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Are you looking to share your love of SCUBA and educate others? There’s no better way to do so than becoming a SCUBA instructor. Our private SCUBA instructor diving courses open the door for serious divers to turn their passion into a way of life. With the determination, practice, and proper certifications, you’ll be able to teach people about the sport you love – and get paid in the process. Join Dreaming Sea Divers for Instructor Development Courses, happening October 16th-24th, 2022!

Private SCUBA certification

DIVEMASTER/ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR COURSE

This private SCUBA certificationcourse enables participants to obtain the first level of professional diver in the SCUBA industry: Divemaster. This distinction will allow you to work in the industry to guide certified divers, assist instructors with training, and teach a select number of courses (like refreshers).

Those interested must be 18 years or older, have a minimum of 40 logged dives, and must bring their own basic SCUBA equipment. Additionally, a Rescue Diver and CPR Cert from and recognized agency is a prerequisite. Throughout the course’s instruction, participants will conduct activities like:

Please note that the Divemaster Course does not include rental gear, so come prepared! For more information, visit the course event page. We’re excited for you to partake in our West Palm Beach SCUBA instruction to become a role model and mentor to fellow divers!

South Florida SCUBA diving certification

OPEN WATER SCUBA INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION COURSE

This course grants participants the knowledge to teach and certify students from Open Water up to the Divemaster level. Through the Instructor Development portion of the course, you will learn how to teach to the standards of SCUBA Diving International. Scenarios will be presented to test your aptitude in dealing with potential difficulties students may have along the way. We’ll also go over the business aspects of diving so you can be armed with the know-how to make diving a career. From there, you will be evaluated on your instruction abilities.

Those interested must be 18 years or older, have a minimum of 100 logged dives, and must bring their own SCUBA equipment. A Divemaster or Assistant Instructor and CPR Certification from a recognized agency is a prerequisite. Throughout the course’s instructional workshops, participants will learn about:

Please note that the Instructor Development Course does not include rental gear, so come prepared! It does, however, come with the Pro OWSI Kit. For more information, visit the course event page. Come learn from a renowned South Florida SCUBA diving certification instructor, and leave with the experience to start your own operation!

Become an Instructor to Teach SCUBA Diving Lessons

As an avid diver, you know that your skills and equipment can take you to places otherwise unimaginable. The best way to show the world below the surface to others is educate and get them physched about diving.

When taking one of Dreaming Sea Divers’ Instructor Development Courses, you’ll go home with the necessary skills to begin your journey as a professional dive instructor. Reach out to John and the crew to reserve a spot on our SCUBA West Palm Beach diving course roster. We’ll see you with fins on and an appetite for learning!

SCUBA Dive in Florida!

Dreaming Sea Divers is located in West Palm Beach, Florida; one of the best diving locations in the world. Renowned for its diverse marine life, variety of reef depths, and close proximity to the Gulf Stream, West Palm Beach has a little bit of everything. Our Florida SCUBA diving lessons are your ticket to beautiful scenery, remarkable aquatic life, and an unmatched location. See why you should book an experience with Dreaming Sea Divers!  

A Variety of Wrecks and Reefs to Explore

SCUBA diving FL has a bounty of wrecks and reefs! There’s Breakers Reef, a two-mile long stretch of coral reef that's home to Caribbean tropical marine life, green morays, spiny lobster and fish from the Pelagic zone. Next is The Corridor, known as a collection of “shipreefs” for hosting many wrecks that you can dive to on a single tank. Mere minutes from the Palm Beach Inlet, you can find the 185-foot Greek luxury liner Mizpah in 90 feet of water, the retired PC1170, a 165-foot patrol boat sitting off of its bow and a path of rubble leading to the Amaryllis: a massive 441-foot freighter that slammed into Singer Island in ‘65.

When you come our way for West Palm Beach SCUBA diving lessons, you'll be amazed at the scenery in our clear blue waters. The shallowest depths we dive to in the reefs are 40 feet on top and 60 feet in the sand. Our deeper reefs start at 65 feet and drop to 90 feet in the sand. Many of our reefs have a double ledge system advantage where we can weave back and forth to save us bottom time and explore the view. This includes several wrecks starting at 65 feet down that have been intentionally sunk to attract marine life and promote coral growth. Some of these wrecks are even accessible to enter and look around inside!  

