The Dive Arizona Difference
Small groups, familiar faces, and all the time you need
Learning to dive should feel like a good day with people who want you to succeed. Our classes stay small, you learn from the same instructors from your first pool session to your last open water dive, and nobody gets hurried along to keep up with a calendar. You get all of that at a price that is posted up front and stays put.
Small groups
Fewer students per instructor means more time with the gear in your hands and more of your questions answered. If a skill needs a second try, or a third, it gets one.
Same instructors, start to finish
The owners teach and dive right alongside you, so you meet your instructors once and keep them. Nobody gets handed to a new face halfway through the course.
No rushing
You move on when you feel ready, at a pace that fits you. If you are nervous about the water or take a little longer to learn, we work out the extra pool time together.
How a Dive Arizona class compares
Other shops
Dive Arizona
Class size
A big group and little one-on-one time
✓A small group with real hands-on time
Instructors
Whoever is on the schedule that day
✓The same instructors from start to finish
Pace
The class moves on, ready or not
✓You move on when you are ready
Scheduling
Fixed dates only
✓Flexible and private scheduling when your calendar needs it
Price
Hidden fees and unexpected costs
✓One advertised price that covers the course from start to finish
Open Water in three steps
1
Learn online
Start with the SDI eLearning on your own schedule and finish it before your first session.
2
Train in the pool
A classroom session and a pool session cover mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, and emergency procedures, with your instructor beside you.
3
Dive at the lake
Four certification dives over two days at a local lake, two dives each day, with the instructors you already know.
What the Open Water course covers
- SDI eLearning, finished on your own time before your first session
- A classroom session and a pool session
- Four open water certification dives, two dives a day over two days
- Rental tank, BCD, regulator, wetsuit, weights, and dive computer
- A student discount on gear while you are enrolled
What you bring
- Your own mask, fins, boots, and snorkel, fitted for you in the shop
- A completed medical questionnaire
- Swimwear and a towel for pool days
Plan on about 20 hours in all. Divers ages 10 and up are welcome with parental consent, your SDI certification is good worldwide for life, and we accept ESA and GI Bill funding.
What our students say
"Sarah was very helpful and knowledgeable at the lake. I felt very comfortable doing my open water cert."
Google review
"I did both my Open Water and my Full Face Mask training with Dive Arizona with Amanda and Liz. They were all very professional and knew their stuff."
Google review
"Hands down the BEST experience with a dive operation EVER! Our Instructor Ron was TOP NOTCH from start to finish."
Google review
After you're certified
Computer NitroxThe most popular first specialty, especially before a tripAdvanced AdventureTry new kinds of diving with an instructorRescue DiverBuild confidence and look out for your buddyGroup dive tripsTravel with the people you trained with
Questions we hear a lot
How long does Open Water take?
About 20 hours in all. You start with the online course at your own pace, then come in for the classroom and pool sessions, and finish with two days of open water dives at a local lake. Private and flexible scheduling is available if standard class times do not fit.
I am nervous about the water. Is this for me?
Yes, our classes are built with you in mind. Groups are small, we go at your pace, and nobody is signed off until they feel ready.
Can my kid take the class?
Ages 10 and up can take Open Water with a parent's consent. For ages 8 and 9, take a look at the Future Buddies program.
Can I try it before I commit?
Yes. The Scuba Discovery Program is a pool session with all gear included. If you decide to keep going, $25 of what you paid goes toward your Open Water sign up, so $25 comes off your enrollment.