Blog

Being an Active Scuba Diver

Being an Active Scuba Diver
by
Matt Mandziuk

If you want to dive, you need to make the time for it. Being and identifying as a diver are 2 different things and staying current with your skills, knowledge, training and goals are very important.

One of the questions we get a lot in diving is what doest it mean to Being an Active Scuba Diver?  You may have noticed after you were certified, you got really, really, really excited and interested in diving, meanwhile, some of your open water class certified down south, a couple of them didn’t finish, etc.

If a person wants to become an active scuba diver, they have to get involved.

Set Goals:

Why did you get into scuba diving?

Was it for a trip?  A documentary you watched?  A dream destination? An event like a wedding?  Regardless of the reason, there was something that motivated you to get into scuba and that is what you should hold onto.

As you accomplish each goal, set a new goal.

I look at my motivations for technical diving for example….dive sites like Bikini Atoll, Hamilton and Scourge (our local 1812 warships in 286′), the Britannic have all been dream dives for me since my teen years, and while I’ve been on an expedition team the last several years for H & S, Bikini was the one dream that came true, flying to Micronesia 27 years after I first heard about this nuclear radiated dive haven.

Current goals are still the one’s above, but also mine diving in Europe, so it comes down to putting your plan together, including team members and getting the required training (if required), permits, etc.

Training goals are also something to consider….a good diver is always learning and always challenging themselves to their highest level of experience/certification.

If you’re interested in diving more, there are several paths that can help you get more involved…the Local/Technical Diving path,  the Leadership Diving path, The Traveller Path….Ideally a combination of all 3 are our best option, making Option 4, The Total Diver, the Ideal DDS Diver 😉

Much like keeping up with your dedication to the gym, or a diet, keeping engaged in your leisure activities is key…

Dive Everywhere, Any Time You Can….

You’ll find diving much more rewarding when you can explore all aspects of the underwater world, not just reefs, not just wrecks, no just salt or fresh water, but all of it.

Diving icebergs can be as beautiful as diving a pristine reef in the Red Sea, while diving in a cave can offer a diver a prehistoric journey into the past, as you can see mammoth bones, speleotherms (mineral deposits like stalactites and stalagmites), or diving into the history of famous shipwrecks like the Empress of Ireland, Andrea Doria and more.

The journey to get to these destinations and having these dreams come true are the most amazing times too.

The people you meet, the destinations you visit, landmarks you see and photos you can take are what diving is really all about.

The entire experience isn’t just time spent underwater, it’s the history and the lessons learned along the way too.

Paths that Inspire

When people start to scuba dive, they have ideas, dreams, goals……following through with those plans is key.

The Local Cold Water/Technical Diving Path

You really wanted to get out diving, so you started diving weekly with similar minded people in the summer in wetsuits, however once you started training in a drysuit,  you noticed you wanted to go diving more and your wetsuit buddies didn’t, so you met some more drysuit divers and you had some great adventures.

While each your you’ll see new wetsuit faces on the boat, unless they move into a drysuit, those faces seem to change with each passing year, meanwhile the same drysuit divers are on all the same charters, trips and events, so after Open Water Diver, or as part of O/W or Advanced, combine it with the PADI Drysuit Specialty Course option.

Trippiest Diver Trevor

Why is that?  Because drysuit diving extends your level of comfort, extends the time you can spend underwater, rejuvenates your bodies warmth faster than a wetsuit and of course is a lot easier to get in and out of, layer up for added warmth, and they last a significant amount of time longer than a wetsuit which has a 2-4 year average life span or about 100 dives.

Drysuit diving also leads the diver into more exciting environments. 

Have you noticed that most of the drysuit divers are diving twinset double tanks? Rebreathers?  Sidemount?
They’re doing more exciting dives than just the local shallow shore dives in favour  for more exciting diving ventures like shipwrecks, caves, maybe even technical diving sites, but it takes time and skills to progress and in a society of instant gratification, sometimes people just want to do the bare minimum and that’s okay too if that makes them happy.

DDS Diver Starting his Rebreather Journey

So Divers if you want to dive more, get out, practice your skills with more likeminded people and challenges yourself through continuing education classes.

Whether you stay more recreational and participate in PADI Specialty training at the recreational level and work towards becoming a PADI Master Scuba Diver or you work towards a more technical path, an active diver who’s always learning is the best diver.

Moving into technical diving…Divers come from all over North America to train with us.  Why?  Because we offer the most thorough and rewarding technical diving training that embraces our training and experience we’ve gained from training with instructors (past and present) from  all training agencies.

Our NTEC Doubles Primer workshop/classes are the start of things to come for those wishing to start working towards their Foundational Skills classes like Intro to Tech and to get to their dream goal..  

Intro to Tech is the measuring stick for divers looking to become a better diver with buoyancy, trim, comfort and familiarity with their doubles setup.  Skills are broken down into specific sets that increase with each dive.  The class is video’d, students watch and debrief after each day in the classroom and upon successful completion are able to start accomplishing their goals like caves, wreck penetration, technical diving, diving with helium based mixes and more.

You’ll notice the technical divers are very active and very involved and that is what makes our diving community so special.  We have a lot of active DDS Divers who just love to get out and work on skills and mentor newer divers.

Diving can be the most extreme, or the most meditative experience in the world and the dive needs to find what “does it” best for them, but never limit yourself saying you’re “never going to….” and just get the most experience in as many environments as possible.

The most active divers are our cave and technical divers and aspiring one’s.

The Leadership Path

Divers interested in becoming a leader in diving, can work towards professional ratings, completing advanced, rescue diver and moving towards the coveted PADI Divemaster certification, which is the first leadership level (Professional) in PADI.  From there Divers can complete their PADI Assistant Instructor Class and PADI Instructor Development Course.

Dive leaders are an essential part of the training process.  If you think back to your open water class, there’s a chance you had a Divemaster to help acting as a role model and as an intermediary person to talk to between the you and the instructor, as sometimes students feel it’s easier talking to a DM rather than an Instructor.

