Hello diver!

You'll receive a more detailed schedule a little closer to your class's start date. Until then, here's the basics of what you'll need to do and know before your class starts.

Before the class starts, there are a couple things you need to do:

1. Get fitted for your rental wetsuit and BC: this takes about 45 minutes and is done at Aquatic Discovery. Finding gear that fits properly will ensure that you're comfortable and as warm as possible. Rental gear is assigned on a first come-first served basis - get fitted early to reserve the newest gear!
2. Get fitted for basic gear: your mask, snorkel, fins, boots and gloves are not included in your scuba class. We've got a large selection with options to meet most budgets and interests; basic gear packages start at $149.35. The sooner you get fitted the better - selection can become limited the night before a class. Have a specific color or style in mind? It'll take us about a week to get special ordered items - make sure you factor that into your schedule. And yes - we've got a manufacturer that makes awesome pink fins! We also rent basic gear for $35/3 days. Selection on these rental items is somewhat limited so you'll definitely want to get reservations in early if you're planning on renting for your pool sessions. We strongly recommend purchasing your basic gear if you're planning on joining us in Monterey for your ocean dives.
3. Purchase and read your Open Water book and do the knowledge reviews at the end of each chapter. You will need to have the reading done before class and the knowledge reviews available to turn in.
4. Watch the Open Water DVD. We've scheduled a viewing of the DVD into your class. You can watch it with us, rent it for $7 for 3 days or purchase it for $34.99. This DVD has a runtime of 228 minutes and you'll need to watch the entire DVD before you finish the class.
5. Double check the Medical Questionnaire. If you answer "Yes" to any question on page 1 you'll need a doctor's note before you get into the pool.
6. You should print out the Pool Checklist to help make sure that you remember everything you need to take to the pool with you. Make sure you bring it to Aquatic Discovery with you on the first day of class so you can verify that you have all of the rental gear you need.
7. You must pass a swim test at the beginning of the first pool session; it's comprised of a 200-yard freestyle swim (with no stopping, touching the bottom of the pool or holding onto walls or lane lines) and 10 minutes of floating/treading water. You must pass this swim test in order to continue the scuba class. Please let us know ASAP if you have concerns about your swimming or floating skills or if you're worried you'll be too uncomfortable underwater; we'll be happy to refer you to a swim school who can help you improve your skills.
   

Your Open Water classroom and pool sessions include:

• the number of classroom and pool sessions listed on the schedule

Need extra sessions in the classroom or pool? Students that need additional attention can schedule more time with one of our instructors for $50 per session.

After you finish the Classroom and Pool sessions you'll need to do a weekend in the ocean to finish your certification. You can do the ocean in Monterey with us or you can do it with any PADI shop in the world. Not sure where you'd like to do it yet? Not a problem - you don't need to decide before you start the classroom and pool sessions.

Monterey is an exciting place to go diving and there's lots of things to see both underwater and above. It's a great place to do your Open Water ocean dives! Some things to know:

• While you have one year to complete the Open Water Scuba Class with us, you will need to schedule a review if you wait more than 2 months between your pool sessions and your ocean weekend. This review is $50 for one session in the pool and involves refreshing your skills with an instructor. Your review must be done the week before your ocean sessions; there is no additional charge for rental scuba gear. At your instructors discretion you may be required to schedule additional classroom and pool sessions based on how much of the class you retained.
• Yup, Monterey water is cold. You'll do your pool sessions in a 7mm wetsuit. Many students find this sufficiently warm underwater in Monterey. Some folks don't - we offer a drysuit upgrade to the Open Water class if you'd like something warmer than a wetsuit. The drysuit upgrade is an additional $50 and includes an extra night in the pool so you can get comfortable with your suit and a drysuit rental for the ocean weekend. Keep in mind that the drysuit upgrade is not a certification - you will need to complete a Drysuit Certification in order to rent a drysuit outside of class.
• Visibility runs the full range between insanely awesome and pretty bad. We don't usually have a good idea of what visibility will be like until a week or less (sometimes not even the night before) you get in the water. We can complete the class in almost any conditions, although if visibility is bad we'll give you the option to postpone to another weekend (your instructor will get the final say on what constitutes bad visibility). Monterey is not Hawaii - you will almost never get unlimited visibility. Be prepared for at least a little murkiness.
• There is lots to see in Monterey, even when visibility is pretty poor! Seriously! Monterey is full of lots of little critters - nudibranchs, anemones, snails, crabs, octopuses, star fish - there'll be lots of cool stuff for you to check out. We've also got plenty of bigger critters - the harbor seals often tug on diver's fins and the sea lions may buzz you and blow bubbles in your face.
• Shore diving is awesome and free but it's a bit of a hike and a swim. Typically, you'll have to walk about 500' and swim about 500' to the start of each dive and then swim another 500' and walk another 500' back to your car.
• Curious about what gear you'll need to bring to the ocean with you? Check out our checklists for the ocean in a wetsuit and the ocean in a drysuit.

Your Open Water ocean sessions include one weekend in Monterey with included scuba gear rental. Students that require additional weekend sessions in Monterey will need to pay to rent their scuba gear during the additional weekend. Remember - once you pick up your gear for the ocean weekend it counts as your included Ocean weekend (unless your instructor cancels the class).

If you decide to do your ocean somewhere else (mmmmmmm - like on vacation in Hawaii!), just let us know. We'll give you all of the referral paperwork you'll need to take with you and we're also happy to send it to the shop you're using - all at no additional charge. Some questions you should ask your referral shop:

1. How much will the ocean portion of the class cost? You will most likely be doing it on vacation, so expect vacation prices.
2. Is there anything else I'll need to buy? Some shops charge extra for certification cards and rental gear.
3. Is there anything else you'll need from me? We've heard stories from folks about some shops requiring extra things, like a medical evaluation from a local doctor. Try to make sure there won't be any surprises with these types of things before you get there!
4. OK, not a question, but lots of students ask us what gear they should purchase before they travel. The answer depends a lot on you - where are you traveling to? What are the baggage allowances on the airline you're flying? How much diving and snorkeling do you plan on doing on this and future vacations? Do you have anything that's oddly sized that'll make well fitting rentals hard to find? How comfortable are you wearing a mask that lots of other folks have probably spit in? I know - lots of questions, but there's no definite answers. All of the staff at Aquatic Discovery are happy to go through your interests and preferences and recommend the gear that's right for you.
   

Need to reschedule your classroom/pool or ocean sessions?

• There is no penalty if you reschedule your class 7 or more days prior to the first class meeting.
• If you reschedule with 2-6 days of notice there's a reschedule fee of 50% of the price of your class. You will need to pay this fee before we can reserve your spot in a different class.
• If you reschedule less than 48 hours before the first class meeting there's a reschedule fee of 50% of the price of your class IF we fill the class. If we do not fill the class you will need to pay the full class price to join another class.
• If you do not show up for a class session or arrive late you will be removed from that class and will receive no refund. You will need to pay the full class price to join another class.

Please keep in mind that you have one year from the day you start your Open Water class to complete the class. After one year you’ll need to purchase the class again and start from the beginning.

Have any questions? Feel free to reply to this email or call us at 408-988-3483. No question is too weird - believe me, we've heard it all!

See you underwater!
-Barbara