Open Water Advanced Open Water Rescue
Emergency First Response Nitrox Specialties Divemaster
Columbia Scuba offers Open Water classes year-round. We have two convenient schedules for classes:
Tuesday/Thursday evening classes begin every two weeks and the Sunday morning classes begin on the first Sunday of every month. Students must provide mask, snorkel, fins, boots, weight belt, swimsuit and towel. Columbia Scuba provides all other equipment needed for the course.
To complete the Open Water Diver certification, four open water dives must be
completed in addition to the classroom/pool sessions. These four open
water training dives (two dives on Saturday and two dives on Sunday) are
completed at Millbrook Quarry in Haymarket, Virginia on the weekend following completion of the five classroom/pool
sessions. The four open water training dives are done on
weekends at
Millbrook Quarry beginning the first full weekend in April and ending the
weekend before Thanksgiving in November.
Upon successful completion of your training, including the four open water training dives, you will receive a PADI Open Water Diver Certification Card. PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification is recognized worldwide as a standard of excellence and proficiency in scuba training.
The Open Water course fee includes use of all equipment needed for the course, except as noted above. In addition, each student will need to purchase an Open Water Student Package, which contains a text book, student log book, student folder, and dive table. If you decide to complete your open water training dives with Columbia Scuba, there is a fee for the weekend. This fee covers the four required training dives, all equipment except as noted above and the PADI processing fee for your certification card. Quarry passes for each day are extra (currently $14/day)
Costs: Classroom/Pool Course Fee: $275, Open Water Student Package: $60, Open Water Training Dives: $100, Quarry Passes for open water dives: $28
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(One classroom session, five OW dives on two or more days)
Expand your abilities in our underwater environment with this introduction to
five PADI
specialties. The course credits one dive each toward PADI Underwater Navigator
(required), PADI Deep
Diver (required), and 3 other elective PADI specialty certifications. Learn how to navigate
underwater using what you see around you and by using a compass to follow more complex
dive patterns. Expand your capabilities by learning how to dive safely in the 60-100 foot
range and how to pre-plan deeper dives. Choose 3 electives from the following lists:
| At Millbrook Quarry (Haymarket) | On trips with Columbia Scuba |
|---|---|
| Multilevel Diver | Boat Diver |
| Night Diver | Drift Diver |
| Peak Performance Buoyancy | Multilevel Diver |
| Search and Recovery Diver | Night Diver |
| Underwater Naturalist | Underwater Naturalist |
| Underwater Photographer | Underwater Photographer |
| Wreck Diver | Wreck Diver |
Prerequisites: PADI Open Water or equivalent. Minimum age 15 years (Children ages 12-14 can earn a Jr. Advanced Open Water certification).
Additional Equipment Required: PADI Adventures in Diving - Advanced Training for Open Water Diver Manual, PIC envelope or on-line PIC, dive knife, depth gauge, underwater compass, underwater timing device, dive light, signaling device, underwater slate and two Quarry Passes to Millbrook Quarry.
Cost: $175 plus additional equipment. Credits $20 each for any dives already completed. Students must show C-card(s) or instructor signature(s) in log book for any such credits.
Rentals for course: $50 to $75. for weekend package including: full wetsuit, hood, gloves, regulator with SPG and alternate air source, BCD with low-pressure inflator, mesh gear bag, and weights.
Includes: Rental of three filled compressed air cylinders and valves for the weekend. No charge for rental cylinders refilled at Columbia Scuba for this course.
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(one or two classroom sessions, one or two pool sessions, and one open water session)
Learn the importance your training has for your safety, the safety of others and to the diving industry
in general. Develop the necessary knowledge and skills to perform effective diver rescues
and assists, manage diving-accident situations, render appropriate first aid and qualify
for PADI Master Scuba Diver or PADI Divemaster training. Learn the techniques used to
prevent the need for use of rescue skills.
Prerequisites: PADI Advanced Open Water or equivalent. Minimum age 15 years. Prior to beginning the course, students must show proof of completion of a sanctioned course in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR-primary care) and basic first aid (secondary care) within the past two years prior to taking the class.
