Your underwater journey begins here. Our training caters to the individual’s comfort level, skills, and learning abilities. This course follows three phases including classroom or online learning, pool sessions, and ocean dives. We prioritize fun, safety and ocean stewardship as divers become underwater explorers. Our divers learn responsibility, accountability, respect, confidence, and how to navigate both above and below the surface. We combine the PADI Open Water and Dry Suit Diver courses to give you the best experience in the Puget Sound area of the Salish Sea. We dive year round here and teach people everything they need to know to dive locally or abroad. Divers can start the journey as early as ten years old!

Dive deeper into your understanding of scuba diving with a variety of diving situations in the PADI Advanced Open Water course. You complete a minimum of five dives with our team including an introduction to deep dives and become competent navigating and leading dives. You choose at least three other types of dive experiences with our leadership team such as Underwater Naturalist, Peak Performance Buoyancy, REEF Fish ID, Underwater Photographer/Videographer, Search and Recovery, or Night Diver. The advanced course will help you fine tune skills such as navigation and buoyancy while introducing you to other diving experiences. Many of our students go from a week of PADI Open Water training to Advanced Open Water because they fall in love with the sport and want more experience with a dive professional. We believe all divers need advanced experiences underwater with dive professionals to become self-confident underwater explorers. We also offer more than 25 different types of PADI Continuing Education courses.

Our PADI Rescue Diver course teaches students how to be self reliant and how to take care of fellow divers. We believe it’s the most important class a diver can take and we encourage all members of our Dive Team to become rescue certified. Though we do our best to ensure all problems are prevented before entering the water, this course will prepare students to handle minor and major situations that can arise when diving. Through knowledge development and real life scenarios, students learn how to look for signs of a diver in distress and know how to respond appropriately. Students must be a minimum of 12 years old, Advanced Open Water Divers, with 20 logged dives. In addition, students need CPR/First Aid training before completing Rescue Diver. We teach Emergency First Responder so let us know when you sign up if you need both classes. PADI Rescue Diver is an extremely fun and rewarding experience for all ages and one we believe all divers should achieve.

Our Dive Team is known for our teen leadership programs because of our involvement with kids/teens in our community. PADI asked us to pilot the Junior Divemaster program in our community. We run this as an internship for our divers 15-17 years of age interested in becoming a part of our leadership team. While taking control of the dive site and learning to manage divers, Junior Divemasters will also learn public speaking, give dive site briefings, create an underwater map, and demonstrate a high level of proficiency in scuba diving skills. This course prepares young leaders for the professional level as a PADI Divemaster as some of the skills demonstrated count towards their PADI Divemaster course. Students must be rescue certified, have active Emergency First Responder (EFR) or CPR/First Aid certifications, a minimum of 40 logged dives, and personal dive gear. Contact Annie directly to learn about this unique opportunity for your scuba diving teenager.

Begin your journey as a professional diver with us. PADI Divemasters play a critical role in mentoring students, organizing the dive site, and assisting instructors underwater. They qualify to conduct Discover Local Diving, Discover Scuba Diving, and can lead open water dives for qualified students. We run our Divemaster program as an internship. Candidates work with all of our classes and learn about all aspects of dive operations. To apply, candidates must be 18 years old, rescue certified, Emergency First Responder or CPR/First Aid certifications, a minimum of 40 logged dives, and personal dive gear.

Underwater Photography and/or Video—Basic

Innovations in digital cameras, lighting, mobile technology, and faster data speed transfers revolutionized underwater imaging. Ten years ago we were driven by text, today it’s visuals. Our mobile devices and speed changed the way we communicate and we hold production studios in the palm of our hands. Learn the basics of underwater lighting, shooting, and editing with professional Annie Crawley. Students will learn ten different techniques to capture underwater video so they can create stories. This course is extremely fun and rewarding as you discover the basics of visually telling a story. You receive unparalleled guidance from our team as you begin the journey of documenting our world underwater. Whether filming with a GoPro, SeaLife Camera, mobile device, compact, mirrorless, or a DSLR, you have the ability to capture images or 4k video and share minutes later. This course is available year round as a 2 day, week, or semester long program. Contact us directly to see what session would be right for your diving and camera skill level. We have Olympus, GoPro, and Canon cameras available to rent.

