Panama City Dive Charters
SCUBA gear, dive classes and diving vacations too!
5512 Thomas Drive
Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
850-588-8077
Open Daily from 9am to 6pm
SCUBA gear, dive classes and diving vacations too!
5512 Thomas Drive
Panama City Beach, Florida 32408
850-588-8077
Open Daily from 9am to 6pm
We offer diving instruction and scuba classes through PADI, the world's largest certification agency.
Why you should learn to dive with us instead of the other guys;
Learning to
dive with a knowledgeable instructor is a blast. The classroom, pool,
and openwater training sessions should be peppered with humor and
laughter (above water anyway) as the basic skills are learned and
practiced. Our PADI certified instructors are consistently the highest reviewed by actual customers because they offer individual attention in a pressure free learning environment making our students happier and better trained.
We include the cost of admissions, rental gear, AND include a free trip on our charter boat (as weather allows) to do the last two openwater training dives for the price you see upfront.
Our prices are $300 for a scheduled 3 day class (Fri-Sun or Mon-Wed) with open enrollment or $500 per person for a private class with a custom schedule.
Philosophically we operate on a customer service centered long term profit business model instead of a volume based short term profit model. This is illustrated perfectly by our boat operation. Our "Big" boat (a custom 36' Newton) can legally run with 20 divers but we limit it to 14 since this is the actual number of divers that can comfortably go on it and about the right number of divers to drop on most of the wrecks offshore. Too many divers can overcrowd a shipwreck, but not on our trips.
There are two different ways we can teach the academics of our scuba diving classes.
Option 1 is to study at home after receiving the academic books from us. Upon completion of all the "homework" an instructor will review the material with you and administer the exam here at the shop. This takes the better part of 6 hours, effectively a whole day. Then there are three days of in-water dive training; pool, springs and then the Gulf.
Option 2 is the newest evolution in dive classes, E-Learning. Do all the academic portion, including the exam, on your PC at your own pace and then schedule your in-water training with us when you are done. This costs a total of $300, $180 to us and $120 to PADI (who hosts the standardized online class). You can register for eLearning by clicking on the picture below.
No matter which option you prefer and best learn by, our staff is more than happy to share their knowledge of scuba diving with you.
Click on the picture above to go to PADI's "eLearning" site. There you can complete the academic portion of your classes on a computer from home at your leisure instead of via days of lecture or simply doing homework from a book. PADI will charge you for this online scuba school session but we will not.
Download the PADI medical Form to make sure you are healthy enough for scuba diving. This is a mandatory form for enrollment in any dive class.
Dive Classes
The progression of core recreational certifications from PADI starts with "Openwater Diver", then to "Advanced Openwater Diver", and "Rescue Diver." Upon reaching rescue diver certification if you earn 5 specialties or more you become what is know as a "Master Diver" in recognition of your diverse training and experience. The other option upon reaching rescue certification is to "Go Pro" and and become a "Divemaster" in training. Divemasters are able to help instructors teach classes, conduct Discover Scuba Diving programs, and lead certified divers on excursions.
The progression of core recreational certifications from PADI starts with "Openwater Diver", then to "Advanced Openwater Diver", and "Rescue Diver." Upon reaching rescue diver certification if you earn 5 specialties or more you become what is know as a "Master Diver" in recognition of your diverse training and experience. The other option upon reaching rescue certification is to "Go Pro" and and become a "Divemaster" in training. Divemasters are able to help instructors teach classes, conduct Discover Scuba Diving programs, and lead certified divers on excursions.
Core PADI
Classes
Open Water Diver $300 (2 student minimum)
Open water is the basic certification for scuba divers. Certification is for up to 60'. Open Water class takes about 40 hours to complete. Student divers will spend a day in the classroom followed by a day of pool work (confined water) and then 2 days of open water diving. Students need to have their own mask, snorkel and fins before pool work begins.
Adventure Diver $175
Complete any 3 Adventure dives to gain the experience to up your certification to the next level. Adventure divers have gained the experience and training to be certified to 80'.
Advanced Open Water Diver $250 ($175 if already an Adventure Diver)
Advanced open water is the next step in dive training. The advanced certification requires additional bookwork and 5 specific open water dives providing introduction to 5 different specialties, deep and navigation dives are required as two of the five. Certification is for dives up to 100'.
Rescue Diver $350- includes CPR/1st Aid certification
Rescue divers are trained in various scenarios that they may be encounter and offered introduction into how to best provide assistance to injured, panicked and unconscious divers. At this level students are required to own their own a complete set of gear before class. A minimum of 20 logged dives is required before enrollment of this class.
Master Scuba Diver*
Master scuba diver is the highest recognition of RECREATIONAL training PADI offers. Master scuba divers have completed both Rescue class and 5 or more different specialties.