PADI Instructor Development Course
DDS Instructors Unite during an IDC

Much like new divers, experienced divers need to keep active and challenge themselves.

We found that if a Scuba Diver doesn’t progress through training or challenge themselves to dive at their highest level, they have a 3 year shelf-life of being “stale” then the disappear.

Cave Divers are the exception so far……Cave Divers seem to stick with it and dive with us for decades.

So how does an experienced diver stay in the sport?  Challenging themselves to take a technical diving class like Decompression Procedures/Advanced Nitrox.  If they’re certified to that level then Trimix is their next class and then then should look at Rebreathers to save money on the Helium.

With a closed circuit rebreather, the diver can dive a full set of smaller trimix doubles that will save the diver multiple days of having to get their tanks refilled if they have a set of double LP50’s or so, as long as they don’t have to switch to open circuit during the dive, as the breathing efficiency of a CCR is on average 20:1 vs Open Circuit or better, so that diver who’d consume a set of doubles with 1/3 left for reserve will be using only a small amount of gas in comparison to open circuit.

The Traveller Path

A Diver should be as trained as is can be for their dream dive trip, but a vacation diver in a single tank setup can enjoy a lot of good diving around the world without having to go into a lot of extra equipment and training.  To do the diving as a recreational diver, a PADI Advanced Open Water Certification with Deep Diver Specialty will cover the average diver to their maximum recreational diving limit of 130’, but in addition to this, a Rescue Diver certification is also highly highly highly recommended, as you never know the dive buddy you’ll be stuck with as a walk-on on a dive vacation….Of course some folks would suggest they do a Solo Diver class to avoid diving with the bad divers also.

Solo Diver training is a lot of fun and very rewarding and it helps to start instilling some of the mindset and skills that a technical diver would utilize on a regular basis.

While most dive boats cater to recreational divers, there are definitely benefits to training up higher, as the wrecks get bigger, better and deeper, the reefs are in better shape away from the masses of divers who flock to the shallower sites, and more bottom time beyond what a single tank can offer is always a bonus.

At the end of the day, being an active diver is the most important thing.

There's nothing like waking up with the sun in a beautiful destination
Waking up with the sun in a beautiful destination – Sea of Cortez MX

An active diver is defined as someone who dives at least monthly to keep their skills sharp and practical knowledge fresh.  There’s nothing worse than an “experienced” diver forgetting how to assemble their dive kit on a dive boat.

Some of the most fun things that happen on a dive trip aren’t even necessarily things that happen under the water, it’s the fun and camaraderie are things that make you laugh and love being a part of the fun.

Liveaboard dive trips are the best value in diving and being at sea for a week means you get to explore the farther away sites that a land based operation can’t journey to.

We’re an authorized reseller for the finest liveaboard operations around the globe and we’re always looking for the next best, next exciting, newest to us destination.

Break the cycle of diving the basic, more public areas and explore more special, road less travelled destinations.

Our Red Sea trip was a huge success this past December, with a lot of exciting trips to Malta, Maldives, Philippines and Micronesia and Europe either booking or being booked at the time of this writing.

The Total Diver

The scuba diver that is active in all environments, all season long who is an active recreational, cave, technical diver are the ideal role model and the ideal candidate we target when we hire Instructors.

Many of our divers are divers who have been diving for years, logged hundreds of dives and have spent time mentoring and encouraging new divers, advanced and experienced divers and who also enjoys travelling, exploring and everything that diving can offer.

A role model and leader in diving is a professional who logs as many dives for fun as they do for teaching, as there is so much more out there to explore.

Dive with a group of likeminded divers, don’t limit yourself to just 1 or 2 people, because as we often see, a traditional buddy team fades when people have a life changing event, and often times the more keen diver sites on the bench wishing they could dive.  So, just come out and dive with the most active dive shop in the business, here at Dan’s.

Beautiful sunset on Georgian Bay

Travelling divers explore the world more than their own backyard, yet North America offers the some of the best diving in the world, as does Europe, it’s not just about tropical adventures, but exploring what’s in your country, and Canada has some of the biggest and best shipwrecks, deepest walls and most beautiful scenery.

We’re located in St. Catharines, ON, Canada, but we dive the planet and explore and enjoy diving still after all these years!

If you’re looking for amazing places to dive, consider local diving like Tobermory, Kingston, 1000 Islands, Straits of Mackinac.  Travel within Canada to Newfoundland and British Columbia, as well as Quebec and see the beautiful reefs and wrecks.

Where should you dive?  Anywhere we’re excited to go is a great start!

Join us on trips, charters, social events and training check our events regularly CLICK HERE

 

PADI Open Water Diver Course Weekdays June 2023

PADI Open Water Diver Course June 2023

Join us and Discover the underwater world with your PADI Open Water Diver Course this summer. Have fun and learn to dive right with Dan’s Dive Shop, Canada’s Oldest, Most Respected Scuba Diving School.

Do your PADI Open Water Diver Course confined water sessions and classroom over three days on Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays from 12:00pm- 6:00pm and then complete your PADI Open Water Diver Certification Checkout Dives at a later date.

Learn to scuba dive with one of North America’s most respected, most experienced, most progressive and visionary dive shops.  At Dan’s we teach you the right way to dive from day one, click the link for more information of our Modern Approach to scuba diving. We pride ourselves on offering you a higher level of training aimed at taking you further through the life long adventure sport of scuba diving.

For those wishing to complete their PADI Open Water Scuba Course abroad, we do offer PADI Referrals. We can help you find the best dive shop and one who may share similar values and techniques, although we teach a style of diving less than 3% of the stores worldwide are offering, so bare in mind that you will see a drastic difference in training elsewhere from gear to techniques and skills.

At Dan’s we offer you a more thorough and modern approach to your scuba diving education, as we teach how to maximize your skills to the highest level in the best equipment with the most experienced instructors in the country. DDS Divers are the most skilled and respected recreational and technical divers  in the water because they are taught to be more comfortable, utilize precision buoyancy, possess higher skill and techniques underwater, with a higher academic and team awareness.