Additional Equipment Required: PIC envelope or on-line PIC, PADI Rescue Diver Manual and all equipment the Manual describes in "Section 2" and "Section 3". "Additionally, students are encouraged to construct and maintain a diving first-aid kit consistent with the guidelines provided in the manual.
Cost: $175 plus additional equipment.
Includes: Rental of one compressed air cylinder.
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(One classroom session)
Learn what to do in an emergency. The Emergency First Response course offered by
PADI is a basic training course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of an Automatic
External Defibrillation (AED) and basic first aid. It is a medically based assistance
course designed to train students to follow, at the layman's level, the same emergency
procedures and priorities used by paramedics and doctors. The Emergency First
Response course is approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health
Administration.
Prerequisites: Minimum age: 12 by the starting date of the course. Open to the general public.
Additional Equipment Required: Emergency First Response Participant Manual.
Cost: $85 plus additional equipment (includes PIC envelope). Students must view video (available from Columbia Scuba - deposit required) and complete knowledge reviews in participant manual prior to class.
Note: Certification expires after two years and a recertification course is required to renew certification. Please call Columbia Scuba to schedule your Emergency First Response recertification class.
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Learning to dive safely with Enriched Air Nitrox is easy. It is easy to learn and once you understand EAN you will likely choose to dive it on most of your dives. Enriched Air Nitrox allows you to dive with a larger safety margin and extend your bottom times beyond the times you could attain with air. For example, if you were to dive to 80 feet on air you are limited to 30 minutes bottom time, on EAN36 you could stay for 55 minutes. Open Water Certification is all that is required to sign up for and enjoy this class. Nitrox is rapidly becoming one of the more popular gasses for use in recreational diving today. We are now teaching the TDI (Technical Diving International) Nitrox and PADI Enriched Air Diver classes which run for one night in duration. The course fee includes the class, books, dive tables, student folder, and certification card.
Cost: $195. Students must complete knowledge reviews in student
handbook prior to class.
Call or stop in to sign up for the classes.
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Available Specialty Classes:
Atlantis/Dolphin Rebreather - Cost $450. Prerequisites: Open Water and Enriched Air Diver Certifications. Includes use of rebreather for in-water activities if done locally. Minimum age requirement: 15 years. Course consists of classroom training, one confined water (pool) session and three open water dives. Additional Equipment needed: Atlantis/Dolphin Instructions for Use manual and any other equipment, materials and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment, materials and course fees).
Boat Diver - Cost $85. Prerequisites: Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver. Minimum age requirement: 10 years. Consists of one classroom session and two open water dives from a boat. Additional equipment required: any equipment, materials and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment, materials and course fees). The PADI Advanced Open Water Elective Boat Dive one may satisfy requirements for dive one of this course.
DAN On-site Neurological Assessment (DAN certification only) - Cost $70. Prerequisite: DAN Oxygen Provider certification. Consists of one classroom session. Additional equipment required: DAN On-site Neurological Assessment student manual.
DAN Oxygen Provider (PADI certification also available) - Cost $70. Prerequisite: None. Consists of one classroom session. Additional equipment required: DAN Oxygen Provider student manual and PIC envelope or on-line PIC (only if PADI certification is requested).
Deep Diver - Cost $175. Prerequisite: PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. Includes tank rental if training is done locally. Minimum age requirement: 15 years. Consists of one classroom session and four open water dives on two or more days. Additional equipment required: underwater light and any other equipment and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment and course fees). The PADI Advanced Open Water Deep Dive may be counted as dive one for this course.
Drift Diver - Cost $80. Prerequisites: Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver. Minimum age requirement: 12 years. Consists of one classroom session and two open water dives. Additional equipment required: any equipment and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment and course fees). The PADI Advanced Open Water Elective Drift Dive may be counted as dive one for this course.
Dry Suit Diver - Cost $200. Prerequisites: Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver. Includes tank rental if training is done locally. Minimum age requirement: 12 years. Consists of one classroom session, one pool session and two open water dives. Additional equipment required: any equipment and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment, materials and course fees). Rental tanks and use of a dry suit are included in the course fees. The PADI Advanced Open Water Elective Dry Suit dive satisfies requirements for dive one of this course.
