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Here you will find information on the

PADI Experienced Diver Certification Program

Resulting in PADI Open Water Diver Certification

Taught by Vance Stevens, P.A.D.I. Open Water SCUBA Instructor #64181

This is currently not a publicly offered course. The course is given without charge to friends and acquaintances of the instructor. Admission to the course is at the invitation of the instructor only. This information is posted here for the benefit of those already invited to join the course.

 

Overview

The purpose of the Experienced Diver program is twofold:

  1. to certify divers who do not have certification, but who can provide proof of scuba experience or
  2. to permit divers certified by other training agencies to obtain PADI certification.

You can be certified as a PADI diver under this program if you:

Requirements:

Ideal number of students: 3/4 (8 permitted)

Time Involved: Whatever time is needed to complete the Scuba Review program, plus an hour for the final exam. There are 4 open water/ocean dives which could be done in 2 full days.

Cost: The instructor does not take money for his own time or effort. The instructor teaches the course because he loves diving and enjoys introducing people to the sport. Also, in order to keep his credentials viable, the instructor benefits from being credited with certifying students.

However, there are costs in learning to dive. The costs vary depending on the number of students participating in the course, how much equipment you have to rent (the instructor has some spare sets), and how many boat dives you make.

In return for training, the instructor expects that the students will pay for all the diving involved in their training, including costs of air, any extra equipment rentals, and boat trips for the instructor.

Click here for an explanation of what should be the maximum cost to you for the course for 1-on-1 instruction, all equipment rented, and all day diving done from boats hired from dive centers (look only at the costs for open water diving, not for the confined water sessions). Your actual cost should be less than the figures given, depending on the variables mentioned. For example, students may choose to do one or more shore dives in Khor Fakkhan to save on boat dive expenses, or students may form groups and share the cost of diving for the instructor.

 

Required Equipment and Materials:

Students in my open water diving courses should have their own individual gear; i.e.: fins, mask, snorkel, & appropriate exposure protection.

Each student must also have access to dive tables, and a logbook or notebook with logbook pages. The instructor can provide logbook pages.

Students on any open water course will also need to provide, rent, or borrow: tanks with air, weights and weight belt, a compass, a buoyancy-control device with low-pressure inflator & backpack, a regulator with an alternate air source (such as an "octopus" configuration), and a submersible pressure gauge. The instructor may be able to help with some but not all of this equipment.

For pointers on the kind of personal gear to look for, see Equipment Considerations. For approximate costs, and availability of dive gear in the UAE, please refer to the Equipment Rental and Purchase Guide.

 

More Details

Before the course begins:

Prior to beginning any PADI course: Each student must ...

 

On completion of the course, congratulations!

You'll get a temporary Scuba diver certification card on the spot.
You send your PIC form in to PADI with your picture and get your permanent card a few weeks later.

 

Visits since April 27, 1998:

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For comments, suggestions, or further information on this page, contact Vance Stevens, page author and webmaster.

Last updated: October 27, 1999

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