Scuba Courses

Open Water Certification is your entrance into the world of scuba.  The “C-Card” is good for life and gives you access to a variety of dives, dive travel, dive equipment, rental gear and additional classes.  The SEI Open Water class consists of independent study, classroom study, 16 hours of pool practice, and multiple open water dives usually conducted over a weekend.

Classes will be offered on a variety of schedules in an attempt to meet the needs of as many people as possible.

Please see the Calendar page for upcoming classes.

Open Water SCUBA Certification

Registration

• Call (505) 570-3483 or email the shop
• Please plan on scheduling a 1-hour in-person orientation session with us to go over study and equipment requirements.
• Students must register 3 weeks in advance of the first pool session to ensure sufficient study time.

Phase 1 – Independent Study

• Self-guided study with periodic online testing
• Book and study materials can be picked up at the shop at the orientation appointment

Phase 2 – In-person Classroom Learning

• Students must complete the self-guided Phase 1 portion and be approved by the instructor before admission to Phase 2
• All classroom sessions – marked OW – Classroom Session (multiple session numbers) on the calendar – must be completed before student can proceed to Phase 3.

Snorkeling Skills Pool Day

• Before proceeding to Phase 3, students must complete OW – Snorkeling – Pool Session. Please see available days on the calendar, and call us to reserve your spot in the pool. 
• You must purchase or bring your mask, snorkel, fins, and boots for this class.
• This session introduces snorkeling skills and familiarizes the student with mask clearing and maneuvering in the water with personal scuba equipment.

Phase 3 – Scuba Pool Skills

• Students will don scuba gear and perform skills in the pool.
• All sessions, exit skills, and tests must be completed to advance to Phase 4.

Phase 4 – Open Water Checkouts

• We will travel to an open water dive site to complete this last phase.
  • Perch Lake in Santa Rosa, NM; Lea Lake in Roswell, NM, Homestead Crater, UT, and Balmorhea State Park, TX are some of the dive sites we use. Please check the calendar for dates. 

Advanced Open Water

• Multiple Advanced Open Water classes will be offered during the year. Please see the calendar for future availability.

Advanced Open Water 3

• AOW 3 covers advanced navigation skills, and further advanced dive safety training. 
• Pool sessions are listed on the calendar
• Students must attend a Prereq/Exit Swim Qualification day before beginning advanced scuba skill training. 

Dive Rescue and Accident Management (DRAM)

• Enhance your troubleshooting and accident management skills. 
• This will be offered multiple times throughout the year. Please see the calendar for future availability.
• Pool sessions are listed on the calendar
• Students must attend a Prereq/Exit Swim Qualification day before beginning advanced scuba skill training. 

Other Specialties

Nitrox

Altitude Specialty