Learn how to Scuba Dive!  Why not make this year awesome and learn to dive? Spend your life exploring exotic locations as well as diving around  Ontario and the rest of this amazing world underwater.  There are tons of great dive sites here in Niagara & Ontario with exciting shipwrecks and beautiful aquatic life.

Prerequisites?

Minimum age is 10 years by PADI standards, however we strongly recommend 12-14 years (Unless accompanied by a parent). We also recommend all youth complete a PADI Discover Scuba prior to enrollment. All students must complete a PADI Medical Waiver prior to course start date.

Logistics:

Enroll today and start you PADI Open Water Diver Course eLearn at home prior to the course start date. You can complete all the required academic portions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. From there you’ll then meet at Dan’s Dive Shop on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 12pm -6pm where you’ll DDS Instructor will go through additional classroom to fill in many of the gaps left unanswered with a more informative and beneficial academic training experience. You will also go through scuba gear fitting and proper assembly and then head to the pool to begin you inwater training. All in class and pool training will be completed over four evenings.

Upon successful completion of classroom and pool sessions you will then meet the following week and complete four Open Water Diving over two days and become a certified PADI Open Water Diver. All training sites are located here in the Niagara Region and will give you a chance to see some of the beautiful freshwater diving available to us locally.

Training Agency:

PADI

Additional Details:

Open Water Dives are required for Open Water certification and are included in your full course price and completed locally.

Scuba courses are available 12 months of the year.

Costs:

Our PADI Open Water Certification Course Cost cost is $650+HST ALL INCLUSIVE including your eLearning activation code, 6 additional classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic PADI curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards, 5 open water dives exceeding the minimum of 4 dives required, full scuba equipment rental of your life support gear (no snorkelling gear you’ll need to purchase Scuba Quality gear from us), certification fees and more.

What gear will you need?

All students will need to purchase their own Mask, Strap Fins, Snorkel, Boots, however many of our students prefer to purchase the rest of their kit too. You’ll want to buy the right gear, so please have a read through our DDS Student Diver PDF and learn more about the specific gear requirements and training differences we offer, as well as some incentives.
You don’t need to purchase a weight belt and weights, at DDS we don’t believe in over-weighting our students. Weight belts are an outdated piece of gear that has not been used by us in training since the late 1990’s.Our divers are taught to use little to no weight.

Many Dive Stores charge additional fees for scuba gear rentals during open water sessions. DDS has the finest rentals and we even offer a course rebate when you purchase your life-support package from DDS, so talk to our staff about how we can get you suited up with the finest scuba equipment at the best pricing possible.

Financing is available: Finance your course, snorkeling gear and even your scuba equipment package at a very reasonable rate. Ask staff for details and learn diving in the best equipment you can…..your own personal dive gear, or ours.
DDS will include all scuba equipment for the course, however, you will enjoy your diving experience much more in your own personal dive equipment.

Our Cancellation Policy: If less than 14 days notice is given there is a $200 fee to cancel or reschedule. If less than 48 hours notice is given the course is 100% non refundable. Redeemed eLearning is non-refundable.

PADI Open Water Diver Course Fridays May 2024

PADI Open Water Diver Course Friday Nights May 2024

Join us and Discover the underwater world with your PADI Open Water Diver Course this May. Have fun and learn to dive right with Dan’s Dive Shop, Canada’s Oldest, Most Respected Scuba Diving School.

Learn how to Scuba Dive!  Why not make this year awesome and learn to dive? Take you pool and classroom training with us this May and complete your Open Water Dives right after. Spend your life exploring exotic locations as well as diving around  Ontario and the rest of this amazing world underwater.  There are tons of great dive sites here in Niagara & Ontario with exciting shipwrecks and beautiful aquatic life.

Learn to scuba dive with one of North America’s most respected, most experienced, most progressive and visionary dive shops.  At Dan’s we teach you the right way to dive from day one, click the link for more information of our Modern Approach to scuba diving. We pride ourselves on offering you a higher level of training aimed at taking you further through the life long adventure sport of scuba diving.

At Dan’s we offer you a more thorough and modern approach to your scuba diving education, as we teach how to maximize your skills to the highest level in the best equipment with the most experienced instructors in the country. DDS Divers are the most skilled and respected recreational and technical divers in the water because they are taught to be more comfortable, utilize precision buoyancy, possess higher skill and techniques underwater, with a higher academic and team awareness.

Prerequisites:

Minimum age is 10 years by PADI standards, however we strongly recommend 12-14 years (Unless accompanied by a parent). We also recommend all youth complete a PADI Discover Scuba prior to enrollment. All students must complete a PADI Medical Waiver prior to course start date.

All divers must be comfortable in the water and be able to swim in deep water. Not sure if this is you? Call or email the shop and a dive professional will be happy yo give you advice.  If you may need to practice swimming prior to starting the course there are lots of great options at the public pools around the Niagara Region.

Logistics:

Enroll today and start you PADI Open Water Diver Course eLearn at home prior to the course start date. You can complete all the required academic portions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. From there you’ll then meet at Dan’s Dive Shop where you’ll DDS Instructor will go through additional classroom to fill in many of the gaps left unanswered with a more informative and beneficial academic training experience. You will also go through scuba gear fitting and proper assembly and then head to the pool to begin you inwater training.

During your pool sessions your Instructor will teach you core underwater scuba skills with a focus on safety, buoyancy, trim and inwater comfort. And of course you will have a lot of fun.

Upon successful completion of classroom and pool sessions you will then complete four Open Water Diving over two days and become a certified PADI Open Water Diver. On you training dives you will practice skills already mastered in the pool will and see some of the beautiful freshwater diving available to us locally.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Friday May 3, 10, 17 & 24 from 4:30pm – 9:30pm

Training Agency:

PADI

Costs:

Our PADI Open Water Certification Course Cost cost is $695 +HST ALL INCLUSIVE including your eLearning activation code, 6 additional classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic PADI curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards, 5 open water dives exceeding the minimum of 4 dives required, full scuba equipment rental of your life support gear (no snorkelling gear you’ll need to purchase Scuba Quality gear from us), certification fees and more.

