Sea Colony Classes
Sea Colony is proud to offer a large number of classes for divers ranging from Novice to Expert.
Click here to view our current schedule of courses. To learn more about the classes offered, keep reading!
Our classes are held one night a week for two weeks. The class nights consist of a three hour
classroom session followed immediately by a three hour “confined water” pool session. During confined water sessions, we
have exclusive use of the pool, which allows for minimal distractions as you build your skills and confidence. We will supply
and transport the needed scuba equipment for all pool sessions (see Course Cost section above for included gear).
The Advanced Open Water course helps you increase your confidence and build your scuba skills
so you can become more comfortable in the water. This is a great way to get more dives under your belt while continuing
to learn under the supervision of a PADI instructor. This course builds on what you’ve already learned and develops new
capabilities by introducing you to new activities and new ways to have fun scuba diving. This class consists of almost all diving
and no written tests! The first session is a one and a half hour evening orientation held in the shop on a Tuesday during which
we will discuss all required reading material and assignments. The remaining class time and training will be held at Lake
Rawlings, where we will complete the five PADI Adventure Dives that make up the Advanced Open Water checkout: Peak
Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Navigator, Search and Recovery, Night, and Deep.
“Challenging” and “rewarding” best describe the PADI Rescue Diver course. Building upon what
you’ve already learned, this course expands on what you already know about how to prevent problems, and how to manage
them if they occur. The fun part about this course is rising to challenges and mastering them. Most divers find becoming a
Rescue Diver both demanding and rewarding, and at the end, say it’s the best course they’ve ever taken. The course consists
of both classroom and open water components. We typically hold the classroom sessions in our shop on a Tuesday and
Thursday of the same week. The open water portion is held at Lake Rawlings on a CAD weekend (see below). In addition to
the coursework, students will also need to provide evidence of current certification in CPR and First Aid before receiving their
card. We regularly offer the PADI Emergency First Responder (EFR) course which satisfies this requirement (call shop for
EFR schedule). If you are already certified through another organization, please confirm with us or your instructor that your
certification is approved by PADI.
By diving with enriched air rather than standard air you can extend your no decompression limits. This means more time underwater. For example, if you dive to 50 feet on air, your no decompression limit is 80 minutes. But, by diving on EANx36 you get 220 minutes of no decompression time - an increase of 140 minutes. Plus, the Enriched Air Diver course is the only course that allows students to be enrolled in another course at the same time! For example, a student enrolled in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course can also take the PADI Enriched Air Diver Course at the same time.
The PADI Emergency First Responder® program covers basic training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for Adults, Children, and Infants. In addition, Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use is taught. To round out the course, First Aid and emergency care is also covered. The course is a medically based program which follows national consensus guidelines.
The PADI Divemaster program is the first rung on the leadership ladder in the PADI System of diver education. The Divemaster program includes a rather in-depth internship beyond the classroom. The entire course can require between 6-8 weeks to complete depending on the Divemaster Candidate's schedule and availability.
The PADI Instructor Development Program prepares you to function as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. In addition, it further develops your leadership and teaching abilities to the instructor level and prepares you to teach PADI programs.
This course includes four open water dives. The minimum depth for the deep dives is between 60 to 100 feet, with no dive exceeding 130 feet. All of your dives will be conducted within the no-decompression limits.
During the course you’ll cover the knowledge, skills, and techniques needed to dive deep. The following is included in the PADI Deep Diver course:
- Planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of deep diving.
- Risk factors and decompression-tables review.
- Safety stops and emergency decompression procedures.
- Special equipment, descent lines and buoyancy-control considerations.
- Procedures for flying after diving and high-altitude diving.
- Orientation to recompression chambers.
During the Wreck Diver program you'll go on four open water dives, which will be conducted over at least two days. This is where you'll put in to practice the information you gained from listening to your instructor and reading the PADI Wreck Diver Manual. Information contained in the program includes:
- The planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems and hazards of wreck diving.
- The preparation and use of lights, air supplies, special equipment, penetration lines and reels.
- Limited-visibility diving techniques and emergency procedures.
Want to learn more about how your equipment operates and learn valuable care techniques from a dive professional?
During the PADI Equipment Specialist course, you'll familiarize yourself with the operation and maintenance of your own
personal equipment.
During the PADI Underwater Navigator program you'll go on three open water dives familiarizing yourself with the skills, knowledge, planning, organization, procedures, techniques, problems, hazards and enjoyment of underwater navigation.
Accidentally drop something in the water? Looking for lost treasure? Learn effective ways to locate objects underwater with PADI’s Search & Recovery Diver program! During your program you’ll go on four open water dives. Time is equally divided between academic and actual water-training sessions.
When staying warm in cold water is important, get with the program – the PADI Dry Suit Diver program. During this course, you’ll go on one confined water dive and two open water dives, in addition to covering the knowledge and techniques of dry suit diving with emphasis placed on the use of dry suits -- operation principles, care and diving techniques.
This course is a Sea Colony Distinctive Specialty and includes two open water dives. During the course you’ll cover the knowledge, skills, and techniques needed to hunt in an open water environment.
During the Sea Colony Underwater Photographer course, you'll go on two open water dives, and take many pictures. This is where you'll put in to practice the tips and techniques you will learn from your instructor and the PADI Underwater Digital Photographer Manual.
PADI's Peak Performance Buoyancy program is the perfect opportunity to hone your buoyancy skills. Perfect your buoyancy and you'll conserve air, energy and our precious environment.
The PADI Underwater Naturalist program includes two open water dives. This course will introduce you to different aquatic life and include an overview of responsible human interactions with aquatic life.
During this course you’ll go on three open water dives. You'll learn to prepare for night diving activities and develop your knowledge and techniques for night diving.
The PADI Oxygen Provider Course provides entry-level training in the recognition and management of possible diving-related injuries using emergency oxygen first aid.
This course informs divers and non-divers with the plight of worldwide aquatic ecosystems and describes what individuals can do to help protect them. The course also familiarizes you with the role Project AWARE plays in their protection.
This course informs divers and non-divers about the plight of the world's coral reefs. The course describes how coral reefs function and why the are so important. It also reviews why so many reefs are in serious trouble and what individuals can do to prevent further decline.
The PADI Assistant Instructor program provides PADI Divemasters with additional training as instructional assistants and dive educators. This course gets the student halfway through the PADI IDC Program and the price of the course is fully credited toward a Sea Colony IDC when the student wishes to continue on to Instructor.
PADI Instructors understand the need for continuing education better then anyone. Course Director - John Kiser offers many programs to help PADI Instructors move forward with their own education goals.
Some of the classes John offers regularly include:
- EFR Instructor
- PADI O2 Instructor
- Master Scuba Diver Trainer
- IDC Staff Instructor
- Specialty Instructor( most PADI specialties )
