Open Water Diver

Invest in scuba diving lessons and learn something you’ll enjoy the rest of your life. From the first day, diving starts transforming your life with new experiences you share with friends. You can do it almost anywhere there is water. 70% of the earth is water, how much have you explored?

How much time does it take?
Our open water class is broken up into 3 different sessions.

1) Knowledge Development: Your learning will be in the comfort of your own home using SSI’s online virtual classroom. Approximately 10-12 hours to complete. You can use internet connection  or download to app to work on offline. 

2) Confined water training: We provide 6 pool sessions, with comfort through repetition as our goal. Teaching you mastery of your newly acquired awesome scuba skills.

3) Open water check out: 4 dives done over 2 days plus one day for Snorkeling and water skills. Testing you on those awesome scuba skills you mastered in the pool.

Gone Diving’s Safety Standards
SSI’s standard is 4 students to one instructor. We know that diving in the Pacific NW is not as easy as diving in the Caribbean. Our water temperature of 46˚ is not as comfortable to sit and wait for other students to complete skill sets. The extra attention you need to be comfortable and confident diving in our waters should start at the beginning so you will continue diving for a lifetime! Safety is our number one concern so no crowed classes.

What start up equipment needs are there?
Scuba diving is an equipment intensive sport, so yes, gear is needed. You will need to purchase your own personnel snorkeling gear. Since these are personnel, we can help you find the right fit. BONUS – since you don’t know how this equipment will feel until you use it. We have a no worries program, switch it out for something that works best for you while you are still in your pool sessions. Personnel snorkeling gear for the Pacific NW is a mask, snorkel, 5mm boots, adjustable fins and 5mm gloves. We are a full service/retail dive shop with the most selection North of Seattle. As a student with Gone Diving, you will receive 10% off any equipment purchased while a student with, us excluding already bundled packages.

Does Gone Diving have package pricing?
Purchasing an Open Water bundled package will have everything that you need to start and finish the course, plus a bit more with lots of savings. Request our current Class Menu. Our most popular, ala cart Package, includes: You choice of any mask, snorkel, 6.5mm boots, open heel fins and 5mm gloves that we have in stock – from our full retail shop! Thank You Kit is also included: mouthpiece, tie straps, large mesh snorkel bag, equipment rentals for confined and open water sessions. PLUS 2 FREE days of rentals after class (Over a $200 value). Your personnel snorkeling equipment that comes in the bundled package is yours to keep. The Budget friendly Package includes: limited choice of mask, J-snorkel, 5mm soft boots, open heel blade fins and 5mm gloves that we have in stock. Also included in the budget package is a mouthpiece, tie straps and equipment rentals for confined and open water sessions.

Can I use my own gear?
You may have some of your basic snorkeling gear already. Let us check it out to make sure it will work in our conditions and is in proper working condition. If you have your own life support (regulators or bcd) that you would like to use. You need to show proof of service has been completed by an Authorized Technician and they are in working condition for our cold water environment. Safety is our biggest concern and we have learned the importance of properly serviced gear.

How are classes structured?
Gone Diving offers the Open Water group class every month. Your knowledge development portion needs to be finished by the first night of class. First night is orientation, mini-workshop, then head over to the pool for your water-skills assessment, float test and teaching you how to skin/snorkel dive. The other evening nights will also have a classroom/mini-workshop then head over to the pool with tanks to go breath underwater. Showing that you are comfortable and confident with those new skills. We move you onto the open water dives the following weekend!

Why get a dry suit certification?
Our waters are considered to be a bit cold. Our best diving is actually done in the winter time. The water temperature is usually warmer than air temperature. You will find that a dry suit is much more comfortable and convenient for multiple dives in a day. Not required, just strongly recommended. You DO have to be dry suit certified in order to rent a dry suit. You will have a separate classroom, pool orientation with the suit before your open water dives. Two open water dives are completed the following weekend after your basic open water dives. This is a Specialty and counts towards your Advance Diver rating. You can dive all your training open water dives in a dry suit! I dive dry – so why not you?

Do I need my own gear?
You will want to have your own gear since it has a personal fit. We find that rented gear or borrowed gear usually adds to problems during the class. If you mask leaks it is hard to see. If your fins are not comfortable it is hard for you to move. Seeing and movability are very important in your enjoyment and continuation in scuba diving.

How long does the certification last?
Once you are scuba certified – you are always certified! You don’t have any annual fees that you have to maintain for your scuba certification to be valid. You will learn that if it has been more than six months up to a couple of years (depending how long from your basic training) from the last time you where in the water. You should do a basic scuba review. If it has been longer than a couple of years. You may want to do a more in depth scuba review or re-take the class again. Time and technology pass faster than we are aware of and your life depends on being up to date with the changes.

How do I begin?
Email us at info@gonediving.org, Call 360.738.2042 or stop by our center and talk with our staff.

What do I receive with my Open Water training course price?
Beside awesome instruction! Course includes: SSI Online training (access for life) and Open Water international certification rated to 60 feet to dive any where in the world! Open Water certification enables you to be able to rent gear, get air fills and explore the under water world with out hassle from the man but possibly from fish.

What is after Open Water training?
Your open water class teaches you the basics of scuba diving. Dive gear setup, communication, dive planning and basic scuba equipment. Once you have learned to swim under water with scuba gear, you may want to learn to do more than just swim! You can learn new skills with your diving by continuing your education. Your instructor has put a lot of time and training into their skills to be where they are at. They only just showed you how to began.

When can I continue my dive education?
Once you have completed Open Water certification you may continue your diving education right away. Enroll in specialty classes that might interest you and dive, dive, dive! The more you dive and log the more experience points you get towards your Advanced Diver rating of 24 logged dives and 4 specialties. You may also choose to make a career out of diving and get your Dive Master or Instruction certification. How cool is that? Really cool.

What do you see down there?
This is the biggest question that is asked. I am not sure I could describe it well enough so why not come and see for yourself!Email us