This program is the best way to begin your life-long adventure as a certified scuba diver. Personalized training is combined with in-water practice sessions to ensure you have the skills and experience required to become truly comfortable underwater.
Quick facts
Minimum Age: 10
Certification Prerequisites: None
Theory: eLearning/ traditional with book
Practical Training: 6 Pool/Confined Water sessions
Experience: 4 Open Water Dives
Maximum Training Depth: 18 meters / 60 feet (age 15+)
Suggested Duration: 16 – 32 hours
Certifying Agencies: SSI, SDI
Course elements
Theory
The knowledge development consists of two parts:
a) The self-study can be done as
– eLearning or
– traditional by book
b) The instructor will review the self-study on site, repeat the most important topics and explain topics with difficulties for the student. There will be a multiple choice test at the end of the course.
Practical training
During the Confined Water sessions you will learn and practice the required practical skills. This training can be conducted in either a swimming pool or a body of water that has similar defined conditions, e.g. some designated cenotes.
Experience
During the four Open Water dives you will gain experience in real life diving conditions. You will demonstrate the skills you have previously mastered during the Confined Water sessions.
The Open Water dives can be conducted in designated (open) cenotes or the ocean (or a combination of both).
Flexible training approach
Halocline Divers are very flexible on how to schedule the different elements of the Open Water Course and also where we teach them. We will adapt to your special requirements and group sizes.
Usually we teach the course in three days and the sessions are scheduled like this:
In the morning of the first day we will take care of the Knowledge Development. The length of this session varies upon your preparation before. For example you could arrive and have already done the Online Training. In this case we will only conduct a quick review, look at topics you might want to have explained by the instructor and clarify open questions you might have.
In the afternoon we will take care of the Confined Water Dives at the pool of the training facility in Playa del Carmen.
We are very gifted here at the Riviera Maya to have so many magnificent Cenotes around, so we take you to one of them (e.g. Casa Cenote) to spend the day n a beautiful natural environment. There you will learn how to apply some of the skills that you have learned during the Confined Water Sessions. We will conduct one Open Water Dive in the morning and after a lunch break will will take you on your second Open Water Dive.
During the entire day you will be with your instructor who is there to aid you where it’s needed and to clarify any open points.