The enjoyable road to scuba diving certification and the C-card.

SCUBA Diving Certification is required to take advantage of the beauty of the flora and fauna and sunken objects in clear water while diving. Diving is a fun and relaxing way to get your exercise and there is no shortage of good places to scuba dive. Today a prospective diver will have to become certified in order to get tanks refilled or rent tanks from a dive shop. Local dive shops and in some locations the YMCA clubs provide SCUBA Diving Certification Courses. Instruction from the YMCA is the least expensive.

The objective of the new diver is to receive a C-Card. Which is an indication the diver is “Open Water Certified”. The road to this certification is staged. The first instructional stage will be in “Closed Water” i.e. a swimming pool. Basic dive safety will be introduced and the equipment needed for SCUBA diving will be explored and its operation explained. The student will use the equipment and become comfortable with their ability to use it.

· Surface operation of the quick release/emergency function of the weight system

· Out-of-air emergency alternatives, including at least one dependent procedure and one independent procedure

The minimum age to pursue the open water certification is age 15 there is no maximum age limit. Students under age 15 can receive a special certification which allows them to dive under adult supervision. There are some minimum physical requirements though, it includes the performance of one of the two endurance tests below:

· Or, Ability to make a continuous 200 yard (183 meter) surface distance swim and a 10 minute survival float/swim without the mask, fins, snorkel or other swim aids.

· Or, Ability to make a continuous 300 yard (275 meter) surface distance swim and a 10 minute survival float/swim without the mask, fins, snorkel or other swim aids.

Before any training begins the prospect must complete a Medical History and be signed by his/her doctor.

Sign a form of Assumption of Risk containing a statement of risk. Parents must sign for minors.

Scuba Diver must demonstrate via written or oral test an open water level knowledge of equipment, possible medical problems related, use of dive tables and computers, environment, open water SCUBA skills, physics of diving and dive planning. The test shall be retained on record by the instructor for a period of five years minimum.

The above scuba diving certification list was extracted from the YMCA Site http://www.ymcascuba.org/ and Recreational SCUBA Training Council, Inc. (RSTC) http://www.wrstc.com/downloads/Open%20Water%20Certification.pdf

A list of RSTC members are:

International Diving Educators Association

P.O. Box 8427

Jacksonville, FL 32239 USA

1-904-744-5554 Fax: 1-904-743-5425

Email: ideahq@aol.com

Professional Association of Diving Instructors

30151 Tomas Street

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-2125 USA

1-949-858-7234 Fax: 1-949-858-9692

Email: brads@padi.com or jeffn@padi.com

Professional Diving Instructors Corporation