Open Water

Who Is This Course For?

Never been scuba diving? Perfect. No experience is required. Maybe you’re planning a vacation, want to join a diving friend or family member, or have simply wondered what it’s like to breathe underwater.

You don’t have to arrive confident. That’s what the training is for. Some skills click immediately; others take practice. We work at a pace that lets you learn them properly.

How Does Open Water Training Work?

The PADI course has three phases:

1. Knowledge Development

Learn how scuba equipment works, how pressure affects your body, and how to plan and conduct safe recreational dives. Most students choose PADI eLearning, but traditional learning materials and classroom instruction are available.

2. Confined-Water Training

Now we get wet. During five confined-water dives in a pool, you’ll practice equipment setup, breathing underwater, mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, buddy skills, and responding to common problems. We repeat skills until they’re controlled, comfortable, and repeatable.

3. Open-Water Checkout Dives

You’ll complete four dives in open water, putting those skills to work in a real diving environment. Once all course requirements are met, you’ll earn your PADI Open Water Diver certification, or Junior Open Water Diver if you’re under 15.

When Do I Book My Checkout Dives?

Whenever you’re ready. The initial Open Water booking includes knowledge development and pool training. The four required checkout dives are a separate part of certification.

You can add DWF checkout dives when you first register, or sign up for Open Water Checkout Dives separately later. The price is the same either way. There’s no penalty for waiting until you’ve finished your pool training before deciding.

Prefer to finish on vacation? I can provide a PADI Open Water referral once you’ve completed the appropriate academic and pool requirements, allowing another PADI instructor to conduct your checkout dives. It’s a popular way to finish somewhere warmer and clearer.

If you complete your checkout dives with me, we typically schedule a two-day weekend at Lake Phoenix in Rawlings, Virginia. Other suitable locations may occasionally be available.

What Equipment Do You Need?

Bring your own mask, snorkel, fins, and boots. Good fit matters, especially when you’re learning.

For your pool training, DWF provides your PADI learning materials, regulator, console, scuba cylinders, BCD with integrated weight system and weights, and pool instruction. You do not need to buy a full scuba kit before starting.

For open-water checkout dives, site admission, tanks and fills, travel, and equipment rentals if needed are separate expenses. The checkout booking page explains those arrangements.

Where and When Do We Train?

Pool sessions are generally held in Pikesville or Laurel, Maryland, depending on season and availability. Heated indoor pools make winter training possible, and we arrange the sessions around your schedule and learning progress.

The academics and pool training are completed over multiple sessions, not 21 consecutive days. Local checkout dives typically take two days.

See upcoming classes, or visit the booking page to get started.

Why Learn with Dive With Frank?

I’m a PADI IDC Staff Instructor, and I teach independently rather than moving students through a high-volume dive-shop schedule. That means individual attention, time to practice, and training that adapts to you without lowering the standards.

The goal isn’t merely to get you certified. It’s to help you become a comfortable, capable diver who actually enjoys being underwater. Here’s how I teach.

See What Learning to Dive Is All About