Underwater Photography and/or Video—Advanced

Once you’ve taken our Basic Underwater Photography or Video program, we improve your skills and techniques with an advanced class taking a deeper dive into storytelling. We incorporate a variety of advanced lighting, editing, and storytelling techniques. This course inspires students with an immersive experience. Students learn to incorporate the environment, models, moods, and stories into their images/videos. We teach this course year round as a three day, week, or semester long program. Students create a story that can be published to a contest, YouTube, on our websites, and possibly with one of our media partners. Contact us directly to see what session would be right for your diving and camera skill level. We have Olympus, GoPro, and Canon cameras available to rent.

Scientific Diving 1—Citizen Scientist

We designed this course for divers interested in marine science. You will learn real-world techniques in conducting underwater research, applying diving skills including neutral buoyancy, navigation, and safety to achieve the fundamentals of environmental surveys. Using transects and quadrats, you will measure areas to count species and/or identify fish. You will learn how to safely deploy lift bags to move objects for artificial reef construction. Students will plan and safely carry out scientific dives. Students learn basic methods for underwater data collection, how to identify species, and how to submit data to organizations using the Reef Environmental Educational Foundation (REEF) database. Scientists all over the world rely on data collection from the public. A citizen scientist is a volunteer who is trained in data collection protocols and submits findings to research organizations. The data students collect will be used in real scientific studies and is the perfect opportunity for a budding marine biologist to explore a variety of research opportunities. Scientific Divers need identification knowledge including fish, invertebrates, and algae. Divers learn safety is the number one priority of scientific diving. This course builds a foundation of skills to prepare for Scientific Diving 2 in which they create their own research project.

Scientific Diving 2

Using the tools learned in Scientific Diving 1—Citizen Scientist, students develop their own scientific study. For 2021 we will be running a program on invasive species. Students create a question, hypothesis, and plan for collecting data. Using transects, fish counts, and/or quadrats depending on the study, students will work on their project. This course offers a glimpse into the life of a marine scientist. Students gain valuable skills in project design, data collection, research, and presentation. At the end of the project, students can write an article, create a short video, or give a presentation about their research findings. Students gain real world skills. This is a fun, project oriented course that is perfect for anyone interested in pursuing science, technology, and learning more about the underwater world.

We created the Edmonds Underwater Park Specialty as a PADI Distinctive Specialty course to help people understand the history, the plants and animals living in the Salish Sea area of Puget Sound. This weekend-long course also teaches divers how to confidently navigate the Salish Sea and understand underwater navigational features found throughout the region. Divers learn why marine protected areas are important for the ocean and how we can be stewards of the underwater world. This course is perfect for students wanting to improve their navigation and gain confidence in leading dives. Learn more about one of our favorite locations on the Edmonds Underwater Park website our Dive Team created during their underwater photography and scientific diving classes.

Enriched Air Diver teaches you about enriched air nitrox, a gas mixture with higher levels of oxygen and lower levels of nitrogen. It extends bottom time for recreational diving, especially on repetitive dives. You learn how to analyze your air, how to set your computer to match the percent oxygen you’re using, and plan dives safely calculating the different levels of nitrogen/oxygen. It’s a quick, fun, and useful specialty for divers of all ages benefiting you in the 40-100 foot range. It’s a great class to take before a dive trip as most resorts and liveaboard operators offer nitrox because on holiday we make multiple dives over multiple days. Divers must be at least 12 years old and Open Water certified. No diving is required to earn your certification.

We teach more than 20 specialty courses and below you will find some of our favorites to teach. Others PADI courses we offer include Drift Diver, Boat Diver, Wreck Diver, Altitude Diver, Dive Propulsion Vehicle, Free Diver, Local Diving, Coral Reef Restoration, Self-Reliant Diver and Snorkeling classes. If there are any other courses or skills you are interested in, let us know! We are happy to develop a program that fits your interests.

Peak Performance Buoyancy

We see and enjoy more when we can observe marine life without disturbing their surroundings. This course is a great continuing education class for divers immediately after Open Water Certification. Neutral buoyancy is the key to diving and hovering effortlessly is the best feeling in the world. Neutral buoyancy optimizes air consumption, reduces stress, and increases fun. This course builds on the skills learned in Open Water to allow students to become more comfortable and confident in the water while perfecting their own diving style. It’s a prerequisite for underwater imaging and scientific diving courses.

