Open Water Scuba Diver / Junior Scuba Diver

This course meets the requirements for ISO Level 2- autonomous diver certification. It provides the fundamental knowledge and skills to scuba dive once your open water training is complete. Upon successful completion of this course, graduates are considered competent to engage in open water diving activities without supervision, provided the diving activities and the areas dived approximate those of training.

Get Started

Getting started is easy! Individuals ages 10+ and in good physical condition may enroll in a NAUI Scuba Diver course. Signing up for a class is easy, while wetsuits and fun await!

What’s Next?

Continue your training by enrolling in a NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver, NAUI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver, NAUI Rescue Scuba Diver or NAUI First Aid course.

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COURSE DETAILS

Academic: E-learning/Classroom

Practical Application:

           Skin Dive: 1 dive
Confined Dives: 2 dives
Open Water Dives: 4 dives
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REQUIREMENTS – SKILLS

  • Demonstrate novice level swim stroke proficiency in any of the following strokes: crawl, side, breast, elementary back, or back stroke. Classic stroke combinations are not necessary to meet this requirement as long as forward progress is achieved, e.g. no particular kick or arm action is necessarily required and a lack of either is also acceptable. Students shall complete at least 15 continuous stroke cycles while being evaluated by an instructor. A stroke cycle is considered to be either arm or leg action or a combination thereof resulting in forward movement.
    • Survival swim for 10 minutes.
    • Swim underwater 15m (50 ft.) on one breath with no push-off or dive. The use of weights is permitted for students having difficulty remaining submerged. The use of a mask is permitted for students wearing contact lenses.

        • Swim 412m (450 yards) nonstop, breathing from snorkel. Bring another diver simulating unconsciousness to the surface from a depth of about 3m (10 ft.) of water.
        • Using proper techniques perform water entries and exits, surface dives, surface swimming, clearing the snorkel, ditching the weight system, buoyancy control, underwater swimming and surfacing.

PRE- AND POST-DIVE SKILLS.

  • Select, check, assemble, adjust and don equipment; perform pre-dive gear check for self and buddy; defog masks; after diving, doff, rinse, and care for gear.
  • Perform surface buoyancy/weighting check and make adjustments as needed to hover at diving depth.
  • Correctly give and recognize surface communications for divers.
    Orally inflate and deflate own and buddy’s BC.
  • At the surface, remove and replace (in turn): mask, fins, and scuba unit.
  • With face submerged, breathe through snorkel while resting and swimming.
  • With face submerged, breathe through water in the snorkel without choking.
  • Regulator and snorkel exchange at the surface while swimming
  • Release a simulated muscle cramp from self and buddy.
  • If appropriate for the area, enter and exit the water with a float and/or, “Diver Down” flag and line; use to identify the dive area while diving.
  • Deploy and retrieve a surface marker buoy.
  • Surface removal and replacement of the scuba unit
  • Demonstrate proper use of the selected weight system. As appropriate, on the surface and underwater, skills include: removal and replacement, adjustment, and positioning. Minimally, all weight systems must be removed on the surface at least one time, by the student.

DESCENT/ASCENT SKILLS.

  • Control pressure in air spaces for comfortable, controlled descents and ascents.
  • Descend feet first with a minimum of hand movement, i.e., sculling or treading, using breath control or BC to control rate of descent.
  • At the end of a dive, ascend at a controlled steady rate of 9m (30 ft.) or less per minute and hover at a depth of approximately 4.6m (15 ft.) for three minutes.UNDERWATER SKILLS.
  • Give, recognize, and respond appropriately to common underwater communications.
  • Mask clearing, including removal and replacement.
  • Mask off swim for a distance of 15m (50ft)
  • Remove, replace, and clear a regulator.
  • Regain primary regulator from behind the shoulder, replace, and clear.
  • Environmentally appropriate buoyancy control
  • Hover without support or significant movement.
  • Underwater swimming with position and trim appropriate to the environment
  • Removal and replacement of the scuba unit
  • If wearing a standard buckle type weight belt and submerged in a prone position at the bottom or while hovering, adjust the position of the weight system so that the ballast is evenly distributed.
  • If wearing a weight-integrated weight system, and submerged in a prone position at the bottom or while hovering, remove and replace at least one weight pocket, if permitted by the weight system. If necessary, assistance is allowed to replace the weight pocket.
  • Use the buddy system for scuba diving, remaining within 3m (10 ft.), or less if required by conditions, of buddy.
  • Monitor air supply and communicate amount remaining upon request, and manage air supply so as to surface with a pre-planned minimum amount of air.
  • Using environmental navigation aids and a compass, travel underwater to a designated location or in a given direction for a set period of time.
  • Use an underwater compass to set a bearing: follow the bearing and return on a reciprocal course to the approximate starting location.
  • Planning
  • Environmental
  • Emergency/Rescue/Problem Solving
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PREREQUISITES

  • Age. Minimum is 15 years by the water phase of the course. (Junior certification for ages 10-14 years is allowed. See “Policies Applying to All Courses: Age, Junior Certification.”)
  • Certification/Experience/Knowledge. There is no certification required to enter this course. Students who hold credentials from the NAUI Introduction to Scuba program may, at the discretion of the instructor, be awarded credit for skills and knowledge acquired
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