Open Water Certified, Now What? The Dive Arizona Roadmap for New Divers
Liz Robinson Jul 22, 2026
Open Water Certified, Now What? The Dive Arizona Roadmap for New Divers
You did it. You finished your class, passed your checkout dives, and now you're holding an Open Water card that says you're a certified scuba diver. The most useful thing I can tell you about what comes next is short: keep diving. Nothing, no course, no gear purchase, no perfectly planned trip, matters more than getting back in the water while everything you just learned is still fresh. Everything else on this roadmap is here to support that one goal, and the easiest way to make it happen is to reach out to us, rent what you need, and come dive with us. That's what we're here for.
First Things First: Just Keep Diving
Here's what I wish every new diver understood the day they got certified. Your card doesn't make you an experienced diver, your logbook does. The skills you learned in class are real, but they're brand new, and skills that don't get used get rusty fast. The divers who go on to love this sport for life almost all have one thing in common: they dove again soon after certifying, and they kept a steady rhythm going.
You don't need to become a fanatic. You just need to not let months pile up between dives while everything you worked for quietly fades. A good target starting off is a dive every two to four weeks. That's often enough to keep your buoyancy sharpening, your gear handling automatic, and your confidence growing instead of slipping backward. If that sounds like a lot to organize on your own, that's exactly why the rest of this list exists, and why the next section is the one that actually solves it.
The Easiest Way to Stay in the Water: Come Dive With Us
If you take nothing else from this post, take this. You do not have to figure out how to keep diving by yourself. The single best move a newly certified diver can make is to reach out to us and get on the schedule.
Here's how simple it can be:
- Reach out. Call the shop at (480) 881-4013 or stop by in Queen Creek and tell us you're newly certified and want to keep diving. That's the whole ask, and we'll take it from there.
- Rent your gear. You do not need to own a full setup to keep diving. Rent tanks, a BCD, a reg, whatever you need from us so cost and closet space are never the reason you stayed home.
- Come out with us. Join us on a local charter at Lake Pleasant or Lake Mohave, or get in on the next group dive. You'll be diving with people who know the sites and know what a new diver needs.
- Get mentored. This is the part you can't buy in a box. Diving alongside our instructors and experienced divers means someone is there to fine-tune your trim, talk through your air management, and answer the questions you didn't know you had. That kind of real-world coaching is how good habits get built.
Experience is the thing that turns a certified diver into a confident one, and there's no shortcut for it. You get it by showing up and diving. Let us make that easy for you.
When You're Ready, Add a Little Training
Once you've got a few dives under your belt and you're comfortable in the water, continuing your education is a great way to open up new kinds of diving and to keep improving faster. I'd put this after "just keep diving," not before it, because courses work best when you already have some real dives behind you.
A few natural next steps:
- Advanced Adventure or Advanced Diver. This is the most common "what's next" course, and for good reason. It lets you try deeper dives, navigation, night diving, and more, all under an instructor's eye. If you're not sure which of the two fits you, we broke down the difference in a separate post, or just ask us.
- Specialty courses. Enriched Air (Nitrox) is one of the cheapest, highest-value upgrades to how a dive day feels. A dedicated Peak Performance Buoyancy course can do more for your comfort than almost anything else. There are specialties for wrecks, deep, navigation, and plenty more.
- Rescue and beyond. When you're ready, Rescue Diver is the course most divers say changed them the most. It's where you stop thinking only about yourself and start diving as a true buddy.
Training is a great addition, and it works best on top of regular diving rather than in place of it. The water is still the main teacher.
Start Building Your Own Kit in the Right Order
Owning your gear makes diving easier and more comfortable, and it's a natural part of growing into the sport. You don't have to buy everything at once, and there's a smart order to it.
- Dive computer first. If you're going to make one major purchase after class, make it a dive computer. It's the piece that keeps you safe, tracks your dives, and travels with you no matter what other gear you rent. We wrote a whole post on why it's the first big buy.
- A wetsuit or exposure suit next. You already own the personal fit basics like a mask, fins, and boots from class, so the next fit item worth owning is your own exposure protection. A suit that fits you right keeps you warmer and more comfortable than rental sizing, and we'll help you match the thickness to the water you're diving.
- BCD and regulator when you're ready. These are the bigger-ticket items, and they're worth taking your time on. Come try a few BCDs on in the shop before you commit, since fit matters more than any spec sheet.
Until then, rent from us with zero guilt. Plenty of happy, active divers rent for a good while before they build out a full kit.
Put a Trip on the Calendar
Nothing keeps you motivated to stay current like having something to stay current for. A trip on the calendar turns "I should go diving" into "I'm diving in six weeks and I want to be ready."
Your first big trip doesn't have to be far. San Carlos, Mexico is a weekend drive from Queen Creek and an incredible place to log warm-water dives with the group. From there, we run trips to places like Roatan, Fiji, the Maldives, and more. Traveling with us means you're diving with people you already know, in a group where a newer diver fits right in and there's always someone looking out for you.
Beyond the diving itself, this is where the community part clicks. The friendships you make on a dive trip are a big reason people keep coming back. Come be part of it.
Your Simple First-Year Roadmap
- Now: Reach out to us and get your next dive on the calendar before your skills cool off.
- Every 2 to 4 weeks: Keep diving locally, rent gear, join a charter, dive with us.
- After a handful of dives: Add an Advanced or specialty course to unlock new diving.
- As you go: Build your kit in order, starting with a dive computer.
- This year: Book a trip, dive with the group, and become part of the community.
What sits at the top of that list, and runs through every step of it, is the diving itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
I just got certified. What's the very first thing I should do?
Get your next dive on the calendar before your skills get rusty. The easiest way is to call us at (480) 881-4013, rent whatever gear you need, and come out on a local dive with us. Don't overthink it, the goal is simply to get back in the water soon.
Do I need to buy all my own gear before I can keep diving?
Not at all. You can rent everything you need from us for as long as you like. Plenty of active divers rent for months before they build a full kit. When you are ready to buy, start with a dive computer, then add personal-fit items like a mask and fins.
How often should I dive as a new diver?
Aim for a dive every two to four weeks starting off. That's frequent enough to keep your buoyancy and gear handling sharp and your confidence climbing. After that first year, every couple of months keeps you comfortable.
What course should I take next?
For most new divers, Advanced Adventure or Advanced Diver is the natural next step, and Nitrox is a high-value, low-cost specialty. There's no rush, get some real dives in first, then add training to open up new kinds of diving. If you're unsure, we'll help you pick.
Can I come dive with you even though I'm brand new?
Yes, and we hope you do. Diving with our instructors and experienced divers is the best way to build confidence, because you get real-time mentoring on things like trim, air management, and site awareness. Newer divers fit right in on our local charters and group trips.
So that's the whole roadmap, and it comes down to one thing: keep diving. Reach out to us in Queen Creek, rent what you need, and come get in the water with people who'll help you grow. There's no substitute for experience, and the only way to get it is to go. Give us a call at (480) 881-4013 or stop by the shop, and let's get your next dive on the books.
Let's. Go. Diving.
