classes 2024
Discover scuba
Open water - beginner class
Open water - beginner class
This is a short try-SCUBA experience for adults and children ages 10 and older. We provide Discover SCUBA for FREE when available. All scuba gear is provided.
Open water - beginner class
Open water - beginner class
Open water - beginner class
OW classes are for the beginner and are designed to teach future divers the basics of diving. OW scuba lessons are performance based and include class, pool, and 4 check out dives. E-Learning is available. All scuba gear provided.
advanced and rescue
Open water - beginner class
advanced and rescue
Take the next step in your diving education and take PADI's Advanced and Rescue Course. Call us for class schedule and requirements.
Specialty courses
Private Classes and Groups
advanced and rescue
Wreck diver, night diver, peak performance buoyancy, search and recovery, deep diver - just a few of the specialty courses available.
Private Classes and Groups
Private Classes and Groups
Private Classes and Groups
We will accommodate any class size or situation and work with families, corporate groups, and celebrity - VIP. Our scuba lessons are performance based.
New Friends & new places
Private Classes and Groups
Private Classes and Groups
Diving new locations and making new friends is part of becoming a certified diver. We offer a variety of unique destinations and itineraries with opportunities for divers of all experience levels.
About Us
SCUBA Dive Birmingham - since 1996
PADI Divers carry the most respected and sought after SCUBA diving credentials in the world. As a PADI Diver, you join millions of others to form a growing force that can and does make a difference in the effort to preserve the underwater environment. Our PADI instructors at scuba dive birmingham are trained and held to diving's highest standards, backed up by a solid, proactive quality management system.
information ABout courses offered
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Discover scuba
When you discover scuba diving, you discover excitement and adventure, freedom and serenity. Nothing compares to the “weightless” exhilaration of breathing underwater. Only a diver knows the feeling!
The PADI Discover Scuba Diving program lets you experience the thrill of diving under the supervision of a PADI Instructor in ideal conditions, such as those found at a resort. During your adventure, you’ll master some basic concepts and scuba skills before heading off on an open water dive.
Your open water dive takes you as deep as 12 meters/40 feet! (Of course this depends on where you dive.) The Discover Scuba Diving experience is a great way to get a head start on your PADI Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver certification. That’s because the skills you complete during your adventure may be credit these certification levels. All you have to do is complete a Student Diver Record and Referral Form, which documents your achievement, and bring it to any PADI Dive Center or Resort to continue where you left off.
Open water -beginner course
Now is the time to dive into the PADI Open Water Diver course, the most popular dive program in the world! This is your ticket to a lifetime of intense adventure with PADI, a dive company that sets the standards in the global diving community.
Throughout the course, you’ll learn fundamentals of scuba diving, including dive equipment and techniques. You will also earn a PADI Open Water Diver certification that is recognized worldwide. You'll earn this rating by completing five pool dives and knowledge development sessions and by making four open water (ocean or lake) dives.
As a certified PADI Open Water Diver, you have the freedom to dive with a buddy independent of a professional. If you already tried a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience or are PADI Scuba Diver certified, check with your instructor to see how credit from these courses may apply to the open water program. Your underwater adventure can begin as soon as today with the new PADI Open Water Diver Video and interactive CD-ROM! You can view these materials at home, at your own pace and then meet with an instructor for further assistance. Open water learning options also include group or private instruction. This course offers tremendous flexibility and lets you work out individual needs with your instructor.
Virtually anyone who is in good health, reasonably fit, and comfortable in the water can earn a PADI Open Water Diver certification. At some point in the course, your PADI Instructor will ask you to demonstrate the ability to swim 200 metres/yards and complete a bit of paperwork, to get you on your way. If you are between 10 and 15 or have a child between these ages, there is a PADI Junior Open Water Diver program available
There is good news for college students interested in getting certified: now the PADI Open Water Diver course is recommended for college credit(s) by the American Council on Education (ACE). This program meets the educational standards and requirements for credit at the college level, even when taught away from a college or university. For those college students who reside in the UK, Australia or New Zealand, PADI offers specific programs just for you. Ask your local PADI office for details on how you can enjoy this fabulous sport AND get a recommendation for college credit!.
advanced open water certification
Looking for the ultimate adventure? You found it! PADI’s Advanced Open Water Diver program fine tunes your dive skills and allows you to explore some of diving's top adventures. It’s your dive – go for it!
The Advanced Open Water Diver program offers you a structured program where you gain additional experience and skills under the direct guidance of a PADI professional.
