the minimum age is generally 10-14 years for junior certification (restrictions apply & supervision is required), and 15 years for open water certification (entry level certification)
scuba diver candidates need to be reasonably proficient swimmers and comfortable in the water. the skills required for basic open water certification vary with the certifying agency, but generally include:
- non-stop distance swim (200 m for padi)
- timed water tread (10 min for padi)
- four to five open water dives, demonstrating various scuba techniques
padi (professional association of diving instructors)
padi is the largest scuba certification organization in the world, with more than 4400 authorized padi dive centers in 175 countries and territories - including santa clara's diver dan's.
padi scuba training has been conducted since 1966 by over 100,000 padi professionals worldwide. padi is the most common agency in north america, certifying 70 percent of its scuba divers; and 55 percent of worldwide scuba divers. padi's courses are recommended for college credit by the american council on education (ace)
ssi (scuba schools international)
naui (national association of underwater instructors)
