Scuba Dive Certifications

Discover a whole new world beneath the waves!

You will experience the thrill of scuba diving under the close supervision of a qualified PADI Instructor in ideal conditions. Under the palm trees on the beach, we’ll begin with an orientation and skills session – you’ll be introduced to the basic concepts of scuba diving. Next you’ll learn about equipment, basic skills and safety procedures. Afterwards, you’ll practice those important scuba skills in three to five feet of calm, clear water right off the beach. You’ll continue with your first dive experience off that same beach in 20-30 feet of calm water. Once you’re comfortable with the basic skills, one of our custom dive boats will take you to enjoy your first open water dive. It will be no deeper than 30ft, and you’ll be able to explore one of our amazing reefs with your instructor.

The DSD course is available on all of our programs except Charlie. Students will spend 2-3 sessions with our PADI instructors. In the future, if you decide to become certified, these skills and the open water dives may be credited towards your PADI Open Water Diver course.

Prerequisite: 12+ years of age.

This PADI course is the most popular entry-level dive program in the whole world! Throughout our PADI Open Water Diver course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of safe scuba diving, including dive equipment, techniques, and planning. This certification allows you to rent scuba equipment, obtain tank air fills and also enroll in PADI Continuing Education courses (PADI Adventure Diver, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, or even PADI Specialties).

The PADI Open Water Diver certification is recognized worldwide. To earn this rating, we’ll introduce you to eLearning:

• eLearning is an online Open Water course developed by PADI.
• Non-diving “classroom” lessons are completed at home before your summer program starts.
• The online course, averaging 6-8 hours to complete, presents the material in an “easy to use” manner and assures that you thoroughly understand the information. You can divide the course into several separate learning sessions to fit your schedule. No pressure — you set your own pace.
• You can get one-on-one assistance from our professional scuba instructors in the Caribbean — the same instructors that you’ll have during the summer! They are on call by email to answer questions you may have along the way. This is personal attention that might not be available in a larger classroom setting.
• Parents can oversee the sessions and possibly offer assistance.
• The greatest advantage is that when you arrive in the Caribbean your time is spent underwater developing the skills required to become a qualified, capable, and safe diver. You’re not in the classroom! The first thing that you do is take a review test to prove that you’re ready to go diving!

During five confined water training dives, your instructor will demonstrate, and then you’ll practice and master, important diving skills. Finally, applying everything you have learned, you will make four open water dives at favorite dive sites around the British Virgin Islands.

Prerequisite: Must be Open Water certified or equivalent

Recreational diving is available as an option on all of our scuba certified adventures. Ever imagine diving on a coral garden, drifting through a rainbow canyon, or exploring a sunken wreck? You will enjoy recreational diving in the BVI with our own Sail Caribbean Divers Instructors and Divemasters. On Delta in the Leeward Islands, professional dive instructors from each island along with our dive staff take you to gorgeous dive sites. You must provide proof of certification from a recognized agency like PADI, NAUI, YMCA, or NASDS.

For Open Water divers who want to earn the next certification

Divers who are already certified can go to the next level and improve their skills. You will receive your PADI textbook upon arrival in the islands. During the course you will complete interesting and informative knowledge reviews along with navigation, night and deep dives, plus two other dives of your choice in assorted specialty areas for a total of five dives. After the course, you can use your skills to enjoy recreational dives during the remainder of your adventure.

You may be able to earn multiple dive specialty certifications. The particular specialties offered will depend on the adventure chosen and our diving schedule. You will decide which specialties you’d like to do when you are in the Caribbean.

All below are available on Charlie Advanced Scuba adventures. Availability on other adventures is shown.

Peak Performance Buoyancy

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Also available on Sierra

Practice techniques for improving buoyancy and decreasing air consumption resulting in better under water control and more enjoyment/preservation of the diving environment. (2 dives)

Project AWARE Dive Against Debris

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Also available on Foxtrot and Sierra

The impact on marine life of garbage dumped in our oceans is one of the biggest issues of our time. You can help by going on a dive with mesh bags to collect the debris that threatens our oceans.

Project AWARE Reef Fish Identification

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Also available on Sierra

Study a variety of fish while observing and identifying markings, shapes, and behavior. (2 dives)

Underwater Naturalist

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Also available on Sierra and Ocean

Explore and identify marine life including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plant life. (2 dives)

Project AWARE Specialist

Prerequisite: None

Familiarize yourself with the plight of worldwide aquatic ecosystems and learn how to protect aquatic resources. (Non-diving specialty)

Project AWARE Coral Reef Conservation

Prerequisite: None

Also available on Foxtrot

Study the fragile Coral Reef system, and how to preserve it, while observing and identifying markings, shapes, and growth. (Non-diving specialty)

Digital Underwater Photographer

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Learn the PADI SEA (shoot, examine, adjust) method, principals for getting good photos underwater, plus how to edit and share your shots. (2 dives)

