Advanced Open Water is not a magic card that suddenly makes you an expert diver. It is where you start building experience, adding task loading, sharpening your skills, and taking real ownership of what happens underwater. Here is why I think of AOW as “Open Water Plus,” and why that is a very good thing.
Long after the gear is packed away and the certification cards are filed, the memories remain. A Father’s Day reflection on family, scuba diving, and the gift of shared adventures.
Two fathers, two sons, one very cold quarry, and a weekend that turned nervous students into more confident divers.
A complete list of upcoming scuba classes taught by Dive With Frank, from Open Water and Advanced training to Rescue, specialties, DAN courses, and refreshers.
This weekend Dive With Frank finished off summer with a weekend chock full of diving! This also happened to be the weekend that the PADI Instructor Examination was going on, so I was able...
Last weekend (June 29-30th, 2019) by the numbers: 5 new PADI Open Water Divers 7 new PADI Advanced Open Water Divers 2 DMiTs (Divemasters in training) 4 fun divers 9 Open Water Dives 19 dinner...
The summer of 2018 and my exploration of our new quarry, Juturna Springs continued this weekend DWF got to run his first PADI Advanced Open Water class there. I’ve the last month or so...
I have a confession to make. The 2018 Scuba season actually started a little while ago, but DWF has been fighting a case of the sniffles/allergies ever since he got back from The Bahamas. ...
This weekend at Dutch Springs was the kind of experience that made me want to become an instructor. We had 15…count ’em 15 different divers come together to get certified, fun dive, build our skills,...
Another weekend in July…well you know what that means. Another fantastic weekend of scuba education spent up at Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, PA! My awesome divemaster, Dwayne and I spent last weekend taking students...
Another weekend into summer — another weekend up at Dutch Springs, PA! DWF spent last weekend knocking out a PADI Advanced Open Water and a PADI Deep Diver class! Flanked by my awesome Divemaster...
Last weekend DWF spent the balance of his Memorial Day holiday weekend up at Dutch Springs. A total of 6 students and a couple of buddies who wanted to fun dive showed up for...
Last weekend was one of those scuba diving weekends that I always hoped for as an instructor. DWF and 4 other students headed up to Dutch Springs for a weekend of the PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) course as...
Congratulations to Columbia Scuba’s newest PADI Advanced Open Water Divers! We spent a fantastic weekend up at Dutch Springs, PA taking 5 different PADI Specialties for a spin! We sampled Peak Performance Buoyancy Underwater Navigation...
The PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty teaches divers how to navigate confidently using both compass and natural navigation techniques. Learn practical skills for quarries, wrecks, reefs, and local Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. dive sites while building the awareness experienced divers use to always know where they are underwater.
Exploration, Excitement, Experiences That’s what the Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. You don’t need to be “advanced” to take this course. It’s designed to advance your diving, and you can start...
September 24 – October 4, 2026
Sun. Salt. Soft coral walls. The South Pacific done right.
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April 24 – May 1, 2027
Warm water. Caribbean reefs. Easy diving. Big adventure energy.
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Three trips. Plenty of teeth.
One heck of a season.
Want to join us in 2027? Ask Frank to add you to the list and you'll hear about next year's dates as soon as they drop.
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