PADI Open Water Referral Scuba Course Class/Pool Only $450+HST (open water dives completed elsewhere)

What gear will you need?

All students will need to purchase their own scuba quality Mask, Strap Fins, Snorkel, Boots. Many of our students prefer to purchase the rest of their kit too. You’ll want to buy the right gear, so please have a read through our DDS Student Diver PDF and learn more about the specific gear requirements and training differences we offer, as well as some incentives.

Many Dive Stores charge additional fees for scuba gear rentals during open water sessions. DDS has the finest rentals and we even offer a course rebate when you purchase your life-support package from DDS, so talk to our staff about how we can get you suited up with the finest scuba equipment at the best pricing possible.

Financing is available: Finance your course, snorkeling gear and even your scuba equipment package at a very reasonable rate. Ask staff for details and learn diving in the best equipment you can…..your own personal dive gear, or ours. DDS will include all scuba equipment for the course, however, you will enjoy your diving experience much more in your own personal dive equipment.

Cancellation Policy:

If less than 14 days notice is given there is a $200 fee to cancel or reschedule. If less than 48 hours notice is given the course is 100% non refundable. Redeemed eLearning is non refundable.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Saturdays Winter 2024

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024

Join us and Discover the underwater world with your PADI Open Water Scuba Course!  Have fun and learn to dive right with Dan’s Dive Shop, Canada’s Oldest and Most Respected Scuba Diving School.

Taket your PADI Open Water Scuba Course confined water sessions and classroom covered over two Saturdays from 10am -8pm both days. Next, complete your PADI Open Water Diver Certification Checkout Dives this winter down south or locally Summer 2024. Option to finish your training with us in Akumal Mexico, May 13-20, 2024!

Learn to scuba dive with one of North America’s most respected, most experienced, most progressive and visionary dive shops.  At Dan’s we teach you the right way to dive from day one, click the link for more information of our Modern Approach to scuba diving. We pride ourselves on offering you a higher level of training aimed at taking you further through the life long adventure sport of scuba diving.

At Dan’s we offer you a more thorough and modern approach to your scuba diving education, as we teach how to maximize your skills to the highest level in the best equipment with the most experienced instructors in the country. DDS Divers are the most skilled and respected recreational and technical divers in the water because they are taught to be more comfortable, utilize precision buoyancy, possess higher skill and techniques underwater, with a higher academic and team awareness.

Learn how to Scuba Dive!  Why not make this year awesome and learn to dive? Spend your life exploring exotic locations as well as diving around  Ontario and the rest of this amazing world underwater.  There are tons of great dive sites here in Niagara & Ontario with exciting shipwrecks and beautiful aquatic life.

Prerequisites?

Minimum age is 10 years by PADI standards, however we strongly recommend 12-14 years. We also require all youth complete a PADI Discover Scuba prior to enrollment. All students are responsible to ensure they are medically fit for diving. Please read the PADI Diver Medical Form found here. If the answer is YES on PAGE TWO of the waiver you are required to get clearance from your physician before the course start date.

All divers must be comfortable in the water and be able to swim in deep water. Not sure if this is you? Call or email the shop and a dive professional will be happy yo give you advice.  If you may need to practice swimming prior to starting the course there are lots of great options at the public pools around the Niagara Region.

Logistics:

Enroll today and start you PADI Open Water Diver Course eLearn at home prior to the course start date. You can complete all the required academic portions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. From there you’ll then meet at Dan’s Dive Shop where you’ll DDS Instructor will go through additional classroom to fill in many of the gaps left unanswered with a more informative and beneficial academic training experience. You will also go through scuba gear fitting and assembly and then head to the pool to begin you inwater training.

In the pool all divers are required to complete a small swim test in tread before going on to learn fun underwater skills and safe diving practices.

Upon successful completion of classroom and pool sessions you will then need to complete an Open Water Diving component to become fully certified. These are held frequently in the spring and summer.

Additional Details:

Training Agency: PADI.

Open Water Dives are required for Open Water certification and are included in your full course price. Students have 12 months from starting their course to complete the training.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024 Dates: Jan 13/20 or Feb 10/17  or Mar 9/16 or Apr 13/20 2024

Costs:

Our PADI Open Water Diver Course is $695+HST and is ALL INCLUSIVE. Your course price includes; eLearning, additional classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic PADI curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards, 5 open water dives exceeding the minimum of 4 dives required, full scuba equipment rental of your life support gear (no snorkelling gear you’ll need to purchase Scuba Quality gear from us), certification fees and digital PADI card.

If you purchase your eLearning from PADI directly, we will adjust the difference on your course price when you signup at DDS. Please make sure you select Dan’s Dive Shop as your PADI Dive Shop to recieve the price adjustment

PADI Open Water Diver Referral Course is $450+HST. This course includes; PADI eLearning, classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic  curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards and PADI Referral Paperwork allowing you to complete your certification dives at any PADI Dive Shop around the world. This course is perfect for student divers wanting to get certified on their next vacation. Save time on your holiday and complete all your pool and classroom training here at home beforehand.

Certification Dives Options

Offered locally in Niagara once a month from May – October over two consecutive days.

Complete your dives on a fun weekend away with DDS to Georgian Bay in August 2024. Full details here.

Join us to the warm waters of Akumal, Mexico in May 13-20, 2024!

Take the referral program and complete your dives with ANY PADI facility worldwide.

What gear will you need?

All students will need to purchase their own Mask, Strap Fins, Snorkel, Boots, however many of our students prefer to purchase the rest of their kit too. You’ll want to buy the right gear, so please have a read through our DDS Student Diver PDF and learn more about the specific gear requirements and training differences we offer, as well as some incentives.

Many Dive Stores charge additional fees for scuba gear rentals during open water sessions. DDS has the finest rentals and we even offer a course rebate when you purchase your life-support package from DDS, so talk to our staff about how we can get you suited up with the finest scuba equipment at the best pricing possible.

