DSD – DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING
Max depth 12m/40ft
A half a day program for everybody who loves the water, aquatic life and a new challenge!

You don’t need any experience – just the desire to try it out!

First we explain you a bit about your equipment, the basic rules of diving and the necessary skills which we are doing in our “swimming pool” Half Moon Bay. In the confined water session you build up confidence and you will realise how easy and fun it is to breathe underwater!

Then we go on a real dive by boat! We’ll choose an easy dive site in our Marine Park and you’ll have your first experience in scuba diving: feeling weightless, discover a different world and watching fish and corals on our beautiful reef.

Once you have decided diving is for you, this program can count as your first day of the Open Water Course. Continue onto the Open Water Diver Course and the DSD program is free!

What you need:
Fulfill the medical requirements
Minimum age: 10

SCUBA DIVER COURSE
Max depth 12m/40ft

Okay, let’s be honest, for whom is this course? Maybe you’re doing the Open Water Diver course and something comes up. Money, time, weather, whatever it might be, you can at least get a certification, and you can upgrade later on.

This two to three day course includes Academics, Confined Water Practice and Two Open Water Boat Dives in our local Marine Park.

Academics: you have to read half of the Open Water Diver Manual and do a three quick quizzes. Don’t worry, the quizzes are multiple choice and there is no final exam!

Confined Water: in very shallow water you’ll practice diving skills and problem solving techniques to build your confidence and ensure that diving is safe and fun.

Two Open Water Boat Dives: We will take you to the exciting sites in our fast, comfortable boats which allow us to cover more “ground”. We like to take you to two different dive sites to show you the diversity of the reef and to keep it fun for us too! At the beginning of the second dive you’ll apply some of the skills you did already in confined water and than you’ll dive, dive, dive.

After certification, you are permitted to dive to a maximum depth of 12m/40ft, but only with a PADI Professional.

What you need:
Fulfill the medical requirements
Minimum age: 10

PADI Open Water Diver Course
Max depth 18m/60ft*

Wanna do your “PADI”?

A lifetime, worldwide recognized certification – the entry-level course that everybody wants.

This three to four day course includes Academics, Confined Water Practice and Four Open Water Boat Dives in our local Marine Park.

Academics: you have to read the Open Water Diver Manual and do a few quick quizzes.
Don’t worry, the quizzes and the final exam are multiple choice!

Confined Water: in very shallow water you’ll practice diving skills and problem solving techniques to build your confidence and ensure that diving is safe and fun.

Four Open Water Boat Dives: We will take you to the exciting sites in our fast, comfortable boats which allow us to cover more “ground”. We like to take you to different dive sites everytime to show you the diversity of the reef and to keep it fun for us too! At the beginning of each dive you’ll apply some of the skills you did already in confined water and than you’ll dive, dive, dive.

Every day is a combination of some theory, “swimming pool time” and an Open Water Dive, so it makes it more entertaining and FUN.

*10 –15 year olds can complete the Junior Open Water Diver Course. It’s pretty much the same, but, when certified, juniors must dive with a PADI professional or their parent/guardian (let’s face it – that’s the way it would be anyway). 10-11 year olds would be certified to dive to 12m/40ft, rather than the usual 18m/60ft.

What you need:
Fulfill the medical requirements
Minimum Age 10 *
Ability to swim 200m (no time limit)

Open Water Diver Course Referral
Max depth 18m/60ft*
Complete your course in Paradise

You don’t have to do your entire course in one place. It is common for people to complete the Academics and Confined Water at home, then come to Roatan and enjoy the four Open Water Dives with Native Sons.

What you need:
Referral documentation from your Instructor (less than 12 months old)
Fulfill the medical requirements
Minimum Age 10 *

Advanced Open Water Diver Course
Max depth: 30m/100ft
Because it sounds cooler to be “Advanced”

• Interested in a wreck dive at El Aguila or The Odyssey?
• Want to go on a deep dive into Spooky Channel or Hole in the Wall?
• Does your buoyancy need fine tuning? Get Peak Performance Buoyancy
• Heard about our unique “string of pearls”? Discover it on a Night Dive.
• Tired of being completely lost underwater? Learn Underwater Navigation!
• Trumpetfish, drumfish, parrotfish, puddingwife, slippery dick…which is which? Try Fish ID!

Take the next step with this 5-dive course; completed in only 2-3 days. Deep dive and Navigation plus 3 more dives of your choice!

Choose from: AWARE Fish Identification, Boat Dive, Digital Underwater Photography, Drift Dive, Enriched Air Dive, Multilevel & Computer Dive, Night Dive, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search & Recovery Dive, Underwater Naturalist & Wreck Dive.

Peak Performance Buoyancy is strongly recommended – we are protectors of the reef, remember, and you’ll have more fun and longer dives too.

The course is entirely flexible and the dives can be scheduled at your leisure. You can, if you want, do the Adventure Dives one-at-a-time and complete your course elsewhere in the world, or just for fun.

These dives can also count as the first dive of the corresponding specialty.

*10-11 year olds can complete the Junior Adventure Diver course, which is any three of the dives above. These students are still limited to 12m/40ft, so cannot complete the deep dive. 12-14 year olds can achieve the Junior Advanced Open Water Diver certification, certifying them to dive to 21m/70ft with a PADI Professional or a parent/guardian. The minimum age to participate in the Enriched Air Dive is 15.

What you need:
Fulfill the medical requirements
PADI Open Water Diver (or Junior) or equivalent from another training organization (Contact us for details)
Minimum age: 10*

Rescue Course
Have the confidence to act!

Feeling ugly and useless? This course makes you smart and sexy.
You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete or super intelligent; this course is for everyone.