Our Aquatic Life

May through August are the best months to observe leatherback, green, and loggerhead turtles nesting on the beaches and swimming back to the reefs. We see plenty of hawksbill turtles as well, though they don’t mate and nest here in Palm Beach. On our “Wreck Treks,” we are often joined by schools of Goliath grouper fish, and sometimes we see several species of sharks which can be photographed safely from a distance. Between August and September, it's possible to see over 30 giant groupers that congregate here to mate.

The dive sites we visit are populated with many species of moray eels, angelfish, butterfly fish, grunts, and snappers. Occupying our reefs are loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, hawksbill, and green turtles, octopus and squid, and anemones that house tiny shrimp. If we’re lucky, the manta rays, whale sharks and great white sharks may make a special appearance!

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Our reefs are full of game fish and crustaceans, if you want to dine after your dive! Palm Beach hosts crabs, lobsters, clams, scallops, hogfish, snapper, grouper and cobia. Lobster hunting season is early August through the end of March, if you want to catch dinner eight months out of the year! Spotting the spikey lionfish is probably the coolest, though not so much for our reefs. This species is invasive and harms the reefs - but you could help by catching them to eat, if they suit your palette. 

Blue Heron Bridge at Phil Foster Park is a world famous dive site, right here in Palm Beach. Divers have come here for decades to observe and photograph rare marine life that are hard to find elsewhere. These include batfish, frogfish, seahorses, manatees, sea robins and flying gurnards, bumblebee shrimp, spotted eagle rays, yellow spotted stingrays and pipefish. In addition, you can enjoy many types of blennies, tropical fish, and eels. What more could you ask for? Something else great: the deepest spot here is 23 feet, which means we do not have to be concerned about decompression limits. Keep in mind though, we are limited here by a daily two-hour window based around Slack High Tide (the weakest currents) and air consumption. We'll go over all of that during your South Florida SCUBA diving certification.

More Top Dive Sites In So. FL For Your Bucket List

Jupiter

Jupiter is referred to as a small drinking town with a fishing problem. There is a famous lighthouse that’s worth climbing and plenty of fun shops and wonderful restaurants, some right on the water. The Square Grouper restaurant is the site where Jimmy Buffet recorded the music video for “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” with Alan Jackson. The diving is slight deeper and the currents are normally a little stronger than Palm Beach, but the reefs are filled with tons of life. There are also some exciting wrecks and good hunting spots in Jupiter as well.

Fort Lauderdale

Known as the “Venice of America,” Fort Lauderdale residents are passionate about the water and watersports. There is an artificial reef program that has sent dozens of wrecks to the seafloor, along with three retired oil platforms known as the Tenneco Towers. While these are cool to explore, you may find that several grunts, snappers, sponges and sometimes bull sharks are attracted to these as well! 

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Miami

While best known for its pop culture and beach life, Miami is also a secret diving hub with wrecks that can be visited on a single tank. Go-to sites include the Miss Patricia (a 65-foot steel tug), two M60 tanks, the 110-foot Billy’s Barge, Ben’s Antennae Reef and the Miss Karline, a 100-foot ship lodged in the sand near the Patricia. But, the best is for last: The Spirit Of Miami, a retired Boeing 727 that made its final landing off Key Biscayne! 

Some Final Words Of Diving Wisdom…

To prepare you for all dive sites in South Florida we may visit, you should know that water temperatures range from the mid 70s in winter to the mid 80s in summer and visibility is generally in the sub-100-foot range. 

Dreaming Sea Divers  will ensure that your dive trip in South Florida is easy, comfortable, and the experience of a lifetime! Become a certified diver through our private SCUBA courses and then embark on a private guided underwater tour with instructor John starting at the Blue Heron Bridge, or on one of the many comfortable dive boats! Get in touch with Dreaming Sea Divers today to plan and embark on your unique South Florida diving adventure!

Special note: Interested in becoming a Dive Professional? Check out John's upcoming Instructor Development Courses going on from October 16th - 24th 2022. SPACE IS LIMITED, SIGN UP TODAY!

                                                                                                            

The world is slowly opening back up after the pandemic and more people are eager to try new things in new places. Learning to dive is one of them and so SCUBA lessons are the first step. Not all instructors are created the same, however. It takes a lot of patience and effort but once you’ve become certified, it’s easy to become part of a great community that will open a lot of different avenues for you. The demand for SCUBA diving instructors will lead to so many opportunities for Private Instructors and at Dive Shops across North America and the Caribbean. Here at Dreaming Sea Divers, the courses to become an instructor are only offered through SDI (Scuba Diving International). To find out more, click here to read our previous blog. 

