Strictly speaking, you can start whenever you want. With PADI’s eLearning program, that can be within the next few minutes, if you sign up now. With our traditional textbook/DVD option, it can be as soon as you come into Diver’s Den and pick up your study materials.
Plan on taking approximately eight to twelve hours to complete either self-study program. prior to your first academic review or skill development session. Obviously, you do not want to schedule your academic review or skill development sessions, then put off studying until the last minute.
Academic Review/Skill Development Options
You have three choices here. These are:
- Private (one-on-one) lessons.
- Semi-private lessons (couples, families, etc.).
- Regularly scheduled group classes.
Private/Semi-Private Lessons: With private or semi-private lessons, you make your own schedule. This is something we are able to do because of the flexibility afforded by having our own pool on premises. We can work out scheduling details when you sign up.
Figure on two three- to four-hours sessions in the classroom and an equal amount of time in the pool. If you take advantage of the PADI eLearning option, you can skip the two classroom sessions, although you will need to plan on a half-hour question and answer session with your instructor, where you will take a 20-question “Quick Quiz.”
Group Lessons: Regularly scheduled group lessons take place every two weeks (see schedule below).
- Academic Review (classroom) sessions are held on Monday and Tuesday evenings, from 6:00 until 10:00 pm.
- Skill Development (pool) sessions take place Wednesday and Thursday evenings, also from 6:00 until 10:00 pm.
Again, if you take advantage of PADI’s eLearning program, you can skill the Monday and Tuesday classroom sessions — but you will need to schedule a one-hour question-and-answer session with one our instructors, to take place no later than two hours before the first pool session.
Open Water Training
Open water training takes two full days. For our private students, this can take place any time after Skill Development sessions are completed. For students in our regularly scheduled group lessons, Open Water training generally takes place on the Saturday and Sunday immediately following the last pool session.
Because the open-water training sites we use are approximately two hours away, you will want to plan on either camping out or staying in a motel near the training sites. Your instructor can make recommendations. Learn more about some of the sites we use.
2009' Group Class Schedule
| Academic Review |
Skill Development |
Open Water Training |
| August 3-4 |
August 5-6 |
August 8-9 |
| August 17-18 |
August 19-20 |
August 22-23 |
| August 31-1 |
September 2-3 |
September 5-6 |
| September 14-15 |
September 16-17 |
September 19-20 |
| October 5-6 |
October 7-8 |
October 10-11 |
| October 19-20 |
October 21-22 |
October 24-25 |
| November 2-3 |
November 4-5 |
November 7-8 |
| November 16-17 |
November 18-19 |
November 21-22 |
| November 30-1 |
December 2-3 |
December 5-6 |
| December 14-15 |
December 16-17 |
December 19-20 |
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