Summer Open Water Class

Imagine yourself gliding weightless through the water, surrounded by darting schools of fish, swimming past sunken wrecks lit by blue-green shafts of sunlight, and meeting face-to-face with strange creatures seldom seen by those who don't dare to venture below the surface. Interested? Excited? The Hoofers SCUBA Club Open Water Certification program will open this underwater world to you. If you successfully complete this class, you will earn a lifetime PADI Open Water Diver rating (recognized at dive shops world wide), and be well prepared to begin exploring an underwater world that most people will never see!

Course Overview   The Fall Hoofer Open Water SCUBA certification course consists of a self-paced eLearning web classroom where you will learn about diving physiology and safety and the equipment and skills needed by every diver.  This is followed by two indoor swimming pool sessions where you are able to apply your new knowledge in a controlled environment, and two days of open water dives where you will put your training to the test while under the direct supervision of the instructor and divemasters.  Once you complete the training you’ll be a fully certified PADI Open Water diver and ready to take on the underwater world!! 

Course Fee  The course fee of $350 includes your lifetime PADI Open Water Certification, open water check out dives, professional instruction by PADI instructors, all course materials including access to eLearning, dive log and training record, the use of all Scuba equipment and tanks needed for the class, and a HOOFER SCUBA T-SHIRT. You will also need to purchase a membership in Hoofer Scuba which costs $44 per year for students and includes heavily discounted gear rentals once certified.  The fee is paid to the Hoofer Scuba Club online or at the Outdoor UW Service desk at the Memorial Union when you sign up for the course.  There are no additional hidden fees or costs, and our courses include all education and dives required to become a PADI certified diver.  The total cost for students is $394. Sign Up can be done online or at the Outdoor UW office.

Prerequisites and Enrollment Conditions
You must attend all classroom, pool and open water checkout sessions to become certified.  No make-up sessions can be offered.  If during the course under special circumstances you find you cannot attend one of the dates, please let us know ASAP so we can work something out.

It is essential that course participants have strong basic swimming skills and be comfortable in the water.  PADI requirements include a basic swim test and tread-water test.  If you do not pass the swim test we can only offer partial refunds of course fees.  See below for more details.

eLearning must be completed according to the schedule directed by your instructor.  

Course Refunds: Once the course has commenced, we do not offer any refunds past the first pool session, eg. if you decide that you can't make one of the dates!  If you decide after the first pool session that SCUBA is not for you, then we can offer you a partial refund of the course cost less the cost of materials, and a pro-rated fee for the portion of the class that you attended.

For safety, individuals not able to satisfactorily perform all required skills in the pool will not be permitted to participate in the open water training.  Our instructors will make every effort to assist you in becoming a certified diver, but certification is not guaranteed.

Participants must be a University of Wisconsin-Madison student, faculty/staff, or Wisconsin Union member. Union membership is open to everyone. Call 608-262-2263 or visit www.union.wisc.edu/membership to sign up for Union Membership.

Course Schedule

Orientation: July 24th at 6pm in Memorial Union Room TBA(will recieve online course that must be completed before Pool Classes)

Pool Classes: Tuesday, July 31st and Thursday, August 2nd from 6:30 to 9:30 Pool TBA

Open Water Checkout Dives: Saturday August 4th and Sunday August 5th from 8am to 3pm in Lake Mendota(dependent on lake conditions)

Must be able to pass swim test: 200 meter untimed swim and 10 minutes of treading/floating

Feel free to email scuba@hoofers.org with any questions.