PADI’s Advanced Open Water Diver program has something for everyone. This in-water, performance based program includes a total of five dives from the following list:
Altitude Diver, Boat Diver, Drift Diver, Deep Diver, Dry Suit Diver, Dive Propulsion Vehicle, Multilevel Diver, Night Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search and Recovery Diver, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Videographer, Underwater Photographer, Underwater Navigator, AWARE Fish Identification, Wreck Diver.
If you’re 15 or older, and a PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent, then you’re ready for the Advanced Open Water Diver program. Or, if you’re between the ages of 10 and 14, there’s the PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver. The Junior program is available if you hold a PADI Junior Open Water Diver or equivalent certification.
After successfully completing the course, you'll receive the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification. This allows you to participate in more advanced diving activities with a maximum recommended depth limit of 30 metres/ 100 feet, in addition to the qualifications listed for PADI Open Water Divers.
rescue diver
How do you take a subject like accident prevention and management and turn it into fun? Call it the PADI Rescue Diver program!
The PADI Rescue Diver program develops your knowledge and skills so you can effectively perform diver assists and rescues, manage diving accident situations and render first aid. The program is an important step in expanding your knowledge and experience as a diver. PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent) certification is also a prerequisite for all PADI leadership programs.
To get into the PADI Rescue Diver program, you’ll need to be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or Advanced Plus (or equivalent) and must be at least 15 years old. The PADI Junior Rescue Diver program is available if you’re between the ages of 12 and 14 and hold a PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver or Advanced Plus (or equivalent) rating.
You’ll also need to have successfully completed the PADI MEDIC FIRST AID program or a sanctioned program in CPR within the past three years. The PADI Rescue Diver program covers:
1. Self-rescue and diver stress
2. Diving first aid
3. Emergency management and equipment considerations
4. Swimming and nonswimming assists
5. Panicked diver response
6. Underwater problems
7. Missing diver procedures
8. Surfacing the unconscious diver
9. In-water artificial respiration
10. Egress (exits)
11. First aid procedures for pressure related accidents
12. Dive accident scenarios
All of these topics are covered in the PADI Rescue Diver Manual and Rescue Diver video.
divemaster
For those of you looking to join the leaders of the pack, look no further. The PADI Divemaster program is your first leadership level course in the PADI System of diver education. This rating denotes you as a person who:
1. Has a high level of personal diving skill.
2. Has instructor level knowledge of diving theory.
3. Has had significant training in how to assist an instructor during training activities.
4. Is able to assume appropriate responsibilities that benefit the welfare of other divers.
In other words, you’re the cream of the crop and we want you!
As you may know, many PADI Divemasters go on to become PADI Instructors. So, the training and experience you gain through the PADI Divemaster program helps shape your abilities and attitude toward becoming a professional level diving educator. To help shape you into a Dive Professional, PADI has developed the PADI Divemaster Crew-Pak and various other material.
To qualify for PADI Divemaster training, you'll need to:
1. Be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (or equivalent).
2. Be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent).
3. Have logged a minimum of 20 open water dives prior to entry into PADI Divemaster training, and completed and logged a minimum of 60 open water dives with experience in night, deep and navigation prior to certification as a PADI Divemaster.
4. Be at least 18 years old.
5. Be in good physical condition for diving and submit a medical exam form signed by a physician.
You’ll complete three phases in the PADI Divemaster program:
1. Watermanship and Skills Assessment
Watermanship and stamina General diving skills
2. Knowledge Development
Diving physics
Diving physiology
Diving skills and environment
Supervising students in training
Dive management and control
Dive planning
Emergency assistance plan for diving emergencies in the local area
Mapping a local open water site
3. Practical Application
This involves training activities using various structured training sessions, simulated scenarios and internship sessions with actual PADI programs. These training sessions enable you to gain practical experience as an instructional assistant and a supervisor of open water diving activities, both as a coordinator and as an underwater guide.
As a PADI Divemaster you'll be able to:
1. Act as certified instructional assistant to PADI Instructors.
2. Supervise participants in PADI experience programs for uncertified divers.
3. Generally supervise both training and non-training related diving activities by planning, organizing and directing dives.
4. Teach and certify PADI Skin Divers.
5. Conduct the PADI SCUBA Review course for certified divers.
6. Enroll in PADI Instructor level training.
Upon successfully completing the PADI Divemaster program, you’ll receive a certification card and wall certificate denoting this rating. You’ll also become a member of PADI and receive benefits, including the ability to purchase professional liability insurance (which may be required to conduct some activities).
why padi - professional association of dive instructors
PADI Divers carry the most respected and sought after scuba diving credentials in the world. No matter where you choose to dive, your PADI certification card will be recognized and accepted. In fact, on most scuba diving adventures, you’ll be surrounded by other PADI Divers who made the same certification choice you did – to train with the world’s largest and most respected scuba diving training organization.