Financing is available: Finance your course, snorkeling gear and even your scuba equipment package at a very reasonable rate. Ask staff for details and learn diving in the best equipment you can…..your own personal dive gear, or ours. DDS will include all scuba equipment for the course, however, you will enjoy your diving experience much more in your own personal dive equipment.

Terms:

If less than 14 days notice is given there is a $200 fee to cancel or reschedule. If less than 48 hours notice is given the course is 100% non refundable. Redeemed eLearning is non refundable. Students are responsible for arriving to course with eLearning and medical forms completed.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Saturdays Winter 2024

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024

Join us and Discover the underwater world with your PADI Open Water Scuba Course!  Have fun and learn to dive right with Dan’s Dive Shop, Canada’s Oldest and Most Respected Scuba Diving School.

Taket your PADI Open Water Scuba Course confined water sessions and classroom covered over two Saturdays from 10am -8pm both days. Next, complete your PADI Open Water Diver Certification Checkout Dives this winter down south or locally Summer 2024. Option to finish your training with us in Akumal Mexico, May 13-20, 2024!

Learn to scuba dive with one of North America’s most respected, most experienced, most progressive and visionary dive shops.  At Dan’s we teach you the right way to dive from day one, click the link for more information of our Modern Approach to scuba diving. We pride ourselves on offering you a higher level of training aimed at taking you further through the life long adventure sport of scuba diving.

At Dan’s we offer you a more thorough and modern approach to your scuba diving education, as we teach how to maximize your skills to the highest level in the best equipment with the most experienced instructors in the country. DDS Divers are the most skilled and respected recreational and technical divers in the water because they are taught to be more comfortable, utilize precision buoyancy, possess higher skill and techniques underwater, with a higher academic and team awareness.

Learn how to Scuba Dive!  Why not make this year awesome and learn to dive? Spend your life exploring exotic locations as well as diving around  Ontario and the rest of this amazing world underwater.  There are tons of great dive sites here in Niagara & Ontario with exciting shipwrecks and beautiful aquatic life.

Prerequisites?

Minimum age is 10 years by PADI standards, however we strongly recommend 12-14 years. We also require all youth complete a PADI Discover Scuba prior to enrollment. All students are responsible to ensure they are medically fit for diving. Please read the PADI Diver Medical Form found here. If the answer is YES on PAGE TWO of the waiver you are required to get clearance from your physician before the course start date.

All divers must be comfortable in the water and be able to swim in deep water. Not sure if this is you? Call or email the shop and a dive professional will be happy yo give you advice.  If you may need to practice swimming prior to starting the course there are lots of great options at the public pools around the Niagara Region.

Logistics:

Enroll today and start you PADI Open Water Diver Course eLearn at home prior to the course start date. You can complete all the required academic portions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. From there you’ll then meet at Dan’s Dive Shop where you’ll DDS Instructor will go through additional classroom to fill in many of the gaps left unanswered with a more informative and beneficial academic training experience. You will also go through scuba gear fitting and assembly and then head to the pool to begin you inwater training.

In the pool all divers are required to complete a small swim test in tread before going on to learn fun underwater skills and safe diving practices.

Upon successful completion of classroom and pool sessions you will then need to complete an Open Water Diving component to become fully certified. These are held frequently in the spring and summer.

Additional Details:

Training Agency: PADI.

Open Water Dives are required for Open Water certification and are included in your full course price. Students have 12 months from starting their course to complete the training.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024 Dates: Jan 13/20 or Feb 10/17  or Mar 9/16 or Apr 13/20 2024

Costs:

Our PADI Open Water Diver Course is $695+HST and is ALL INCLUSIVE. Your course price includes; eLearning, additional classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic PADI curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards, 5 open water dives exceeding the minimum of 4 dives required, full scuba equipment rental of your life support gear (no snorkelling gear you’ll need to purchase Scuba Quality gear from us), certification fees and digital PADI card.

If you purchase your eLearning from PADI directly, we will adjust the difference on your course price when you signup at DDS. Please make sure you select Dan’s Dive Shop as your PADI Dive Shop to recieve the price adjustment

PADI Open Water Diver Referral Course is $450+HST. This course includes; PADI eLearning, classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic  curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards and PADI Referral Paperwork allowing you to complete your certification dives at any PADI Dive Shop around the world. This course is perfect for student divers wanting to get certified on their next vacation. Save time on your holiday and complete all your pool and classroom training here at home beforehand.

Certification Dives Options

Offered locally in Niagara once a month from May – October over two consecutive days.

Complete your dives on a fun weekend away with DDS to Georgian Bay in August 2024. Full details here.

Join us to the warm waters of Akumal, Mexico in May 13-20, 2024!

Take the referral program and complete your dives with ANY PADI facility worldwide.

What gear will you need?

All students will need to purchase their own Mask, Strap Fins, Snorkel, Boots, however many of our students prefer to purchase the rest of their kit too. You’ll want to buy the right gear, so please have a read through our DDS Student Diver PDF and learn more about the specific gear requirements and training differences we offer, as well as some incentives.

Many Dive Stores charge additional fees for scuba gear rentals during open water sessions. DDS has the finest rentals and we even offer a course rebate when you purchase your life-support package from DDS, so talk to our staff about how we can get you suited up with the finest scuba equipment at the best pricing possible.

Financing is available: Finance your course, snorkeling gear and even your scuba equipment package at a very reasonable rate. Ask staff for details and learn diving in the best equipment you can…..your own personal dive gear, or ours. DDS will include all scuba equipment for the course, however, you will enjoy your diving experience much more in your own personal dive equipment.

Terms:

If less than 14 days notice is given there is a $200 fee to cancel or reschedule. If less than 48 hours notice is given the course is 100% non refundable. Redeemed eLearning is non refundable. Students are responsible for arriving to course with eLearning and medical forms completed.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Saturdays Winter 2024

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024

Join us and Discover the underwater world with your PADI Open Water Scuba Course!  Have fun and learn to dive right with Dan’s Dive Shop, Canada’s Oldest and Most Respected Scuba Diving School.