What Are My Responsibilities As A SCUBA Diving Instructor?

As a SCUBA diving instructor, the ability to focus on setting high standards, solving problems, logistics and time management is just as important as making sure everyone has a great time. SCUBA diving instructors are truly a jack of all trades and must be up to the task of juggling the different sciences that go into the sport. 

Investing in SCUBA instructor training can help you with ways to teach and helps you improve your own personal standards to learn theoretical and practical knowledge about diving. Having students and instructors on the same page is always important for safe practices in the recreational sport. You might even learn something that was overlooked or rushed through quickly during one of your courses.

Like most jobs, it isn’t always a breeze. There’s an additional risk to SCUBA diving lessons and making sure your students are safe due to the unpredictability that the water has. Quick thinking is key in case students are frightened or diving conditions aren’t ideal. If you are training divers for a commercial or technical diving career, you will likely earn more. This is because a more specialized skill set is required, along with the use of specialized equipment. The Recreational SCUBA Instructor Course (Open Water SCUBA Instructor) is a prerequisite to teach those advanced level courses.

Also, there’s no need to think that teaching beginners and open-water courses is your only job. There’s plenty of job opportunities in recreational diving, in addition to industries and niches. 

What Else Should I Know About Becoming A SCUBA Diving Instructor?

When thinking about a good way to travel, being a SCUBA diver is one of the best jobs for fulfilling that goal because you’re living out your passion each day. All in all, it’s similar to other professional outdoor-based careers because you spend time outside, find work in remote areas and promote the sport you love. If you’re looking for SCUBA diving lessons in West Palm Beach, Dreaming Sea Divers can help you get out in the water with a private SCUBA instructor. 

Dreaming Sea Divers will be running an Instructor Development Course (IDC) from October 16-22, with an Instructor Evaluation Course from October 23-24. You’ll definitely be on the right track here to become an instructor yourself!

Dreaming Sea Divers Offers Private Certification Lessons

West Palm Beach has a lot to offer underwater and the proximity to the Gulf Stream is overall a beautiful and breathtaking area to dive in. Learn more about John of Dreaming Sea Divers here and if you live in South Florida, SCUBA diving certifications are available through our instructor courses here. 

Are you interested in learning to dive but don’t know where to start? While there are a variety of certification agencies for new divers to try, most schools teach the same standardized skill when learning to dive. 

Keep in mind, the similar approach used by these diving agencies may cause you to consider other factors. You may discover it is more important to focus on how comfortable you feel with your diving instructor. After that you may decide to compare other factors including price and location.

scuba diving certification

Diving Certification Agencies

SDI - SCUBA Diving International

SDI was started in 1998 out of its sister company TDI. The only SCUBA certification that requires students to be taught with modern dive computers, there’s an emphasis on practical skills learned in the pool and open water.

Dreaming Sea Divers own John Phillips is a Course Director for SDI. Key points about SDI:

PADI - The Professional Association of Diving Instructors

PADI is another diving certification agency that emphasizes the theory and practical skills of diving. Founded in 1966, PADI presently maintains over 6,000 diving schools around the world. Their extensive reach has allowed them to license over 60 percent of recreational divers with a PADI certification. PADI also gives you the option of beginning your educational experience online with courses that offer flexibility for future divers needing to grasp the basics. 

4 E Philosophy 

  1. Education: PADI dive certification focuses on teaching all aspects of diving so that each student can expand their capabilities. They provide their students with the foundational knowledge to learn to dive on any level.
  2. Experience: Experience is emphasized for PADI certifications as well. Everyone knows practice makes perfect. 
  3. Equipment: PADI believes all learners should stay up to date with equipment functions and features to keep their divers safe when learning to scuba. 
  4. Environmental Conservation: Learning to dive can only continue to happen if divers have access to the aquatic environment's current wonders. For this reason, PADI finds ways to participate in preserving our underwater ecosystem so it can be around for years to come. 

Project AWARE

Compared to other dive agencies, this organization stands out because of their environmental efforts using their non-profit organization Project AWARE. PADI works hard to organize beach cleanups, promote plastic awareness campaigns, and participate in shark protection through their marine conservation efforts. PADI believes conservation efforts are crucial to the future of diving. 

