventure anywhere where there’s water. During the PADI Open Water Diver course, you'll learn what you need to know to explore the underwater world using scuba. Most people find it a rewarding challenge.

The PADI Open Water Diver course includes three parts: Knowledge Development, Confined Water Dives, and Open Water Dives. Knowledge Development covers the principles, concepts and terms you need to know for dive safety and enjoyment. During the Confined Water Dives, you learn and practice scuba skills in a pool or water with pool-like conditions. You'll enjoy making one or more minidives, which take you through the same steps you follow when you make open water dives. To complete training you practice, apply and demonstrate what you learn during four Open Water Dives at a local dive site.

Earning a PADI Open Water Diver certification shows that you met the course requirements. Dive centers and resorts require proof of certification before they will rent scuba equipment, fill scuba cylinders or book dive excursions. As a PADI Open Water Diver, you'll be trained to a maximum depth of 18 metres/60 feet, and are qualified to dive in conditions as good as, or better than, those in which you trained. It's just the beginning of a lifetime filled with dive adventures.

Discover SCUBA Diving

If you just want to try scuba diving, we also offer a short experience called Discover SCUBA Diving in a pool or pool-like environment, with an optional open water dive. It’s a quick and easy way to find out if you like scuba diving, but it’s not a certification course.

All of our SCUBA education activities are taught by a trained professional. Our PADI Instructors are well experienced divers before they even undergo the weeks of rigorous training for certification to ensure your scuba class is fun and safe. Choosing an instructor is an important step in taking those first steps to discovery. We invite you to join us. Let your adventure begin!