Taket your PADI Open Water Scuba Course confined water sessions and classroom covered over two Saturdays from 10am -8pm both days. Next, complete your PADI Open Water Diver Certification Checkout Dives this winter down south or locally Summer 2024. Option to finish your training with us in Akumal Mexico, May 13-20, 2024!

Learn to scuba dive with one of North America’s most respected, most experienced, most progressive and visionary dive shops.  At Dan’s we teach you the right way to dive from day one, click the link for more information of our Modern Approach to scuba diving. We pride ourselves on offering you a higher level of training aimed at taking you further through the life long adventure sport of scuba diving.

At Dan’s we offer you a more thorough and modern approach to your scuba diving education, as we teach how to maximize your skills to the highest level in the best equipment with the most experienced instructors in the country. DDS Divers are the most skilled and respected recreational and technical divers in the water because they are taught to be more comfortable, utilize precision buoyancy, possess higher skill and techniques underwater, with a higher academic and team awareness.

Learn how to Scuba Dive!  Why not make this year awesome and learn to dive? Spend your life exploring exotic locations as well as diving around  Ontario and the rest of this amazing world underwater.  There are tons of great dive sites here in Niagara & Ontario with exciting shipwrecks and beautiful aquatic life.

Prerequisites?

Minimum age is 10 years by PADI standards, however we strongly recommend 12-14 years. We also require all youth complete a PADI Discover Scuba prior to enrollment. All students are responsible to ensure they are medically fit for diving. Please read the PADI Diver Medical Form found here. If the answer is YES on PAGE TWO of the waiver you are required to get clearance from your physician before the course start date.

All divers must be comfortable in the water and be able to swim in deep water. Not sure if this is you? Call or email the shop and a dive professional will be happy yo give you advice.  If you may need to practice swimming prior to starting the course there are lots of great options at the public pools around the Niagara Region.

Logistics:

Enroll today and start you PADI Open Water Diver Course eLearn at home prior to the course start date. You can complete all the required academic portions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. From there you’ll then meet at Dan’s Dive Shop where you’ll DDS Instructor will go through additional classroom to fill in many of the gaps left unanswered with a more informative and beneficial academic training experience. You will also go through scuba gear fitting and assembly and then head to the pool to begin you inwater training.

In the pool all divers are required to complete a small swim test in tread before going on to learn fun underwater skills and safe diving practices.

Upon successful completion of classroom and pool sessions you will then need to complete an Open Water Diving component to become fully certified. These are held frequently in the spring and summer.

Additional Details:

Training Agency: PADI.

Open Water Dives are required for Open Water certification and are included in your full course price. Students have 12 months from starting their course to complete the training.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024 Dates: Jan 13/20 or Feb 10/17  or Mar 9/16 or Apr 13/20 2024

Costs:

Our PADI Open Water Diver Course is $695+HST and is ALL INCLUSIVE. Your course price includes; eLearning, additional classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic PADI curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards, 5 open water dives exceeding the minimum of 4 dives required, full scuba equipment rental of your life support gear (no snorkelling gear you’ll need to purchase Scuba Quality gear from us), certification fees and digital PADI card.

If you purchase your eLearning from PADI directly, we will adjust the difference on your course price when you signup at DDS. Please make sure you select Dan’s Dive Shop as your PADI Dive Shop to recieve the price adjustment

PADI Open Water Diver Referral Course is $450+HST. This course includes; PADI eLearning, classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic  curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards and PADI Referral Paperwork allowing you to complete your certification dives at any PADI Dive Shop around the world. This course is perfect for student divers wanting to get certified on their next vacation. Save time on your holiday and complete all your pool and classroom training here at home beforehand.

Certification Dives Options

Offered locally in Niagara once a month from May – October over two consecutive days.

Complete your dives on a fun weekend away with DDS to Georgian Bay in August 2024. Full details here.

Join us to the warm waters of Akumal, Mexico in May 13-20, 2024!

Take the referral program and complete your dives with ANY PADI facility worldwide.

What gear will you need?

All students will need to purchase their own Mask, Strap Fins, Snorkel, Boots, however many of our students prefer to purchase the rest of their kit too. You’ll want to buy the right gear, so please have a read through our DDS Student Diver PDF and learn more about the specific gear requirements and training differences we offer, as well as some incentives.

Many Dive Stores charge additional fees for scuba gear rentals during open water sessions. DDS has the finest rentals and we even offer a course rebate when you purchase your life-support package from DDS, so talk to our staff about how we can get you suited up with the finest scuba equipment at the best pricing possible.

Financing is available: Finance your course, snorkeling gear and even your scuba equipment package at a very reasonable rate. Ask staff for details and learn diving in the best equipment you can…..your own personal dive gear, or ours. DDS will include all scuba equipment for the course, however, you will enjoy your diving experience much more in your own personal dive equipment.

Terms:

If less than 14 days notice is given there is a $200 fee to cancel or reschedule. If less than 48 hours notice is given the course is 100% non refundable. Redeemed eLearning is non refundable. Students are responsible for arriving to course with eLearning and medical forms completed.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Saturdays Winter 2024

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024

Join us and Discover the underwater world with your PADI Open Water Scuba Course!  Have fun and learn to dive right with Dan’s Dive Shop, Canada’s Oldest and Most Respected Scuba Diving School.

Taket your PADI Open Water Scuba Course confined water sessions and classroom covered over two Saturdays from 10am -8pm both days. Next, complete your PADI Open Water Diver Certification Checkout Dives this winter down south or locally Summer 2024. Option to finish your training with us in Akumal Mexico, May 13-20, 2024!

Learn to scuba dive with one of North America’s most respected, most experienced, most progressive and visionary dive shops.  At Dan’s we teach you the right way to dive from day one, click the link for more information of our Modern Approach to scuba diving. We pride ourselves on offering you a higher level of training aimed at taking you further through the life long adventure sport of scuba diving.

