PADI Open Water Scuba Lessons & Certification near you in Lancaster, PA

Open Water Scuba Certification Classes

Learn to Dive with Scuba Lessons near you in Lancaster, PA

Ready to start your underwater adventure? Join us at Lancaster Scuba for our Open Water Scuba Certification Course and take the first step toward exploring the incredible world beneath the surface.
Our first class of the season begins April 4th, with new classes starting every other weekend throughout the season, making it easy to find a schedule that works for you.
During the course you will learn the fundamentals of safe scuba diving through a combination of classroom instruction, confined water training, and open water dives. By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills and confidence to dive anywhere in the world.

What You'll Learn:

Safe scuba diving practices and dive planning
Proper use of scuba equipment
Underwater communication and buoyancy control
Problem-solving and emergency procedures

Class Details

First class begins April 4
New classes start every other weekend
Training includes classroom, pool, and open water dives
All experience levels welcome

Spots fill quickly, so reserve your place today and start your diving adventure!

Knowledge Development

The Knowledge Development portion of the class builds your understanding of the basic principles and procedures of diving. Developing this knowledge is accomplished with ease through three modes.

First you begin by reading your Open Water Manual. The facts and information acquired during the reading are then expounded upon by watching the Open Water DVD that coincides with the reading. Finally, the facts and concepts presented in the reading and the DVD are summarized and covered again by your Instructor. These classroom sessions with your instructor are the perfect time to ask and discuss any questions that you have about any of the material that you have covered.

Confined Water Dives

The Confined water dives allow you to take the basic Scuba Diving skills that you learned during your Knowledge Development and practice them in a local heated indoor pool. Your Instructors and Divemasters will demonstrate and explain the many skills needed in diving and will then have you practice these skills under their supervision.

You’ll learn everything from setting up your gear to clearing your mask of water without surfacing. The Open Water Diver Course is performance-based, meaning that you take as much time as you need to practice each skill until you and your instructor are both confident in your new abilities.

The majority of the Open Water Diver Courses offered at Lancaster Scuba Center are formatted so that the Knowledge Development and Confined Water Dive sections of the course are portioned out across an approximate five week period. Each week you and your Instructor will cover one section of Knowledge Development with one corresponding portion of Confined Water Dives.We recognize that this 5 week program may not fit everyone’s schedule. In light of this, Lancaster Scuba Center also offers condensed and individually tailored classes to meet your needs.

You may also complete all of the Knowledge Development phase of the class from home via the internet using the PADI e-Learning system, another time saving measure. Please contact Lancaster Scuba Center at 717.39.SCUBA or by email at info@lancasterscuba.com for additional questions on course details and scheduling.

Open Water Dives

After your confined water dives, you will continue your diving education during four open water dives with your Instructor at a dive site. The Open Water dives are the culmination of all your skill building thus far, and allow you to fully experience the underwater adventure. Most of the students at Lancaster Scuba Center opt to make these dives at one of our Local Scuba Diving Lakes.

These lakes are specifically designed and maintained for Scuba Divers and include underwater platforms for training and underwater attractions for the entertainment of student and certified diver alike. Many of the Scuba lakes that Lancaster Scuba Center frequently uses include Willow Springs, and Dutch Springs and Lake Allure. (Admission to the Scuba lakes is not included in the price of the course).

If you would like to finish your Scuba certification by completing your Open Water Dives in a more exotic location, you can many times finish your certification on one of Lancaster Scuba Center’s various trips to tropical dive destinations, or we can refer you to another PADI facility anywhere in the world.

Course Tuition

Lancaster Scuba Center’s Open Water Diver Course is an ALL INCLUSIVE package with the exception of your personal gear and entrance fees into the diving lakes, for your certification dives.

The course tuition includes the following: Instructor Fee, admission to the pool facility, PADI Open Water Diver Manual (OR online eLearning), Diving Log, Deluxe Dive Binder, Student Record Folder which includes a Medical Questionnaire which must be completed before participating, Recreational Dive Planner, use of Educational DVD, use of rental Gear, Open Water Certification Dives, and a PADI certification card upon completion of the course.

The personal gear needed includes mask, snorkel, fins, boots, and a weight belt and may be purchased at Lancaster Scuba Center. Making sure that you are comfortable and confident in these items is paramount to your success in the Open Water Diver Course. The Lancaster Scuba Center Sales Staff will work closely with you to ensure a perfect fit of these items and to educate you in your available choices. Participate in a Discover Scuba if you are interested in Scuba Diving but would like to give it a try before you take the plunge into an Open Water Course!