Orlando Area Open Water Certification?

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Squirm88

Contributor
Messages
82
Reaction score
39
Location
Tallahassee, FL
# of dives
I just don't log dives
I am currently in Orlando for school and I am not familiar with the dive scene in the area. My fiance is looking to get her C-card so we can do a couple dives on our honeymoon (Turks and Caicos). Could anyone recommend a dive shop or instructor in the Orlando area for the open water 1 course? I think we both would prefer if she did a Padi or NAUI class in person.

I've seen on some dive shop website, part or all of the open water dives are done in Central Florida area springs instead of ocean dives. Having never done a spring dive or any freshwater dive for that matter, what would water temps be like this time of year?
Would it be better to find a course that does ocean dives for the course, if 99% of our dives once she is certified will be in the Miami/Key Largo area from my personal boat?

Thanks!!!
 
I highly recommend Dayo Scuba! Peter, TJ, Denise, and crew are excellent instructors and run a top notch dive center. If you do your OW dives in fresh or salt water isn’t as important as using an instructor who knows the area you’re going to dive and receiving an orientation dive (at a minimum) before venturing out on your own. The instructors at Dayo are all active divers and instructors who regularly dive the Gulf, Caves, Springs, and the eastern Coast of Florida. They will certainly provide you with the training you need at an unbeatable price. Spring temps are 72 degrees year round.

Hope this helps!
 
My daughter was certified with Northwest divers on HWY 50 a few years ago. IIRC, Dawn was the instructors name. She was really good.
 
Thanks for the advice. The UCF dive club sounds great but I am not a student at UCF. My fiance and I are both students at the Barry University School of Law and it would be great if we had something like that.

Is the norm now is doing the classroom portion via dvd or online?
 
Castaway scuba on east Colonial just west of Econ Trail. SSI cert.
 
Ill put my vote in with Dayo also.My son is getting certified thru them now.
As far as online etc, I think it depends on who the agency is.SDI has a dvd with book work, and when your done with that you go back to the shop for the pool and open water work.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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