DiveMaster
Divemasters are rescue divers who have decided to "Go Pro" into the world of diving. Divemasters must demonstrate mastery of dive theory and all core dive skills as well as complete an internship under an active scuba instructor. Divemaster candidates will sit in on charters and classes to pickup and fine tune their skills needed to accept leadership roles in the dive community as part of their internship. Divemasters must have 60 logged dives by the completion of their internship, at a bare minimum. Since they are responsible for leading groups of certified divers and assisting instructors with uncertified divers, they are required to carry liability insurance.
* Training can take up to as long as several weeks to complete depending on the rate at which students become comfortable in the water and cooperative weather and water conditions.
Private classes are available for Open Water classes at additional cost.
PADI Specialties offered
EANx (nitrox) Diver $125
Learn to extend bottom times by safely adding oxygen to your breathing mix. This diving class gives you the most bang for your buck and time. Duration 3 hours
Deep Diver $395
Learn to safely dive to a max of 130' over this duration of this 2 day class. Somewhat Subject to the availability of the dive boats due to the deeper dive sites required for training.
$250 for Specialty Class requiring 4 dives
$175 for 2 dive specialties
Open water is the basic certification for scuba divers. Certification is for up to 60'. Open Water class takes about 40 hours to complete. Student divers will spend a day in the classroom followed by a day of pool work (confined water) and then 2 days of open water diving. Students need to have their own mask, snorkel and fins before pool work begins.
Adventure Diver $175
Complete any 3 Adventure dives to gain the experience to up your certification to the next level. Adventure divers have gained the experience and training to be certified to 80'.
Advanced Open Water Diver $250 ($175 if already an Adventure Diver)
Advanced open water is the next step in dive training. The advanced certification requires additional bookwork and 5 specific open water dives providing introduction to 5 different specialties, deep and navigation dives are required as two of the five. Certification is for dives up to 100'.
Rescue Diver $350- includes CPR/1st Aid certification
Rescue divers are trained in various scenarios that they may be encounter and offered introduction into how to best provide assistance to injured, panicked and unconscious divers. At this level students are required to own their own a complete set of gear before class. A minimum of 20 logged dives is required before enrollment of this class.
Master Scuba Diver*
Master scuba diver is the highest recognition of RECREATIONAL training PADI offers. Master scuba divers have completed both Rescue class and 5 or more different specialties.
DiveMaster
Divemasters are rescue divers who have decided to "Go Pro" into the world of diving. Divemasters must demonstrate mastery of dive theory and all core dive skills as well as complete an internship under an active scuba instructor. Divemaster candidates will sit in on charters and classes to pickup and fine tune their skills needed to accept leadership roles in the dive community as part of their internship. Divemasters must have 60 logged dives by the completion of their internship, at a bare minimum. Since they are responsible for leading groups of certified divers and assisting instructors with uncertified divers, they are required to carry liability insurance.
* Training can take up to as long as several weeks to complete depending on the rate at which students become comfortable in the water and cooperative weather and water conditions.
Private classes are available for Open Water classes at additional cost.
PADI Specialties offered
EANx (nitrox) Diver $125
Learn to extend bottom times by safely adding oxygen to your breathing mix. This diving class gives you the most bang for your buck and time. Duration 3 hours
Deep Diver $395
Learn to safely dive to a max of 130' over this duration of this 2 day class. Somewhat Subject to the availability of the dive boats due to the deeper dive sites required for training.
$250 for Specialty Class requiring 4 dives
$175 for 2 dive specialties
Dive Insurance
All of our employees carry DAN insurance and we recommend it to all of our students and customers. With the cost of only $100 dollars per year you can have $250,000 in coverage. Since a chamber ride can cost over $10k per treatment...... its a smart and affordable move. This covers all in water accidents from dive ladders to eel nibbles. (ask Pat about the eels)
All of our employees carry DAN insurance and we recommend it to all of our students and customers. With the cost of only $100 dollars per year you can have $250,000 in coverage. Since a chamber ride can cost over $10k per treatment...... its a smart and affordable move. This covers all in water accidents from dive ladders to eel nibbles. (ask Pat about the eels)
Capt Pat Green of Panama City Dive Charters freediving with some "blow sharks."
A sea turtle encounter diving on Stage 1
A close up of a beautiful anemone of Span 12, thank you Jennifer from UltraMarine photo.
Dense bait shoals are common on Panama City's dive sites in the Summer time.
Panama City has put their old bridge to good use as a dive site!
The diversity of life found in the ocean can be pretty crazy sometimes. You never know what is waiting for you non the dive spots off Panama City and Panama City Beach, Fl.
Divemaster Kelly Davis of Better Bottom Time with dinner for 6!
