LEARN TO DIVE...EASY AS 1, 2, 3!

              Open Water Diver Classes

                LEARN TO DIVE...EASY AS 1, 2, 3!

Step 1~ Phase 1
Home Study and Academic Sessions
Our classes are designed with a start today format. As soon as you enroll you will receive your SSI Home Study Kit. This kit starts you off with your diver manual and videotapes. Home study with these materials will allow you to maximize the pool and classroom time spent with your instructor.

Step 2 ~ Phase 1
Confined Water Training
Once in the pool, your instructor will lead you through practical applications of the skills you've discussed in the classroom, the groups are small and the pace is your own, allowing for maximum comfort while mastering basic dive skills.

Step 3 ~ Phase 2
Lets Go Diving!
This is the real thing! Four dives over a two-day period in an open water environment, you will utilize and fine tune the skills learned in the first two parts of class. You may choose to finish your certification locally or as a Referral on your tropical vacation. Ask for more details.

LEARN TO DIVE...OPTIONS!

Option A - Tuesday or Thursday / Saturday or Sunday               (4 weeks - 8 sessions)
Option B - Accelerated (3 days)
Private - Call to Schedule

This is the first step in your diving career.  

To get the most from your scuba diving adventure start today, you will need to come by our facility to enroll in person and meet with the professionals who will help make the most of your scuba diving experience. Due to paperwork requirements, no enrollments can be taken over the phone.

At our facility we will review all of the class requirements, home study materials and equipment requirements. This will take about 15 minutes so please allow sufficient time. Remember, our classes involve home study so we recommend that you sign up al least 7 days prior to the start of class.

"Teaching You to be a Confident and Safe Scuba Diver"

Advanced Open Water Diver

To earn the Advanced O/W Diving Certification you must log 24 open water dives and complete four Specialty classes. This will give you the experience, skill, and knowledge needed to become an Advanced Diver. You can choose any four specialty classes that interest you. For example; Deep Diving, Navigation, Limited Visibility/Night Diving, or Dry Suit Diving. We put the control in your hands by letting you, the diver, choose your own specialty class. Since most of our specialty classes include two open water dives, you will log eight dives upon completion of your classes. This, along with five dives you logged during your open water certification means you are half way to the required 24 logged dives. If accompany us on just one dive trip, you could log the remaining 11 dives in one long weekend.

Master Diver

Do you want to be a master of the sport of scuba diving? Achieving this rating is very prestigious. Requirements: To become a Master Diver, you will need to complete four specialty courses, Stress & Rescue, and 50 logged dives. With qualifications like this, you will deserve to be called a Master Diver.

Dive Control Specialist

The SSI Dive Control Specialist, or Dive Con, was created as the fun leadership level. In retail stores, exotic resorts, and dive boats, Dive Cons help divers enjoy the sport of diving. Being a Dive Con is fun because you can do so much. You can help SSI instructors teach in classes, work on dive boats, lead dive trips and dive tours. You can help rusty divers refresh their skills with the SSI Scuba Skills Update program and introduce people to the wonders of the water with the SSI Snorkeling program. By teaching the SSI Photography course you can help divers capture the beauty below the surface. Teaching the National Safety Council First Aid and CPR program may even help someone save a life. Becoming a Dive Con is the first step towards dive leadership! If you are interested in meeting the Dive Con challenge, see Susquehanna Scuba Center, Inc. for more information.

Open Water Instructor

Pass your love of diving on to students, become an SSI Open Water Instructor. The SSI total Teaching System enables you to create comfortable, confident divers who are ready to dive in the real world. The SSI system utilizes repetition of academics and diving skills by addressing all the ways people learn - seeing, hearing, reading, repeating, and doing. With an SSI Instructor Certification the career opportunities are endless. SSI Instructors are in demand! Want to be an instructor, call us for more information.

Specialty Classes

Specialty classes are the best way for you to continue your diving education. In the process you will learn specific skills that will help make you a more safe and confident diver. The first part of the class is spent in the classroom, then possibly some pool time, with the remainder of the class performing your skills in the open water.

Enriched Air NITROX
At this time Susquehanna Scuba Center, Inc. is the ONLY Nitrox training and cylinder filling facility in the Susquehanna Valley. The advantages of diving Nitrox are two-fold. The first - a safety factor, lessening your chance of the bends. And second - the possibility of increased bottom time on deeper dives. People are also experiencing a "better" feeling after multiple dives due to less residual nitrogen in your system.

DPV (Diver Propulsion Vehicle) Diver

The course will teach you the fundamentals needed for operating the DPV and the safety and planning skills  recreational divers with greater mobility and less air consumption giving them more bottom time (within tables) and far greater range.

Wreck Diving
Diving on a wreck is a look back at our past. Learn the basics of research, planning, gear preparation, and artifact collection and restoration. This class will get you started in the exciting field of wreck diving whether in shallow or deep water.

Stress & Rescue
The Stress & Rescue course is a crucial step in the development of a diver whose desire is to expand his or her knowledge and experience beyond a recreational level.  This course is designed to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to make you a safe diver and a better dive buddy.  This program teaches you to focus on other divers, as well as yourself, and shows you how to recognize and prevent a diving accident before it occurs.  How to respond effectively to perform diver rescues and assist, manage diving accident situations, and render proper first aid.  This rating is also a prerequisite for the Master Diver, Dive Con, and higher leadership levels.

U/W Photography
If you want to take pictures of what you see underwater but just don't know where to start, this class is the one for you. We are proud to say that at Susquehanna Scuba Center, Inc. we have some excellent photographer/instructors who will teach you the principles of underwater photography. This class will give you some very helpful techniques and tips for shooting professional quality underwater photos.   

Deep Diving
In our Deep Diving class you will learn to handle depths of up to 130 ft. In the classroom we will cover intensive equipment check out, planning the dive, and emergency procedures. In the open water portion the instructor will help you through your basic skills at depth. This class should be a MUST for anyone diving beyond their certified basic, open water, recreational, diving limits.

Navigation
Our Navigation class teaches you the use of a compass. You will be taught to do square, triangle, and reciprocal courses. We teach you on land, then in the water. You are also taught 'natural' navigation which helps you become more aware of your environment. Here you will learn to watch for land marks, the sun, moon, and currents, and how to use them to your advantage.

Limited Visibility/Night Diving
In this class you are taught the hazards of diving in limited visibility and also the fun of diving at night. This class will instruct you on planning your night dive, care and use of underwater lights, lost buddy procedures, and safety points.

Equipment Techniques
Learn the proper way to care for, clean, and repair your dive gear. Get some valuable tips on what additional gear you may need, based on your diving needs.

Boat Diving
In the Boat Diving class we go into detail regarding proper dive boat etiquette, gearing up, and more importantly getting into and out of various types and sizes of boats. In addition you will learn what to pack when planning a live aboard dive trip.

Dry Suit Diving
A dry suit can be a costly investment, in this class you will learn the proper use and care of your dry suit to help make that investment last. In addition, we will point out some hazards that can be experienced in dry suit diving and how to get out of what could be a pretty tough situation. This class includes one pool session.

Search & Recovery
The Search & Recovery class teaches you the proper procedures for working with police and rescue teams.  You will learn the latest search patterns used to find lost victims and objects in little or no visibility.

DAN O₂ Provider
Learn to help your fellow divers by becoming an O₂ provider. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to take this course, but it will be of special interest to Dive Masters and Instructors. We offer classes once every other month. The DAN O₂ class consists of only one session, four hours in duration. Prerequisite: CPR certification.