Open Water Check Out Dives
This is your final step to complete your certification.
Check Out Dives are the final step in obtaining SCUBA Certification. Once you have completed Confined Water Class, these check outs are conducted in order for you to proficiently demonstrate the required skills
These two day events consist of 2 dives per day.
Availability: In Stock
What to expect
during your class
Learn to Dive:
Open Water Check Outs
Prerequisites
- Completion of a Confined Water Course (see FAQ if you completed your CW Course at another dive shop)
- 15 years old (10 years old for Junior Certification)
- Acceptable medical questionnaire (physician approval may be required based on responses)
- Personal gear consisting of a Scuba quality mask, fins, boots & snorkel (all other dive gear supplied for you if you completed your confined water course with us, if not see FAQ for details)
Day One
Arriving at the location, we assist you with check in & gather together at our base camp for the day.
- Two dives are conducted with each dive consisting of some skill demonstration combined with a tour of the local quarry.
- Expect to see sunken treasures like school busses, boats and even an airplane
- Complete registration with the quarry
Social
The evening of Day 1 we typically stay in a nearby hotel and have a group dinner. While overnight stay is not required, we encourage you to do so & join us for dinner.
- Dinner is walking distance from the hotel, so if you are over 21 join us for adult libations, if not enjoy a coke
- Nothing on the menu is healthy, they may have some lettuce, we really don't know, everything we have eaten there usually comes out of a deep fryer
- Bring money to pay for dinner, we love you, but not enough to spring for food
Day Two
We meet in the morning for another day of diving. No further registration is required, you will simply grab your tanks & meet us at our Base Camp.
- Two more dives are conducted, the first completes the remaining skills.
- The second is a dive you plan to see what you want to see & go where you want to go.
- Following completion, you are a certified diver.
FAQ
- When I finish this course, am I a certified scuba diver?
- Yes, this is the last step. Once completed you are one of the cool kids.
- What should I know about Gilboa Quarry?
- You must register & complete a waiver for the weekend with Gilboa. That waiver can be found here. Gilboa also charges admission fees per day, details can be found here. When you arrive, staff will be onsite to assist you with signing in & answering questions.
- Your waiver should be complete before arrival. When you check in you will need to pay for 2 days of diving as well as purchase 2 air fill tokens so your tanks can be refilled at the end of the day.
- Food & coffee is typically available but we recommend packing something easy for lunch.
- Bring a swimsuit, you will get wet on this ride (yes, someone forgot this once).
- Tell Siri you need directions to: Gilboa Quarry 3763 Old State Rte 224 Ottawa OH 45875
- Do I have to buy all the gear?
- No, but this is the last time. We will provide you with 2 tanks, a BCD, a regulator and a 7mm wetsuit (assuming we have one available in your size). You may want: Hood (we have some available to borrow) Gloves (gloves are considered personal gear & are not rented so you would need to purchase).
- We cannot always transport gear to the quarry due to DOT regulations so you may need to pick up your gear from the shop & bring it with you.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: If you did not take your confined water class with us then gear rental is NOT included in this course. You will need to rent any needed gear for the check out weekend.
- I took confined water somewhere else, what do I need?
- We will need a referral from your original instructor. This is commonly done with a Universal Referral Packet completed by your original instructor. It must indicate your exam score as well as bear the instructor's signature & instructor number certifying you have completed all required learning and pool skills.
- We may, at our discretion, require you to complete a single pool session with our staff prior to your check out dives. There is no charge for this pool session, however, availability is based on our schedule.
- Your original agency does not matter to us. If your confined water course was offered from PADI, SDI or any other recognized training agency we can complete your check out dives for you.
- When complete we can:
- at no charge, issue you a completion via a Universal Referral Packet you can return to your original instructor & they can complete you certification
- complete your certification & issue you a NAUI certification (card processing from NAUI fee will apply)
- Can this class be modified around my schedule?
- Sure, why the hell not. We will just tell the other students that your schedule is our highest priority [do you hear the sarcasm?]. No, these are public classes with set schedules, however, if you do need an experience that matches your schedule, please explore our Bespoke Scuba Class Upgrade option.
- Is there anything cool to see?
- Yes, Gilboa is actually a huge dive destination. There are sunken platforms specifically for training as well as underwater attractions like an airplane, helicopter, boats, school busses and more.
- Since it is two days, where should I stay?
- See our webpage under “Go Get Wet- Local Diving- Gilboa” for more details, but we typically stay in Findlay and do a group dinner on Saturday night.
Medical Questionnaire
All training agencies require every student to complete a medical questionnaire prior to any in water training.
We teach scuba, we are not doctors, so we cannot answer questions on specific medical conditions or questions. This universal questionnaire will determine if you must obtain physician approval prior to scuba diving.
Please answer it honestly, it is for your safety.
You may complete this form prior to signing up for class to determine if physician approval is required.
Read the instructions on the form. Your self reported answers will determine if a physician's approval is required prior to diving. Once we receive the notification of your completed waiver, we will contact you if a physicians approval is required.
We are NOT PERMITTED by the training agency to allow any in-water training without physician's approval if such approval is required. We encourage you to complete this form as early as possible to ensure adequate time is available should you need to obtain approval.
- What if I ignore your advice & wait till the last minute to complete this form?
- Please don't. Physician approval, if required, is due by 5pm the Wednesday prior to your first in water training session. Completing the form last minute & then not having adequate time to get to your doctor for approval is like leaving that term paper unfinished until the night before it was due & then your computer died. Your high school English teacher didn't accept that excuse & neither will we. We will move you to our next scheduled class according to our reschedule/cancellation policy. Please help us by doing your homework.
Reschedule/Cancellation Policy
Life happens, we get it & we want to find a way to get you diving.
- Your schedule changed
- Ours does too sometimes. We get it. You may reschedule to an alternate class anytime without an additional charge 14 days prior to the start of the class. Within 14 days, there is a $35 fee to reschedule.
- You need to cancel
- You changed your mind, doctor doesn't think it's a good idea, whatever. It's ok. You may cancel any course (in writing please) for a full refund 14 days prior to the start of the course (this is why we advise you do that questionnaire early). Please understand that space is limited in our courses, we cannot offer refunds for cancellations within 14 days of the original course start.
- Please note: codes issued from the training agencies cannot be refunded once you have begun the e-learning regardless of when you cancel. If you begin the e-learning any refund will be less the cost of the e-learning.
- Somebody got sick
- We get sick sometimes too. No problem. If you wake up with the plague we prefer you do not come to scuba class. A big part of the education is teaching you how to take the thing in our mouth and put it in your mouth if there is an emergency & we don't want the plague. We will work with you to move you to a future class at no charge. We do, however, reserve the right to assess a charge if we find this policy is being abused. Please don't do that.
- You ignore safety instructions
- Safety is our paramount concern. Your safety, other students' safety & our staff's safety. You are required to follow established safety requirements & follow the instructions of our staff. Violations of safety procedures may result in removal from class without a refund. Just don't do it.
- You ignored requirements
- Come on, really? Showing up for scuba class without a swim suit does not entitle you to a free reschedule. We honestly can't believe we have to type this but yes, it happened.
