Scuba
Replacement Cards!
Online Scuba Certification Get the Book Work done from the comfort of your home! |
Online Nitrox Course Full Certification Worldwide! Includes C-Card |
How does the Online Scuba Certification work?
All Academic requirements for scuba certification are provided.
There is nothing else to buy! No hidden charges! No games!
No gimmicks!
At this point there are two options:
Scuba Certification Option 2: Present the paperwork to the dive
shop or instructor. Complete the required industry standard scuba
dives. Have the Instructor or Divemaster sign the forms and return them to SDA
for certification. When we receive the signed forms, we issue a scuba
certification card.
What makes you different from all the other online
scuba courses?
Most other online scuba courses require that you finish with a specific
scuba store. If you buy the course from them, you have to finish
the dives with them. With our course, you can start with us and finish
anywhere in the world. We welcome ALL
scuba certifying agencies and ALL scuba instructors in our World
Wide Scuba Referral program. We don't limit the diver's choices to
one agency or another.
It's really quite simple! You order the course, we send a username
and password to the email address that you provide. Once you have
logged in to the course, there are 5 sections each with a quiz at the end.
You are welcome to print the text and quizzes for off-line study.
When you are ready, log on to the final exam. Once the final
exam is completed, we send you a certificate of completion and a worldwide
referral form that allows you to continue.
There is nothing to ship to you to begin the course! It's completely
and entirely accomplished online. Once you have finished the course,
we mail you a certificate and referral form valid for scuba certification
at any dive shop or dive boat in the world.
Scuba Certification Option 1: Present the paperwork to the dive
shop or instructor. Continue with their program, and become certified.
You will receive a certification card from that instructor or dive shop.
They certify you and you become their customer. Your scuba card will
reflect the agency that the instructor or dive shop is affiliated.
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They all accomplish the same thing. To get you scuba certified
so you can go scuba diving!! At SDA, we are proud to know that our
scuba certification agency stands above the rest when it comes to the enjoyment,
adventure, and fun of the scuba diver. It's OK, if you start with one agency
and finish with us or start with us and finish with another agency.
We are interested only in the pleasure and enjoyment of the diver.
Will the course work while I'm on a Cruise Ship?
Yes! The course and subsequent scuba certification can work very
nicely with cruise ships. First complete the final exam and receive
the referral forms, then schedule a "Shore Excursion" at each port.
Ask for a "Discover Scuba Excursion". Then schedule another excursion
for the next dive, then at the next port schedule another. The
Carnival
Cruise Fun Ships to both the eastern Caribbean and the western Caribbean
have shore excursions for scuba diving. The
Carnival Fun Ship - Legend goes to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and
Costa Maya. First Class cruise ship and first class scuba diving
all the way. Have one of the scuba instructors sign the open water
referral form at each port. The Carnival
Cruise Fun Ship - Miracle goes to the US Virgin Islands - Perfect for
scuba diving!
It's OK to use several different scuba agencies
for the certification. Just make sure that you get a signature from
each instructor on the open water referral form and your scuba log book.
Then send all the paperwork back to SDA, and we will make sure you get
a scuba certification card.
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Once I've ordered the course,
how long does it take to complete?
This depends on how much time you are willing
to spend working on the course. There are 5 sections to complete
followed by a final exam. You have to complete each module with a
100% on each of the quizzes. Then you have to complete the final
exam with a 100%. Most people finish in a couple of days, but there
is no hurry. It's a self paced course.
You can take the quizzes and final exam as many times as it takes to achieve a 100%.
There is no limit to the number of times you can
take the quizzes and final exam. Most people can complete the course
in about 5 to 10 hours of study. Your password and user name never
expire, so you can take as long as you want to complete the course.
Some folks complete the course in as little as the next day, some folks
take up to a year to complete the course. It's a self paced
course!
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What agency is the certification?
The Academic portion of the scuba course and it's certification works
for
ANY scuba certification agency, ANY
scuba instructor, Any where, Worldwide.
When you go on vacation to any resort in the entire
world, you can present your certificate of completion and by-pass the "book
work" and "Classroom" portion of scuba lessons. Go straight
to the pool or open water. We include a "Worldwide Scuba Referral
Form" and all other necessary paperwork to complete your certification.
The "instructor of record" (the instructor that takes you into open water)
may want you to take a quiz, exam, or complete a verbal quiz to test your
knowledge. They may want you to watch a video or two. But you
won't be required to waste valuable vacation time sitting though the classroom
portion of scuba diving.
See Scuba Certification Options.
Will the certification work while I'm on vacation?
Yes! If you have completed the quizzes and final exam and have
the referral forms with you before you depart for your vacation!
We can overnight the forms in a time sensitive situation to your hotel
or resort - no problem. But keep in mind that anywhere outside of
the continental United States requires "international priority shipping".
