Become a Certified SCUBA Diver today – take your PADI/SSI Open Water course in Houston, Texas at Gulf Coast Scuba!

Getting your Open Water Certification in Houston has never been easier.  Start your scuba adventure with our Award Winning Instructors and join millions of SCUBA Divers who are discovering new underwater worlds and experiencing new underwater adventures. Explore local Houston dive sites and local offshore destinations. Start your adventure with us. The Open Water Course offered for online sale is for a Scuba Schools International (SSI) certification. We also offer Open Water Certifications through the Professional Association of Scuba Instructors (PADI), but you must call us to sign up for that course. Both SSI and PADI Open Water Certifications are recognized throughout the world.

The training consists of classroom, pool, and open water sessions where you will learn to use your SCUBA gear. All the SCUBA dive training is done at a private local pool and a local lake.

To enroll in an Open Water Diver course:

• The student MUST be 15 or older to participate in this class. Anyone with a child between 10 and 14 should call the shop to discuss their options. We cannot provide a typical group class to anyone younger than 15.
• The student MUST be able to swim 200 yards nonstop using any stroke with no time limit.
• The student MUST be able to tread water for 10 minutes without submerging their head or touching the side of the pool.
• The student MUST complete the Student Diver Medical Questionaire and, if necessary, get their doctor's written permission before the first pool session.

Unlike some competitors, our price includes the SSI digital learning materials, rental lead weights, a rental wetsuit, and integrated weight pockets for your rental BCD. Other than Lake Entrance Fees, no hidden fees exist.

What to expect?

Homework, Classroom work, and Knowledge Development:

SSI students will use the SSI Open Water Diver digital learning materials after they sign up. This training takes about three to eight hours to finish. You must finish the learning materials and complete the quizzes at the end of each section (six sections total) before the classroom session.  Download the FREE MySSI App, and you can use your phone or tablet to complete the training. You also get the additional features included in the app!

The MYSSI App:

PADI students can purchase the eLearning Manual for an additional fee or come by the Dive Center and collect the PADI Open Water Manual and the PADI Open Water DVD. Students are required to watch the videos, read the PADI Open Water Manual, and answer all the Knowledge Review Questions at the end of each chapter BEFORE class. 

Confined Water (Pool) Dives:

This is when the real fun starts! We will meet in our local pool (usually Tuesday and Thursday evenings) to learn how to SCUBA dive. Your Instructor will start by showing you all the basics, from assembling your gear, donning your gear, inspecting your gear with a buddy, and entering shallow water. Your Instructor will then explain and demonstrate various SCUBA skills. Each skill builds in progression, and by the end of the pool session, students should have a mastery of each skill needed to dive safely with a buddy.

Open Water (Lake) dives:

This is where the real fun happens! We will meet at a local lake* (usually Saturday and Sunday mornings) for two days of diving and do two dives a day. Students will now demonstrate mastery of various SCUBA skills they learned in the pool. Then we will explore the lake for the remainder of the dive while we work on our buoyancy control and look for fish and turtles.
*Please note that the student is responsible for paying his entry fee (typically $20-$25 per day).

Open Water Certification:

Our students are awarded a lifetime Open Water Certification only when they pass the written final exam, complete all the skills in the pool, and demonstrate mastery during the four open water dives. If a student cannot complete these requirements in the allotted time, make-up fees for additional sessions will apply. 

Our Typical Summer Schedule (June through September) Is as follows:

Monday: Classroom Session at Gulf Coast Scuba from 6 pm to 10 pm

Tuesday: Pool Session #1 at a local outdoor pool (located just across West Alabama) from 6 pm to 10 pm

Thursday: Pool Session #2 from 6 pm to 10 pm

Friday: Weather Back-up Pool Session (only if necessary) from 6 pm to 10 pm

Saturday: Open Water Dives 1 and 2 at a local lake from 9 am to about 1:30pm

Sunday: Open Water Dives 3 and 4 at a local lake from 9 am to approximately 1pm, then return to Gulf Coast Scuba to rinse and return your rental gear. The class is typically finished around 4 pm on Sunday.

Our Typical Fall/Winter/Spring Schedule (October through May) is as follows:

Thursday:  Classroom Session at Gulf Coast Scuba from 6pm to 10pm

Saturday: Pool Session at a local outdoor heated pool from 10am to 4pm

Sunday:  Back-up pool session at a local outdoor heated pool, if needed from 10am to 4pm

The following weekend are the Open Water Dives

Saturday:  Open Water Dives 1 and 2 at a local lake from 9am to about 1:30pm.

Sunday: Open Water Dives 3 and 4 at a local lake from 9 am to approximately 1pm, then return to Gulf Coast Scuba to rinse and return your rental gear. The class is typically finished around 4 pm on Sunday.

*NO REFUNDS

*We understand that plans might change. With this in mind, Gulf Coast Scuba has a straightforward rescheduling policy: As long as you reschedule your class 7 days before the start of class, you will incur no extra fees. If you need to reschedule within seven days of the class start date, you will incur a $100 rescheduling fee. No show to class will result in losing your spot and the course fee.

* Flying after diving is not advisable. In accordance with the training agency, you must allow a minimum of 24 hours before flying.

*Please note that class times are an approximation. Although unlikely, due to weather, times are subject to change.