At Dan’s we offer you a more thorough and modern approach to your scuba diving education, as we teach how to maximize your skills to the highest level in the best equipment with the most experienced instructors in the country. DDS Divers are the most skilled and respected recreational and technical divers in the water because they are taught to be more comfortable, utilize precision buoyancy, possess higher skill and techniques underwater, with a higher academic and team awareness.

Learn how to Scuba Dive!  Why not make this year awesome and learn to dive? Spend your life exploring exotic locations as well as diving around  Ontario and the rest of this amazing world underwater.  There are tons of great dive sites here in Niagara & Ontario with exciting shipwrecks and beautiful aquatic life.

Prerequisites?

Minimum age is 10 years by PADI standards, however we strongly recommend 12-14 years. We also require all youth complete a PADI Discover Scuba prior to enrollment. All students are responsible to ensure they are medically fit for diving. Please read the PADI Diver Medical Form found here. If the answer is YES on PAGE TWO of the waiver you are required to get clearance from your physician before the course start date.

All divers must be comfortable in the water and be able to swim in deep water. Not sure if this is you? Call or email the shop and a dive professional will be happy yo give you advice.  If you may need to practice swimming prior to starting the course there are lots of great options at the public pools around the Niagara Region.

Logistics:

Enroll today and start you PADI Open Water Diver Course eLearn at home prior to the course start date. You can complete all the required academic portions of the PADI Open Water Diver Course at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. From there you’ll then meet at Dan’s Dive Shop where you’ll DDS Instructor will go through additional classroom to fill in many of the gaps left unanswered with a more informative and beneficial academic training experience. You will also go through scuba gear fitting and assembly and then head to the pool to begin you inwater training.

In the pool all divers are required to complete a small swim test in tread before going on to learn fun underwater skills and safe diving practices.

Upon successful completion of classroom and pool sessions you will then need to complete an Open Water Diving component to become fully certified. These are held frequently in the spring and summer.

Additional Details:

Training Agency: PADI.

Open Water Dives are required for Open Water certification and are included in your full course price. Students have 12 months from starting their course to complete the training.

PADI Open Water Scuba Course Winter 2024 Dates: Jan 13/20 or Feb 10/17  or Mar 9/16 or Apr 13/20 2024

Costs:

Our PADI Open Water Diver Course is $695+HST and is ALL INCLUSIVE. Your course price includes; eLearning, additional classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic PADI curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards, 5 open water dives exceeding the minimum of 4 dives required, full scuba equipment rental of your life support gear (no snorkelling gear you’ll need to purchase Scuba Quality gear from us), certification fees and digital PADI card.

If you purchase your eLearning from PADI directly, we will adjust the difference on your course price when you signup at DDS. Please make sure you select Dan’s Dive Shop as your PADI Dive Shop to recieve the price adjustment

PADI Open Water Diver Referral Course is $450+HST. This course includes; PADI eLearning, classroom sessions covering academics far beyond the basic  curriculum, pool sessions with additional pool time above and beyond basic standards and PADI Referral Paperwork allowing you to complete your certification dives at any PADI Dive Shop around the world. This course is perfect for student divers wanting to get certified on their next vacation. Save time on your holiday and complete all your pool and classroom training here at home beforehand.

Certification Dives Options

Offered locally in Niagara once a month from May – October over two consecutive days.

Complete your dives on a fun weekend away with DDS to Georgian Bay in August 2024. Full details here.

Join us to the warm waters of Akumal, Mexico in May 13-20, 2024!

Take the referral program and complete your dives with ANY PADI facility worldwide.

What gear will you need?

All students will need to purchase their own Mask, Strap Fins, Snorkel, Boots, however many of our students prefer to purchase the rest of their kit too. You’ll want to buy the right gear, so please have a read through our DDS Student Diver PDF and learn more about the specific gear requirements and training differences we offer, as well as some incentives.

Many Dive Stores charge additional fees for scuba gear rentals during open water sessions. DDS has the finest rentals and we even offer a course rebate when you purchase your life-support package from DDS, so talk to our staff about how we can get you suited up with the finest scuba equipment at the best pricing possible.

Financing is available: Finance your course, snorkeling gear and even your scuba equipment package at a very reasonable rate. Ask staff for details and learn diving in the best equipment you can…..your own personal dive gear, or ours. DDS will include all scuba equipment for the course, however, you will enjoy your diving experience much more in your own personal dive equipment.

Terms:

If less than 14 days notice is given there is a $200 fee to cancel or reschedule. If less than 48 hours notice is given the course is 100% non refundable. Redeemed eLearning is non refundable. Students are responsible for arriving to course with eLearning and medical forms completed.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

Harness your inner Scuba Explorer with DDS and try PADI Discover Scuba Diving. Have you ever dreamed of breathing underwater? Swimming with giant manta rays off Socorro Island Mexico, or exploring beautiful wooden shipwrecks, giant coral gardens, caverns or caves? Maybe you haven’t thought about where you want to dive, but something is telling you to try it, so this is a good place to start.

We know that scuba diving is the most exciting sport in the world, but don’t take our word for it, give it a try. If you have though about learning to dive but are not sure if it’s for you than this intoduction course is perfect.

Small personalized groups. Maximum 4 Participants

Scuba diving is amazing activity you can do anywhere in the world, not just on a tropical vacation.  It offers you so many different types of environments and experiences that it is quite easily a life long sport that people engage in year round.

Discover Scuba Diving is an experience building program that gives you a little taste of what its like to swim and breath underwater.

Discover Scuba is not a certification course, but is a good opportunity for prospective divers to experience the sensational world of scuba diving and see if you like it and how to pursue it from here.

Taking your first breath underwater is something you will never forget.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

In this program you’ll learn how to use the basic scuba diving equipment, prepared by your Divemaster to use, as well as learning what wearing scuba equipment feels like and how easy it is to move around underwater while wearing it.