Equipment Specialist - Cost $75. Prerequisites: PADI Scuba Diver, Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver. Minimum age requirement: 10 years. Additional equipment required: PADI Encyclopedia of Recreational Diving, Scuba Equipment: Care and Maintenance, Farley and Royer.
Multilevel Diver - Cost $120. Prerequisites: PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver. Includes tank rental if training is done locally. Minimum age requirement: 12 years. Consists of one classroom session and two open water dives. Additional equipment required: RDP, The Wheel (The Table cannot be used for multi-level diving) or ERDPML and any other equipment, materials and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment, materials and course fees). The PADI Advanced Open Water Elective Multilevel dive may be used as dive one of this course.
Night Diver - Cost $105. Prerequisites: PADI Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver. Includes tank rental if training is done locally. Minimum age requirement: 12 years. Consists of one classroom session and three open water dives. Additional equipment required: primary and backup underwater dive lights, tank light and any other equipment, materials and fees not listed as being included in the course fee (see below for a list of equipment, materials and course fees). The PADI Advanced Open Water Elective Night Dive may be used as dive one for this course.
Peak Performance Buoyancy - Cost $110.
Search and Recovery Diver - Cost $170
Underwater Naturalist - Cost $100
Underwater Navigator - Cost $100
Underwater Photographer - Cost $150
Underwater Videographer - Cost $200
Wreck Diver - Cost $175
Equipment and fees not typically included in specialty course fees include appropriate thermal protection for open water dives, quick release weight system and weights, BCD with low pressure inflator, regulator and alternate air source, PIC envelope or on-line PIC, instrumentation to include a means to monitor depth, time and direction, quarry pass(es), and boat fees. Note: The following basic equipment is required for all in-water specialty courses and will not be provided or rented: mask, snorkel, boots, fins and weight belt. Additional equipment and materials may be needed for specific specialty courses. Other basic required in-water equipment and materials include a recreational dive planner (table or wheel), log book, slate with pencil, dive tool or knife (where permitted) and signaling device.
Technical Courses:
Call for information about the technical courses we offer.
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(Ten classroom sessions, three pool sessions, internship with at least two Open Water classes,
one Rescue Diver class and one additional advanced training class. Approximate duration:
six
months)
Are you interested in a career in diving? This is the place to start! Develop your
watermanship, diving skills and knowledge of diving to instructor level. Learn how to plan
and supervise open water dives, both shore-based and boat-based. Develop skills necessary
for assisting in training activities, in classrooms, in confined water and open water. Learn
how to conduct PADI Discover Local Diving experience.
Prerequisites: PADI Advanced Open Water or equivalent and PADI Rescue Diver or equivalent. Minimum age 18 years by start of course. Candidate must be in good physical condition for diving and submit an approved medical-exam form for a diving-medical examination conducted within the past year. Candidate must submit proof of 20 logged dives to begin the program (candidate must show proof of 60 logged dives before certification). Candidates must own all their own equipment, as listed below, prior to course start date. If you intend to seek employment at Columbia Scuba upon certification, all equipment must be brands carried by Columbia Scuba.
Equipment Required: During open water training candidate must be equipped with: fins, mask, snorkel, cylinder and valve, regulator, alternate air source, buoyancy control device (BCD) with low-pressure inflator, backpack (if not integrated into the BCD), weight system, appropriate exposure suit for the environment, timing device and depth gauge (or dive computer), submersible pressure gauge, compass, knife/diver's tool and an emergency signaling device (i.e. whistle, sausage, etc.). Candidates must also purchase their own quarry passes to Millbrook Quarry for internship assistance with training classes.
Training Materials Required: PADI Instructor Manual, PADI Divemaster Manual, PADI Divemaster Video, Recreational Dive Planner (Table and Wheel)
Cost: $475 plus additional equipment and application fee.
Includes: Divemaster Application form, air fills at Columbia Scuba for internship assistance with training classes, admission to Columbia Swim Center for internship assistance with training classes or candidate training sessions.
Call Columbia Scuba for details! 410-381-1994
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