Boat Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Develop skills needed to dive safely from a power or sailboat as well as special procedures for diving in areas with boat traffic. (2 dives)

Underwater Navigator

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Hone your underwater navigation skills using a compass, natural navigation techniques, and other navigational tools. (3 dives)

Night Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Explore the intrigue of diving at night while focusing on equipment handling, navigation, nocturnal marine creatures, and day to night contrast. (3 dives)

Search and Recovery Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Advanced or equivalent

Practice search patterns, effective search techniques in various conditions, and raising heavy objects using lifting devices. (4 dives)

Multi-level Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Advanced or equivalent

Apply valuable techniques for extending bottom times using the recreational dive planner (wheel format) and diving computers. (2 dives)

Drift Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent

Learn pertinent safety techniques, how to fine tune your buoyancy and use specialized equipment, as you use the ocean currents and tides as your propulsion. (2 dives)

RMS Rhone Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Advanced or equivalent; 15+ yrs old

The RMS Rhone Diver Specialty, a PADI Distinctive Specialty, is exclusively available at Sail Caribbean. Made famous in the movie, The Deep, this 310-ft cargo ship sank in 1867. She is our most requested dive site and is regularly voted the top wreck dive in the Caribbean.

Enriched Air Diver- Nitrox

Prerequisite: PADI Open Water or equivalent; 15+ yrs old

Learn recreational skills and techniques for diving with different mixes of Oxygen and Nitrogen, for increased bottom time. (2 dives)

Wreck Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Adventure or equivalent; 15+ yrs old

Learn recreational skills and techniques for diving in man-made environments and practice using specialized wreck equipment. (4 dives)

Deep Diver

Prerequisite: PADI Adventure or equivalent; 15+ yrs old

Discover deep dive planning, hazards, special equipment, and extra safety precautions. (4 dives)

We offer an Emergency First Response course in the Caribbean to satisfy CPR and First Aid prerequisites on 3-week Charlie adventures. However, if you’d like to get in the water sooner we highly recommend that you take CPR and 1st Aid before the program.

About Online First Aid and CPR Courses: Several training providers are now offering first aid and CPR courses that are entirely online and have no face-to-face interaction with, or skill review by, an authorized first aid instructor. These online-only courses do not meet first aid and CPR training requirements for dive courses such as PADI Rescue Diver or PADI Divemaster.

If you are interested in scuba first aid and safety and have already completed advanced level scuba training from a recognized agency.

This is a demanding course requiring strong commitment. The course includes ten rescue exercises and four scenarios designed to enhance self-rescue skills and teach in-water rescue procedures for recreational divers. After you have completed the final exam and rescue scenarios, you will be granted the highest non-professional diving certification available. Advanced Open Water or equivalent is a prerequisite. Current CPR and 1st Aid are prerequisites.

About Online First Aid and CPR Courses: Several training providers are now offering first aid and CPR courses that are entirely online and have no face-to-face interaction with, or skill review by, an authorized first aid instructor. These online-only courses do not meet first aid and CPR training requirements for dive courses such as PADI Rescue Diver or PADI Divemaster.

To earn this certification you must have completed the advanced and rescue certification levels or equivalent, five PADI specialty certifications, and proof of 50 logged dives. This is not a separate course, simply an additional rating a diver is eligible to apply for based on commendable diving experience.

While in training for your Divemaster certification, you will live aboard a monohull yacht with the staff of the concurrently running Charlie Advanced Scuba adventure. You will be able to participate in some of the regular Charlie activities, but to a limited degree.

Prerequisites:

• Certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and PADI Rescue Diver
• 18 years old
• Logged 40 logged dives
• Completed EFR Primary and Secondary Care training within 24 months
• Medically evaluated and cleared for diving by a physician within 12 months

Exit Requirements

• Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care course completion (or qualifying training) within the last 24 months
• 60 logged dives; documented experience in underwater navigation, night diving and deep diving

Once certified as a PADI Divemaster you are qualified to:

• Assist PADI Instructors in conducting PADI programs
• Supervise participants in PADI experience programs
• Generally supervise both training and non-training related diving activities
• Teach and certify Skin Divers
• Conduct PADI Scuba Review for certified divers
• Apply for PADI’s Divemaster Discover Scuba Diving instructor rating
• Enroll in PADI Assistant Instructor or the PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC)

Newly certified Divemasters have the opportunity to join the Sail Caribbean Divers team in an internship position and build on their development as a dive professional. While living on the Charlie program’s staff boat, you will be directly assisting Sail Caribbean Divers staff with Open Water certifications, Discover Scuba sessions, and co-leading recreational dives.

After the last Charlie program ends in August, Divemasters can join the Open Water Scuba Instructor certification course given at the Hodges Creek facility of Sail Caribbean Divers. Housing will be land-based. See sailcaribbeandivers.com or contact info@sailcaribbeandivers.com for OWSI course dates.