Find out what it’s like to breathe underwater and learn whether you can be comfortable underwater.

You’ll learn and have the opportunity to complete some of the basic scuba diving skills after learning some of the basic safety rules that will carry over to your full scuba certification course when you take the next step, which is the Open Water Diver Course.

Its fun, low stress and high energy.  Sign up today.

PREREQUISITES:

Discover Scuba:

Minimum age is 10 years of age

We offer Discover Scuba Diving for individuals, couples, birthday parties, corporate team building, school groups, The Scouts of Canada, Sea Cadets and any other organization interested in experiencing our great sport!

WHAT GEAR DO YOU NEED?

Just show up with your bathing suit and towel and we’ll supply all the scuba equipment and your snorkel gear.

HOW DO YOU START?

Sign up ahead of time in the store and pickup your Discover Scuba Student Passport and Personal Information Sheet.

Call or email us for more details.

PADI

Cost: is only $75.00 + HST

Private events, birthdays, corporate, please call for quote.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Students who sign up for the full certification course after the Discover Scuba Experience will receive a $25 rebate against the Open Water Course tuition fee.

Discover Scuba is not required to enroll in the Open Water Course, however it will help prepare you.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

Harness your inner Scuba Explorer with DDS and try PADI Discover Scuba Diving. Have you ever dreamed of breathing underwater? Swimming with giant manta rays off Socorro Island Mexico, or exploring beautiful wooden shipwrecks, giant coral gardens, caverns or caves? Maybe you haven’t thought about where you want to dive, but something is telling you to try it, so this is a good place to start.

We know that scuba diving is the most exciting sport in the world, but don’t take our word for it, give it a try. If you have though about learning to dive but are not sure if it’s for you than this intoduction course is perfect.

Small personalized groups. Maximum 4 Participants

Scuba diving is amazing activity you can do anywhere in the world, not just on a tropical vacation.  It offers you so many different types of environments and experiences that it is quite easily a life long sport that people engage in year round.

Discover Scuba Diving is an experience building program that gives you a little taste of what its like to swim and breath underwater.

Discover Scuba is not a certification course, but is a good opportunity for prospective divers to experience the sensational world of scuba diving and see if you like it and how to pursue it from here.

Taking your first breath underwater is something you will never forget.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

In this program you’ll learn how to use the basic scuba diving equipment, prepared by your Divemaster to use, as well as learning what wearing scuba equipment feels like and how easy it is to move around underwater while wearing it.

Find out what it’s like to breathe underwater and learn whether you can be comfortable underwater.

You’ll learn and have the opportunity to complete some of the basic scuba diving skills after learning some of the basic safety rules that will carry over to your full scuba certification course when you take the next step, which is the Open Water Diver Course.

Its fun, low stress and high energy.  Sign up today.

PREREQUISITES:

Discover Scuba:

Minimum age is 10 years of age

We offer Discover Scuba Diving for individuals, couples, birthday parties, corporate team building, school groups, The Scouts of Canada, Sea Cadets and any other organization interested in experiencing our great sport!

WHAT GEAR DO YOU NEED?

Just show up with your bathing suit and towel and we’ll supply all the scuba equipment and your snorkel gear.

HOW DO YOU START?

Sign up ahead of time in the store and pickup your Discover Scuba Student Passport and Personal Information Sheet.

Call or email us for more details.

PADI

Cost: is only $75.00 + HST

Private events, birthdays, corporate, please call for quote.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Students who sign up for the full certification course after the Discover Scuba Experience will receive a $25 rebate against the Open Water Course tuition fee.

Discover Scuba is not required to enroll in the Open Water Course, however it will help prepare you.

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

Harness your inner Scuba Explorer with DDS and try PADI Discover Scuba Diving. Have you ever dreamed of breathing underwater? Swimming with giant manta rays off Socorro Island Mexico, or exploring beautiful wooden shipwrecks, giant coral gardens, caverns or caves? Maybe you haven’t thought about where you want to dive, but something is telling you to try it, so this is a good place to start.

We know that scuba diving is the most exciting sport in the world, but don’t take our word for it, give it a try. If you have though about learning to dive but are not sure if it’s for you than this intoduction course is perfect.

Small personalized groups. Maximum 4 Participants

Scuba diving is amazing activity you can do anywhere in the world, not just on a tropical vacation.  It offers you so many different types of environments and experiences that it is quite easily a life long sport that people engage in year round.

Discover Scuba Diving is an experience building program that gives you a little taste of what its like to swim and breath underwater.

Discover Scuba is not a certification course, but is a good opportunity for prospective divers to experience the sensational world of scuba diving and see if you like it and how to pursue it from here.

Taking your first breath underwater is something you will never forget.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

In this program you’ll learn how to use the basic scuba diving equipment, prepared by your Divemaster to use, as well as learning what wearing scuba equipment feels like and how easy it is to move around underwater while wearing it.

Find out what it’s like to breathe underwater and learn whether you can be comfortable underwater.

You’ll learn and have the opportunity to complete some of the basic scuba diving skills after learning some of the basic safety rules that will carry over to your full scuba certification course when you take the next step, which is the Open Water Diver Course.

Its fun, low stress and high energy.  Sign up today.

PREREQUISITES:

Discover Scuba:

Minimum age is 10 years of age

We offer Discover Scuba Diving for individuals, couples, birthday parties, corporate team building, school groups, The Scouts of Canada, Sea Cadets and any other organization interested in experiencing our great sport!

WHAT GEAR DO YOU NEED?

Just show up with your bathing suit and towel and we’ll supply all the scuba equipment and your snorkel gear.

HOW DO YOU START?

Sign up ahead of time in the store and pickup your Discover Scuba Student Passport and Personal Information Sheet.

Call or email us for more details.

PADI

Cost: is only $75.00 + HST

Private events, birthdays, corporate, please call for quote.

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Students who sign up for the full certification course after the Discover Scuba Experience will receive a $25 rebate against the Open Water Course tuition fee.

Discover Scuba is not required to enroll in the Open Water Course, however it will help prepare you.