How is PADI Different?
Education - The PADI System of diver education is the most instructionally solid system in diving. PADI courses are designed to make learning enjoyable and worthwhile. Under the guidance of your professional PADI Instructor, you gain confidence while mastering important safety concepts and skills. PADI Instructors are trained and held to diving’s highest standards, backed up by a solid, proactive quality management system.
Performance-Based Learning – You progress at your own pace as you demonstrate mastery of specific performance requirements essential to becoming a scuba diver. You must earn your PADI certification, but you do so in an encouraging and well-supported learning environment.
Educational Materials – Credentialed instructional designers use state-of-the-art technology and learning theories to create PADI materials with you, the student diver, in mind. Independent study materials, available in a variety of media – online programs, tablet-based apps, manuals, workbooks, multimedia discs, etc. – allow you to learn in a way that works for you. Instructional support materials allow your PADI Instructor to further explain important concepts and verify understanding.
Educational Standards – All PADI programs, from entry-level through scuba instructor training, fall under strict educational standards monitored for worldwide consistency and quality. PADI takes a proactive approach to quality management and randomly surveys PADI Divers to confirm their courses meet PADI’s high standards as well as the divers’ expectations. No other diver training organization works to maintain this level of professional reliability and integrity.
Continuing Diver Education – The fun and enjoyment of being a confident scuba diver is fueled by continuing to improve your scuba skills. Each PADI course builds on the previous one, teaching you skills and techniques when you’re ready to learn them. PADI specialty courses let you explore specific dive interests. Professional-level courses let you live the scuba diving lifestyle by becoming a divemaster or scuba instructor.
College Credit and Vocational Training – The unsurpassed quality of PADI materials, and the educational validity of PADI courses, have been independently acknowledged by international educational and vocational training authorities. You may be able to earn college credit for certain PADI courses, or receive vocational training recognition toward national certificates.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards Compliant – PADI courses are certified as compliant with ISO standards for Recreational Diving Services by an independent auditor, the European Underwater Federation and the Austrian Standards Institute. The ISO standards (see chart below) relate to five levels of diver, two levels of instructor and a service provider or dive center. Each of these standards equate to a PADI certification or member level, which means that, in effect, divers or members holding one of these qualifications can also be said to have met the requirements of the relevant ISO standard – as though they had gained two credentials at once.
Professional Quality and Support
Just as scuba divers must earn PADI certifications, PADI Instructors must complete a development program that sets the industry standard for scuba instructor training. Each new PADI Instructor demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the PADI System and the ability to conduct PADI programs by meeting specific criteria. Before earning the PADI Instructor rating, all candidates are evaluated by a select group of PADI-employed Instructor Examiners. This ensures that the evaluation process is objective, fair and consistent worldwide. This is another way that PADI training stands above others in the dive industry.
To help PADI Members grow both personally and professionally, PADI Offices conduct annual seminars that cover various educational, marketing and risk management topics. PADI Members can also attend business development programs and seminars that look at current trends in diving. Retailers and resort operators have access to a variety of business services through the PADI Retail and Resort Associations. Interested in opening a PADI dive shop?
Diving Community
As a PADI Diver, you become part of the larger PADI community.
ScubaEarth®– By joining PADI’s online community – ScubaEarth – you’re given an interactive, dynamic platform to share everything scuba diving-related with other divers, dive operations and instructors from around the world. You can research and plan dive experiences, search more than 60,000 dive sites, find PADI Dive Centers and Resorts, connect with dive buddies, log dives, upload dive photos or videos, identify aquatic creatures and much more.
PADI Blog and TecRec Blog – Get the latest PADI dive news and scuba-related discussions by tapping into PADI’s blogs. The TecRec blog focuses specifically on technical diving news and equipment, while the PADI Blog covers recreational diving topics and provides words of wisdom from the Dive GuruTM.
PADI on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube (PADI TV) – You can interact with other PADI Divers who share stories, photos, videos and discuss their passion – scuba diving – through social media sites.
Environmental Responsibility
As a PADI Diver, you join millions of others to form a growing force that can and does make a difference in the effort to preserve the underwater world. PADI courses encompass environmental awareness and protection philosophies that emphasize the importance of protecting fragile aquatic ecosystems. The worldwide PADI organization is committed to preserving the aquatic environment for future generations. Diving won’t survive without beautiful places to visit, and PADI Divers are encouraged to take action with Project AWARE® and make every dive count for a clean, healthy ocean planet.