Your first day of Open Water: what to expect

Before your first day

Before your first day in the water with us, you need to buy your PADI eLearning and complete it. You can book your dates before you finish it, but it’s very important that the eLearning is done before your days in the water, because you’ll need your certificate of completion.

There’s also a medical questionnaire to check. If any of the conditions on it apply to you, you might need a doctor’s note saying you’re good to go. That page is included at the end of the medical form.

As for what to bring, at a minimum you’ll need a bottle of water, your bathing suit and a towel. During your Open Water course we provide all the scuba gear. Everything you need to know is on the Open Water course page.

Where and when we meet

Depending on the location you chose, San Juan or Vega Alta, meet time is 8 AM. We meet directly at the beach, and we usually pull up in our pickup truck or our dive van. Your booking confirmation has the GPS pin of where to meet, so try to get there about 15 minutes early.

If you’re still nervous or have questions, you can always text or call the shop at 787-436-7047 and we’ll happily get you squared away. There’s no need to stress.

Your first time in the water

When we meet up in the morning, we start with the paperwork. Then we do your swim test and float test, and after that we teach you how to put your gear together and take it apart.

Then it’s time for your first moments in the water. Before we even start on the skills, we just get you comfortable in the gear and let you breathe through the equipment in shallow water, so we know you’re comfortable.

What makes people nervous

Sometimes all the information at once makes people nervous before the first day. They don’t know how they’re going to find the instructor, where to go or what to do, and that can be a little nerve-racking.

That’s why we make sure of three things: you know which vehicles we’re in, you have our phone numbers so you can contact us, and you have the exact GPS point of where to meet our staff.

How long each day runs

Day one usually ends after you finish the confined water training and your first official open water dive. Depending on the pace and how comfortable you are as we go through the program, you could be done anywhere between 2:30 and 4 PM. Everyone is different, because skill level, comfort and how people feel in the water are different, so it’s case by case.

On day two, you do your other three open water dives. The day ends after the third dive of the day, and we process your certification before you go home.

The one thing we wish every student knew: the sun

The sun in Puerto Rico can be a traitor. It can be cloudy outside and you’re still going to get sun, so it’s very, very important to use proper sun protection. Sunburn is the one thing you really have to protect yourself from during your Open Water course.

• Long-sleeve rash guard. We highly recommend one. That’s the stretchy polyester or Lycra kind of shirt, usually UPF rated, that protects your arms, neck and back from the sun.
• Sunglasses and a hat for between dives.
• Reef-safe sunscreen. Yes, you can use it, but you have to keep reapplying. If you put it on in the morning and never again, you will get sunburned.
• Aloe vera, just in case. If you do get badly burned, aloe can help. Most pharmacies and supermarkets here carry it.