NAUI - National Association of Underwater Instructors

NAUI was established in 1959 and currently holds the title of the oldest diving agency around. A non-profit diving organization, NAUI focuses on recreational and technical training for those learning to dive. This organization is recognized for its innovative approach when training divers and is the second-biggest agency based on the number of certifications delivered to the diving community. 

Fun Fact: NAUI has trained and educated divers working for big names like Disney World Resort, the United States Navy Seal Teams and NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Huston, Texas. 

SSI - Scuba Schools International 

SSI was established in the 1970s and uses professional dive centers and resorts to attract future divers. This diving school is a retail-based organization, so they mostly attract tourists interested in freediving, snorkeling, swimming or scuba diving. SSI has 30 service centers that use uncompromising standards and focused methodology when teaching you how to dive.

Scuba Diving Diamond

This organization promotes the scuba diving diamond focused on four main points. These include:

  1. Knowledge: SSI wants everyone they certify to be an expert in diving. Extensive knowledge will ensure their divers learn safely and are ready for future dives. 
  2. Skills: SSI wants all divers to walk away with the skills necessary to dive on their own. They maintain the belief that every diver will become more comfortable diving underwater by repeating practices during the certification process. 
  3. Equipment: SSI uses the two points above to familiarize all its divers with their equipment. Understanding everything about your equipment makes learning to dive easier. 
  4. Experience: SSI wants all of its students to go beyond the minimum established requirements for divers trying to complete their certification. They believe divers who have more experience will always perform at their highest level when learning to dive. 

So Who Has The Best Diving Certification Methodology? 

There isn’t necessarily an agency that offers a “better” approach when certifying new divers. Diving organizations have more similarities than differences and follow the same global standards. Each diving agency teaches the core skills necessary to learn to dive.  

Furthermore, all students receive the same certification capabilities around the world. The likeness of each agency means new divers should focus on the experience provided by their dive instructors. Who you learn to dive from is one of the most important factors to consider. Your diving instructor is the captain of your adventure. His energy can affect your experience, especially if the class size is too big or the instructor does not meet your needs. John Phillips offers a diving experience that puts safety first – so you can focus on enjoying exploring the wonders of the ocean.  

scuba diving lessons

Dreaming Sea Divers Offers Private Certification Lessons

Dreaming Sea Divers gives you a chance to do something different this Valentine's Day. Connect on a deeper level by learning to dive with your significant other. Explore the mysticism of the underwater world and find a new hobby for you both to take up this New Year. 

There are many benefits to hiring a private dive guide and our mission is to make your day of diving a magical experience! Book your next adventure with us here. 

You’ve probably heard that 71 percent of the earth is covered in water. Did you know that the ocean holds about 96 percent of it? SCUBA diving has grown in popularity and accessibility since many people can readily explore the ocean all around the world. Whether you are on vacation or live near the sea, this fun, non-competitive underwater sport is ready to take you on an adventure. 

Some people may not know there are a variety of SCUBA diving courses available to them. You can either learn to dive from or maximize the day by diving from a boat, sometimes reaching harder to get to spots.

Here we go over the pros and cons of both SCUBA diving types so that you can choose the right venture for your first time:

shore diving west palm beach

Shore Diving

Pros

Cons

boat diving west palm beach

Boat Diving

Pros

Cons

Learn To SCUBA Dive With Dreaming Sea Divers

This list is a great way for you to decide what kind of diving is best for you after certification or perhaps during your courses. The pros and cons of shore diving in comparison to boat diving are ultimately relative to the individual experiencing the adventure. No matter what you’re looking for, Dreaming Sea Divers makes sure you have fun learning the fundamentals while exploring safely.

With most classes that we offer, Dreaming Sea Divers includes some shore diving and some boat diving so you get to learn for yourself which you like better and you can see first hand the pros and cons.

We created Dreaming Sea Drivers to make sure you become a confident SCUBA diver. We offer a series of courses tailored to supplement your diving knowledge. Whether you are visiting West Palm Beach or a local to Florida, allow us to give you private SCUBA diving lessons or a private guide from shore or boat. Our goal is to give you an exciting and relaxing experience you'll never forget.

Contact us today to book your next SCUBA diving classes! 

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