Getting certified
At Punta Sur Divers we believe that scuba diving is a family activity suited for all ages. Completing a certification course is not easy or hard. It’s a life changing experience, and in most cases it’s defined by having the right instructor by your side.
There are different options for achieving the popular Open Water Diver certification. It’s important to keep in mind that getting certified doesn’t mean that you suddenly know everything about diving. We prefer to see it as getting certified to keep on learning something new with each dive.
For all PADI courses we recommend doing the E-learning option for the theory portion of the course. This can be done back at home at your own pace. That way when you arrive to Cozumel we focus primarily on the practical aspects. But don’t worry; we will assess what you learned before we even touch the water. And if you need to review a full section with an instructor, that’s no problem. To enroll in e-learning let us know in advance what course you want to complete and we can set it up for you.
If you are not very tech savvy or if you simply prefer to take the full course with a paper manual and face-to-face classes, we can do that too. We can shape the instruction to meet your needs.
No matter what option you choose, we process all our certifications online so you always leave Cozumel with your digital certification card already in your inbox.
Basic Requirements for the Scuba Diver course and Open Water Diver course:
- You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health.
- Complete this PADI Medical Statement (this form will help you determine if you need to consult with a physician prior to diving in case you have any conditions or are taking certain medications)
- Be at least 10 years old at the start of the training
- No prior experience with scuba diving is required
Scuba Diver Course – sd
The Scuba Diver course is PADI’s entry level certification. It’s basically half of the full Open Water Diver (OWD) course (the first three sections). This course is a good option if you don’t have enough time to complete the whole OWD course or for kids that are 10 or 11. The Scuba Diver course certifies you to dive to a maximum depth of 40 feet and always with a dive professional supervising. So in terms of depth it’s the same restriction that 10 or 11-year-olds have (even if they have the full Open Water Diver certification). Also it’s a good option if you have budget restrictions but you definitely want to start your path towards the full certification. All Scuba Divers can upgrade to the OWD cert at any time. They only need to complete the last two sections of the manual and two additional open water dives.
Course includes: All PADI e-learning and certification fees, two dives and full scuba gear.
Pricing options for our Scuba Diver course:
SD on a budget: After the initial training we conduct two 45 min. shore dives.
Cost: 299 USD
Duration: One full day
SD boat: After the initial training we take you by boat to the National Park to make the required two open water dives.
Cost: 349 USD
Duration: Two half days.
Includes: Fruit, snacks, water and refreshments on board.
open water Diver Course – owd
The world’s most popular certification course gives you all the tools to become a confident and safe diver. The course has five core sections with their corresponding confined water training sessions and requires a minimum of four open water dives to become certified.
Ideally we conduct the course over three days, but we are flexible and can cater to your schedule and preferred pace.
After completion of the course you will be qualified to dive with other certified divers up to maximum of 60 ft.
Pricing options for our Open Water Diver course:
OWD on a budget: After the basic training is done we conduct the first two open water dives from shore. Dives 3 and 4 of the course are done from boat.
Cost: 449 USD
Duration: 3 days
OWD full boat: After the initial training is completed we conduct all four required open water dives from boat.
Cost: 499 USD
Duration: 3 days.
OWD Referral full boat: After the initial training is completed back at home we conduct the four required open water dives from boat.
Cost: 399 USD
Duration: 2 days.
Includes: Fruit, snacks, water and refreshments on board.
ADVANCED open water Diver Course – aow
Getting your OW certification is a licensed to keep on practicing and learning about scuba diving. Your next step is the Advanced course. The name is a bit tricky. This course is not only for those that aim to become pros or experts. The AOW course is for anyone that wants to improve its diving style and performance underwater.
The course consists on a set of 5 Adventure dives taken from the list of available PADI’s specialties. Two of the dives are mandatory: Deep and Navigation. The other 3 you can choose. In Cozumel for obvious reasons there are some that we can’t do like ice diving or dry suit diving, or altitude diving. The most popular dives our students choose are: Peak Performance Bouyancy, Enriched air, drift diving, wreck, fish id and night.
There is no exam on this course. The theory can be conducted via a regular paper manual or with e-learning which is what we recommend so that you can start working on that part of the course while you still are back home. We can schedule Zoom calls to do over the theory if you want to or we can wait until you are in Cozumel to discuss the theory before the dives. The adventure dives you choose will give you credit if in the future you want to get a certification in any of those specialties
After completion of the course you will be qualified to dive with other certified divers up to maximum of 100 ft.
Pricing for our ADVANCED Open Water course:
AOW: Cost includes the training materials, either e-learning access or paper manual if you prefer, certification costs and training. It does not include the cost of the dives or rental gear if you need it.
Cost: 299 USD
Duration: 2-3 days