SwanDiving Instructor Services

About PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)
      

X To find a place to stay or to view diver's photos and for a lot of other information, click on the SwanBlog link at the bottom of this page. 

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Open Water Diver Certification

XX You can begin your certification process at home and come to St. John to finish the course with me.  Here's how it works.  There are some academics to do before you are granted a certification.  For study purposes you will need a book, which is available in hard copy or CD-ROM [windows/Mac] and additional visual aids available in video or DVD [windows/Mac].  The course work is designed so that you can do it at home and at your own pace. Take a day or two to complete the bookwork, or make it last a couple weeks or longer if you like.

To get your academic media you should contact me and I'll help you get the best media for your situation and at the best price. You may also click here to find a PADI retail outlet near you.

And then you can pursue your certification following 1 of 2 tracks:

  1. Complete your process through your local PADI retail center (be mindful of the open water conditions near your home).
  2. You can complete just your academics and pool sessions at home and then come to St. John as a referral student to finish your certification in just 2 days in sunny, warm and fun tropical waters, with me. Here you will not only become an Open Water Certified Diver but you’ll get a great introduction to tropical diving.  

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Referrals (For completing your Open Water Diver Certification)

XX If you’re looking for an exciting warm water experience to complete your PADI Open Water Diver certification, consider the US Virgin Islands. If a shortie is all you want to wear while diving in the winter or nearly nothing at all in the summer, these warm Caribbean waters could be for you! Water temperatures hover around 80º the year round.

XX Finishing your training and gaining certification is very easy. Bring completed referral information from your Referring Instructor at home and we’ll do a quick verification and pre-assessment.

XX Four dives over two days complete your certification. Or three dives with proper demonstration of Discover Scuba Diving proficiency. We’ll dive in the safe, warm, Caribbean, open water that you won’t find in the mainland USA or Europe. Along with your certification, you’ll get a natural introduction to common, tropical fish, coral and other creatures.

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Discover Scuba Diving

XX It’s true! You don’t have to be certified to go diving.

XX Discover Scuba Diving is PADI’s program that allows you to experience the weightless exhilaration of breathing underwater with the direct supervision of a professional dive instructor. This program is designed to encourage exploration and allow you to satisfy your curiosity about scuba diving.

XX Discover Scuba Diving is conducted at a shallow reef where you will master a few basic scuba skills. Then, if you decide you want to become a Certified Open Water Diver, these skills can be credited toward your first open water certification dive. This is a way that you can try out scuba diving without committing yourself to the entire certification process.

XX We’ll spend most of our time diving and exploring a coral reef, swimming with tropical fish and just getting used to being in the underwater environment. Even if you are familiar with tropical waters, I’ll pick out a couple of fish that are new to you and we’ll find them on our dive. You’ll get an introduction to diving with an intro to tropical underwater life.
  • For safety, Discover Scuba Diving is limited to no more than 4 participants per instructor. If your group is more than 4 people, contact us to see if we can add another instructor for you.
  • To participate in the Discover Scuba Diving experience, you must be at least 10 years old.
  • No more than two 10 and 11 year-olds may participate in a group of 3 or 4.
  • Remember that comfort and fun are integral to your experiences with SwanDiving (me).

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Adventure Dives

XX After certification as an open water diver, you can participate in "PADI Adventure Dives."  Adventure diving gives you the opportunity to dive with an instructor's close supervision providing the fastest way to improve your proficiency and gain confidence as an open water diver. When you have completed 5 Adventure Dives (including the Deep Dive and the Underwater Navigation Dive), you will be certified as a “PADI Advanced Diver.”

XX During each adventure dive, we will perform tasks specific to the type of diving we are doing.  We will also include fun things to do plus ways to improve your skills that apply to any dive. The Adventure Dive list includes:

  • Peak Performance Buoyancy
  • Deep Diving
  • Underwater Navigational Diving
  • AWARE Fish Identification
  • Underwater Naturalist
  • Underwater Photography
  • Search and Recovery Diving
  • Boat Diving
  • Night Diving
  • and more

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Advanced Diver

XX Advanced Diver certification is one certification that I recommend to every open water certified diver, for two reasons.  Advanced certification classes keep you diving with an instructor, which is the easiest way to improve your skills and expand your self-confidence as an open water diver.  Secondly, it may occur that an open water diver (even a very experienced one) might travel somewhere and not be allowed to participate on a particular dive being sponsored by a diving establishment (a night dive, wreck dive, deep dive, etc.) without first providing an advanced diver certification card.  To be sure, this does not happen often, but if it happens to you, that would be once too often.

XX Getting your PADI Advanced Diver certification with SwanDiving is very easy.  Simply go on 5 Adventure Dives with me and include the Deep Dive and the Underwater Navigation Dive, as 2 of your 5 Adventure Dives. Then you'll receive your advanced certification.  You have many choices as to types of dives to choose from for your 3 elective dives.  While accomplishing the tasks specific to the types of adventure dives you choose, I will give you tips and pointers to increase your awareness and enjoyment of the underwater world.

XX For Advanced Diver certification, you may include Adventure Dives that you have completed with any other PADI instructor within the past year. Simply bring with you verification of the completed Adventure Dives. Also, I can confirm Adventure Dives that you take with me and you may go elsewhere to complete your Advanced Diver certification.

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Specialty Certifications

XXContact me  if you are interested in Specialty Certifications (see list).   The specialty certification class will vary from 2 to 4 dives depending on which specialty you are most interested.  Each specialty certification includes the Adventure Dive, as its first dive.  If you've already completed a particular Adventure Dive, you need only complete the last 1, 2 or 3 dives of that specialty to earn that certification and you will need to provide me with verification of having completed that Adventure Dive.

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About PADI
(Professional Association of Diving Instructors)

XX I am a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) and all certifications obtained through SwanDiving are PADI certifications. PADI is the leading certification organization in the world with more than 60% of certifications in the USA and more than 40% in the world. PADI is one of the best scuba certifying organizations. Some will ask if it is indeed “the best.” I believe there is no one scuba-certifying agency that can accurately claim that distinction. Each one has unique offerings and all scuba-certifying agencies are very good and all have an excellent record for safety. For that reason, governments tend to leave dive regulation to the diving industry. We do a great job with safety and the sponsorship of scuba diving.

XX If you are certified by PADI, wherever you go in the world you are most likely to find another PADI outfit to serve you. In case of a lost or unavailable certification card, you will be able to validate your certification level while you are traveling. If you begin a new level of training, you will be able to go home and continue that training with a PADI instructor you know or go somewhere else to continue that training and receive the same instruction.

XX PADI has done more than all other organizations combined to promote recreational scuba diving. Without PADI’s influence, it is questionable whether you could travel to many places and have scuba diving as a viable option once you arrive. PADI’s emphasis on fun in scuba diving, its worldwide availability and its leadership are what make PADI an excellent choice as a scuba-certifying agency.