What you need to begin: Current CPR/First Aid Certification (within 2 years); 12 years of age or older; PADI Advanced Open Water Certification or equivalent from Native Sons or another training organization.

When diving, have you ever asked yourself “What if…?” Are you confident that you would know how to react in the event of an emergency? The PADI Rescue Course is a key step in expanding a diver’s knowledge and experience. Rescue Divers learn to look beyond themselves to consider the safety and well-being of other divers. By nature, the course is demanding, but it is an enjoyable challenge that builds diver confidence. You need to be a Rescue Diver before entering PADI leadership-level training, (see: Divemaster Course). We think that the Rescue Diver course is the most fun, most useful and most rewarding PADI course available. What if your instructor gets stuck in a hole (missing diver)? What if your instructor surfaces with a mask full of ketchup (lung overexpansion injury)? What if your instructor gets attacked by a toy crab (panicked diver)? We will show you these scenarios and more – but beware – we can be very creative!

The course is divided into three parts: Knowledge Development, Rescue Training Sessions, and Open Water Rescue Scenarios.

The Knowledge Development section of this course establishes the foundation for preventing and handling dive emergencies. Through the use of the PADI Rescue Diver Manual and Rescue Diver Video, you will learn valuable information about rescue techniques.

During the Rescue Training Sessions, you will practice the rescue skills that will be used during the 4 open water boat dives. There is no single ‘right’ way to perform a rescue, so you will work to discover which techniques work best for them in different situations. A major focus of these sessions is self-rescue – making you a more confident, more competent, safer diver.

The Open Water Rescue Scenarios will give you the opportunity to apply your rescue skills to realistic, problem-based scenarios. This is really where the fun begins! You will be presented with unpredictable dive accident situations that will require you to integrate knowledge and skills in a creative manner.

EFR (Emergency First Response)

If you are already first aid trained and have a proof that you have done a course in the last 2 years you do not need to do EFR. You have to have this training to be certified as a Rescue Diver and you can complete the course with us in just half a day. It is a basic first aid course including CPR and could be very useful on land or in the water.

Medical Requirements

For all courses you will have to complete a medical statement. Here is what it says. If you say “yes” to any of the questions below you should visit your doctor at home before you leave and get a letter to say it is OK for you to dive.

Diving is an exciting and demanding activity. When performed correctly, applying correct techniques, it is relatively safe. When established safety procedures are not followed, however, there are increased risks.

To scuba dive safely, you should not be extremely overweight or out of condition. Diving can be strenuous under certain conditions. Your respiratory and circulatory systems must be in good health. All body air spaces must be normal and healthy. A person with coronary disease, a current cold or congestion, epilepsy, a severe medical problem or who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs should not dive. If you have asthma, heart disease, other chronic medical conditions or you are taking medications on a regular basis, you should consult your doctor and the instructor before participating in this program, and on a regular basis thereafter upon completion. You will also learn from the instructor the important safety rules regarding breathing and equalization while scuba diving. Improper use of scuba equipment can result in serious injury. You must be thoroughly instructed in its use under direct supervision of a qualified instructor to use it safely.

The purpose of this Medical Questionnaire is to find out if you should be examined by your doctor before participating in recreational diver training. A positive response to a question does not necessarily disqualify you from diving. A positive response means that there is a preexisting condition that may affect your safety while diving and you must seek the advice of your physician prior to engaging in dive activities.

Please answer the following questions on your past or present medical history with a YES or NO. If you are not sure, answer YES. If any of these items apply to you, we must request that you consult with a physician prior to participating in scuba diving. Your instructor will supply you with an RSTC Medical Statement and Guidelines for Recreational Scuba Diver’s Physical Examination to take to
your physician.

_____ Could you be pregnant, or are you attempting to become pregnant?
_____ Are you presently taking prescription medications? (with the exception of birth control or anti-malarial)
_____ Are you over 45 years of age and can answer YES to one or more of the following?
• currently smoke a pipe, cigars or cigarettes
• have a high cholesterol level
• have a family history of heart attack or stroke
• are currently receiving medical care
• high blood pressure
• diabetes mellitus, even if controlled by diet alone

Have you ever had or do you currently have…
_____ Asthma, or wheezing with breathing, or wheezing with exercise?
_____ Frequent or severe attacks of hayfever or allergy?
_____ Frequent colds, sinusitis or bronchitis?
_____ Any form of lung disease?
_____ Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)?
_____ Other chest disease or chest surgery?
_____ Behavioral health, mental or psychological problems (Panic attack, fear of closed or open spaces)?
_____ Epilepsy, seizures, convulsions or take medications to prevent them?
_____ Recurring complicated migraine headaches or take medications to prevent them?
_____ Blackouts or fainting (full/partial loss of consciousness)?
_____ Frequent or severe suffering from motion sickness (seasick, carsick, etc.)?
_____ Dysentery or dehydration requiring medical intervention?
_____ Any dive accidents or decompression sickness?
_____ Inability to perform moderate exercise (example: walk 1.6 km/one mile within 12 mins.)?
_____ Head injury with loss of consciousness in the past five years?
_____ Recurrent back problems?
_____ Back or spinal surgery?
_____ Diabetes?
_____ Back, arm or leg problems following surgery, injury or fracture?
_____ High blood pressure or take medicine to control blood pressure?
_____ Heart disease?
_____ Heart attack?
_____ Angina, heart surgery or blood vessel surgery?
_____ Sinus surgery?
_____ Ear disease or surgery, hearing loss or problems with balance?
_____ Recurrent ear problems?
_____ Bleeding or other blood disorders?
_____ Hernia?
_____ Ulcers or ulcer surgery ?
_____ A colostomy or ileostomy?
_____ Recreational drug use or treatment for, or alcoholism in the past five years?