SSI Open Water Diver - Tuesday/Thursday Class & Pool Sessions

If you've always wanted to learn to SCUBA dive, experience unparalleled adventure, and see the world beneath the waves, this is where it all starts! Obtain your SCUBA diving certification with the Open Water Diver course – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course - and experience the world in a brand new way. Millions of people have learned to SCUBA dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the marine and aquatic realms with this certification.

To enroll in a SSI Open Water Diver course you must be at least 15 years old, have adequate swimming skills, and need to be in good physical health, and must complete the SSI Medical Questionnaire. No prior experience with SCUBA diving is required. (We have options for younger family members interested in SCUBA diving - ask us about the SCUBA Explorers program and the Junior Open Water Diver program!) Please call the shop at 916-929-8188 for additional requirements and scheduling options.

Here at Dolphin Scuba Center, the course can be completed in as a little as two weeks! The class is broken into 2 parts.

Every participant will need to register for their own SSI Account, this is where you will find your digital learning materials, class progress, digital exam, and eventually your certification card(s). Click here to register, or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://my.divessi.com/register. It’s important to select “Dolphin Swim School, Inc.” as your training center, and make a note of your SSI Master ID (or MID). You will be prompted to enter this information at checkout.

Part 1 (Class & Pool Training)

Part 1 is home study (SSI Digital Learning Materials should be done before the class meets), class, and pool sessions.

Weeknight classes start at 6:30pm and go until about 10:00pm. Class will meet two nights a week for two weeks on Tuesdays & Thursdays for a total of four class/pool sessions

Focus entirely on your learning experience in the comfort of our 92° indoor heated pool. No wetsuit is required, tanks, weights, buoyancy compensation device, and regulator are included for your pool training at no additional charge.

Required Personal Equipment: You will need to own your own mask, snorkel, fins, neoprene boots, underwater compass, whistle, and alternate air source retainer. We have a wide selection of equipment with great prices with student and package discounts. This portion of your gear features an extremely personalized fit. Come into the shop and let our staff take you through a multi-point gear fitting to ensure optimal performance and comfort. Expect to pay between $300 and $600 for good quality personal equipment.

SCUBA equipment needed for the SSI Open Water Diver course not mentioned above is available for rental or purchase. For the certification dives, students will need to have a regulator with a dive computer, buoyancy compensation device, tanks, wetsuit, hood, gloves, and weights. While you are a student enrolled in a class at Dolphin, you will receive the “1 Day” rate for any weekend rental. Please see the Open Water Class Rental Prices for more information.

Learn with your own equipment - continuously renting equipment means almost never diving in a familiar set, resulting in an additional learning curve at the beginning of every dive trip. We highly recommend learning to dive with your own set of equipment. Full equipment packages start around $2,500 and enhance your full diving experience. SCUBA diving is like any other sport, having your own equipment adds to your comfort and enjoyment.

Important Links:

Part 2 (Open Water Certification Dives)

Choose your preferred option for Part 2 of your SSI Open Water Diver Certification course. Your Open Water Certification Dives are the final step of your SSI Open Water Diver Certification. This is four (4) dives conducted in open water under an instructor’s supervision. You will display your newly mastered skills during 2 dives per day over the course of 2 days. There are 3 typical venues to complete your dives in Northern California, availability of which is dependent on water conditions and time of year. From late spring until early fall we are generally able to utilize our local lake options, Monterey, or Lake Tahoe. Monterey is available to us year-round, as conditions such as temperature and visibility are relatively consistent.

Rescheduling/Cancellation Policy:
Classes begin promptly at their scheduled time, please check your itinerary or contact us any time with your questions. You must complete all of Part 1 (class and pool sessions) before you are eligible for Part 2 (open water dives). However, if it becomes necessary to cancel a lesson, make-up sessions can be scheduled with an Instructor for an additional cost of $30.00 per hour. A seven-days notice is required to cancel or reschedule a class without penalty. Cancellations less than seven days before class will incur a charge of 50% tuition. Cancellations less than three days before class will forfeit all tuition paid. All tuition is non-refundable after class begins, whether the course is completed or not. Rescheduling due to needing a physician's release is still subject to our rescheduling policy above.