Present the certificate and universal referral form to the instructor
at your chosen destination. Generally, most instructors require 2 pool
sessions, and 4 open water dives. Make sure the instructor signs
your logbook, complete with the agency and his/her instructor number. See
Scuba Certification Options.
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What if I have a question about something in the course?
Each module, all quizzes, and the final exam have email links directly
to an instructor. You can email directly with your questions or concerns.
All emails are answered within 24 hours (usually much faster). Or
you can call direct at 928-680-DIVE (3483) and talk with one of our instructors to get an
explanation and help with any portion of the course.
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Do I need to go in the pool and open water after completing
the course?
Yes! The course is only the book work portion (academics) of
scuba diving. The instructor of record may want you to go into a
pool first, but not all require pool work. Then after a morning or
afternoon of getting use to the gear and being underwater, you go out on
their boat and scuba dive!
Generally, most instructors require 2 pool sessions, and 4 open water
dives. Make sure the instructor signs your logbook, complete with
their scuba agency and his/her instructor number. See
Scuba Certification Options.
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How much does it cost for the pool work and the open
water dives?
This varies a great deal from place to place. Cozumel dives shops
charge about $45.00 per dive, while the dive shops in Hawaii charge $120.00
per dive. Dive shops in Alabama, New York, and California charge
something in between. Equipment rental prices vary as well. ($5 to
$50 per day). Generally, most dive programs require 4 to 6 dives
for certification. But the quality of these dives can be quite different.
Some operations use their local lake or rock quarry for dive certifications.
These should be relatively inexpensive ($100 - $200). Some dive operations
use huge expensive dive boats for their certifications complete with several
dive masters, instructors, captain, and crew. Expect to pay for the
quality. ($200-$400). Check to see if the operation or resort has
a package available.
Here's a list of SDA
recommended dive shops.
Can I complete the course with my spouse or children?
Absolutely! Yes you can! You and your spouse or any number of
people can work the course together, sending only one of the quizzes for
the entire group. However, the final exam and course tuition must
be separated. In other words, each person being certified has to
send a final exam and pay for the course. The final exam can be done
as a group, but each individual has to send a completed exam with a 100%
for our records.
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Do I get any kind of proof that I've competed the
course?
Yes! Upon completion of the course you will be mailed a certificate
of completion signed and dated by one of our instructors. We mail via US
Post Office at no charge. However, we can over night or 2 day air
via Fed EX if you need the certificate faster. The post office delivers
to most areas in about 5 to 7 work days.
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Will the course work for me if I'm already a scuba
diver?
Yes! The course makes a wonderful scuba refresher course.
It covers physics, physiology, dive tables, etc.
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Do you issue scuba certification
cards for Nitrox without scuba dives?
Yes! Take
the Nitrox course.
Upon completion, fill out the proper paperwork and we will issue a
Nitrox Scuba Certification card valid at any scuba facility worldwide.
The quality of this course is superior! It's a good course!
We believe that the responsibility for analyzing the oxygen content of
the scuba cylinder is the responsibility of the diver, not the instructor
or dive shop that conducts the dives.
In some areas, it can be very difficult for a diver to complete required
dives for a Nitrox certification.
Example 1; A certified diver lives in a small town in
the mid west. The nearest dive shop is 80 miles away and the nearest
water is over 100 miles away. The diver is planning a vacation to
Cozumel and wants to dive with Nitrox. The planning and time
restrictions required are "out of the question" and the dives required
are in a rock quarry that is 50 degrees. With other scuba agencies
the chances of this diver becoming Nitrox certified is ZERO. We believe
that the diver is safer using the Nitrox and therefore issue a Certification
Card for that purpose.
Example 2;
A certified scuba diver is an executive assistant at XYZ Mortgage &
Financial in Dallas, Texas. She is going on vacation to Grand Cayman
Island with her husband and teenage kids. She wants to use Nitrox
for two days of scuba diving. She has checked with several local
dive shops and found that every one of them offer evening class and scheduled
nitrox certification dives in a muddy lake nearby. The scuba shops
offer dive trips to the coast for certification, but the trips do not fit
within her busy schedule or budget. With other scuba agencies the
chances of this diver becoming Nitrox certified is ZERO. We believe
that the diver is safer using the Nitrox and therefore issue a Certification
Card for that purpose.
Can I take the Nitrox Course if I'm NOT scuba certified?
Yes! You can purchase the course and complete the course.
However, in order to receive a certification card, you have to provide
"proof of previous certification". Some have completed the basic
course and the nitrox course at the same time or "back to back".
Then completed the basic course at their local dive shop. Once the
you are a certified scuba diver, then you can receive the Nitrox Scuba
Certification Card. This allows the diver to get the basic certification
and use nitrox while on vacation.
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