Night Diver

The Night Diver specialty course gives divers more experience navigating and getting comfortable in the underwater world at night. When the sun goes down, different species come out. We kick off the course with a dusk dive to see the transition from day to night. We proceed with more dives at different times at night. Divers learn how to navigate and communicate with buddies during night dives, and there is a variety of equipment considerations. During the course, divers get comfortable enough to turn off their lights and experience the life changing event of underwater bioluminescence. This course prepares you to confidently explore and navigate in the dark.

Underwater Navigator

One of the most important skills a diver can learn is navigation. Take control of the dive with the ability to use a compass, plan your dive and dive your plan, and find your way back to shore safely. With these new skills you will gain confidence in your diving and leadership, and you will have more fun exploring new sites.

Search and Recovery

Learn how to effectively navigate, search, find, and recover missing objects underwater. Like detective work, divers learn the process of asking important questions to locate a lost item, then develop a recovery plan. You learn how to accomplish multiple search patterns for a variety of situations. Divers learn common knots and how to use a lift bag for objects weighing up to 25 pounds. This course is fun, rewarding, and prepares you for the Rescue Diver course. Rescue Divers take the course for a deeper dive into search and recovery.

Underwater Naturalist

There is so much amazing life to see underwater and once you learn about the animals, you enjoy diving even more. In this course you learn about individual species and their relationships to each other. Knowing the names of animals and understanding the structure of an ecosystem prepares students to become successful scientists and underwater photographers. You will begin to notice new patterns and underwater lifeforms and how we are all connected. If you want to learn more about the underwater world, this is the perfect course to get you started. Students may choose to take this course in preparation for Scientific Diver 1 or underwater photography/video. The certification also can count towards your Advanced Open Water certification. Get to know our underwater neighbors with our Underwater Naturalist course!

Reef Fish Identification

Have you ever wondered about the fish we see underwater? This course focuses specifically on the gill-breathing, water-loving creatures we see all over the world. Learn about the characteristics of fish and how to identify different species. Fish play important roles in the entire ocean ecosystem. You will gain the tools needed during this course to become a citizen scientist. Students learn how to create, log, and submit data to the Reef Environmental Educational Foundation (REEF) database. This is a great course to prepare students for Scientific Diving 1 and underwater photography/video.

Deep Diver

Many of our dives are in the top 50 feet of water, but there are reasons to explore deeper. Giant pacific octopus, wolf eels and other creatures make their homes in deeper water. Learn how to safely make deep dives from 60 to 130 feet below the surface so you can explore the creatures that thrive here. We emphasize the importance of planning dives, knowing your computer, your buddy, neutral buoyancy at depth, and the importance of redundant air sources. The Deep Diver course deepens your understanding of dive theory as you plan multiple dives with your instructor.

Project AWARE

Project AWARE combines your love for our ocean with a purpose: to conserve our ocean resources. Learn how you can take action underwater to help protect the planet! Multiple courses are open to divers and non-divers alike including Project Aware Specialist, Dive Against Marine Debris, and AWARE Shark Conservation. These are great courses we can tailor to groups such as scouting, schools, other organizations who want to take action for our ocean.

Dry Suit Diver

The Salish Sea temperatures peak in summer at 13C/58F and winter water temps dip to 7C/44F. Year round, it’s dry suit country. From the Arctic to Antarctica, Iceland to New Zealand, PNW to British Columbia, dry suit diving has become one of the greatest skills a diver can develop because it opens up the entire ocean, cold water lakes, and altitude diving for your exploration. During your Dry Suit Diver course we combine a classroom and pool session to get you ready for open water dives. We help you understand the variety of dry suits on the market as well as how to care for and maintain them. After your pool session, we plan a couple of days of diving. There’s a two dive requirement for certification, but depending on your diving comfort level you might want to plan on 5-10 dives to really be comfortable. When you dive dry, your dives will be longer, warmer, and more fun. It’s one of the reasons we teach all our Open Water classes in dry suits!