Common Name: “A.O.W.”

Completing your Open Water diving certification has introduced you to the world of scuba diving, and now it’s time to take the next step and increase the level and variety of your experiences under the guidance of an instructor. Your Open Water class prepared you to be safe in the water to a depth of 60 feet.  The Advanced Open Water class will show you how to plan for and dive deeper, focus on navigation, and introduce any three skill sets from over twenty  specialties that you choose.

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Common Name: “Deep”

As your desire grows to explore more underwater, you'll discover that there are reasons to go below the 60' depth limit associated with your Open Water certification. In Southern California, the Wreck of the Suejac sits at 85', the bottom of The Arch at 100' and the Purple Hydrocoral at Farnsworth Bank even deeper than that. Knowing how to properly prepare for a dive to those depths is imperative.

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Common Name: “Nav”

It is frustrating to be twenty minutes into your dive and realize that you suddenly have no idea where you are. What direction did you start in? How do you get back to the boat? Which direction is the shore? If you are tired of getting lost or having to follow someone else on your dives, the Underwater Navigator class will help you stay on course.

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Common Name: “Rescue”

The Rescue Diver course is by far the most challenging and rewarding of the non-professional classes we offer. Your awareness of other divers will extend beyond your dive buddy and begin to encompass all dive related activity around you. You will gain the confidence to assist other divers, from helping an injured diver underwater to preventing an emergency from occurring in the first place.

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Common Name: “Wreck”

To non-divers, when a ship, plane, car, or train sinks, it’s lost forever. To us, it becomes an artificial reef, a monument to the vessels history, and an underwater playground. The PADI wreck diving course teaches you the ins and outs of rewarding, responsible wreck diving and opens the door to a whole new part of the underwater world to explore.

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Common Name: “Search”

At some point everyone loses something underwater. A backup dive light would be frustrating, but a $400 wet lens for your camera housing would destroy your day. With the skills you learn in the search and recovery class, you could go look for your lost item right away, using a search pattern appropriate to the dimensions, topography and visibility of the dive site. If you ever found the holy grail of scuba diving, the chest of dubloons, you'll even have the skills to be able to bring that ton of Spanish gold back to the surface.

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Common Name: “EFR”

When someone needs medical assistance, divers with Emergency First Respond training are always ready to provide aid. Being prepared for an emergency means having knowledge of basic first aid / CPR and the EFR course teaches people how to help when the unfortunate occurs.  Helping to be the bridge between an accident occuring and the arrival of professional medical care can mean the difference between life and death. The training is not scuba specific, but includes information to help someone care for an injured diver.

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The Master Scuba Diver Program

For many students, diving is a transformational experience, showing that person the breadth and depth of experience our planet holds for them. For these divers, we created the Master Diver Program, to help them attain the highest rank of non-professional diver. First and foremost, the Master Scuba Diver certification is evidence to yourself that you have worked hard to be the absolute best diver that you can be.  As a Master Scuba Diver certified by PCH Scuba, you will be regarded as a role model and others will follow your obvious example of what it means to dive well, dive with enthusiasm and conduct yourself with the utmost regard for safety.  Further, this certification is proof to any dive operator that you have not only solid training, but a wealth of practical diving experience, and will be a safe participant in any dive activity.

Some students come to PCH Scuba for their Open Water training and then go on to dive a few times each year with us at our bi-annual dive bashes, or attend one of our tropical trips. It is absolutely our pleasure to welcome those divers into our family, help them stay fresh with their skills through our Scuba Review program and encourage them to dive as often as their schedules allow.  However, for those that wish to embrace the sport fully, the Master Scuba Diver program is your immersion class.

The class above is offered as part of the program and qualifies for graduation from it. Learn more about the Master Scuba Diver Program here.