Open Water Referral / Checkout Dives
Complete Your Certification While Diving Key Largo!
If you have started your Open Water Certification Course in your home town, and have completed the academic and pool Instruction, you can complete your certification while scuba diving Key Largo’s beautiful reefs! Whether you only need to complete 1 last checkout dive or need to do all 4 checkout dives, we have you covered! Our Open Water Referral Checkout Dives includes all of your rental gear, your seat on our afternoon dive boat (weather permitting), Instructor evaluation of all required skills, processing your online certification (if applicable), and issuing your digital certification card (if applicable). We offer checkout dives 7 days a week (weather permitting)! Sea Dwellers Dive Center has issued literally thousands of certifications in our 50+ year history in the Florida Keys, we were founded on education and it's still our bread and butter over half a century later. Nearly our entire team of exceptional Instructors are certified through both PADI and SSI so we've got you covered no matter what. We only hire the best of the best. At present, our staff of playfully professional Instructors have cumulatively about 175 YEARS worth of PROFESSIONAL dive experience and many, MANY 10's of THOUSANDS of dives under their belts. We assure you, you are in good hands.Our dive sites are perfect for training, with large number of dive sites about 30 - 40 minutes from our dock. Sea Dwellers Dive Center of Key Largo is a great choice for completing your Open Water certification dives while on vacation. Our boats are custom designed for diving comfort, and our Instructors & crew are here for you, and you only! No corporate diving here, only personalized service for your safety & comfort. Call today to book your referral certification dives, we’re here to get you going anytime of the year!
We have both SSI & PADI Dive Instructors on staff and can complete your certification with either training agency.
SSI Checkout Dive Costs
Includes: All rental gear, seat on afternoon dive boat (weather permitting), Instructor evaluation of all required skills, processing your online certification (if applicable), issuing digital certification card (if applicable)
Not Included: gratuity for Instructor & boat crew (see our "Trip Advice From The Pros" page under the About Us tab for some great additional info!)
1-2 Dives 1 Day $255 + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
3-4 Dives 2 Days $385 + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
Only need 1 dive? No worries, you get a bonus!
Checkout dives are paid at the same daily rate BUT you get to join in the 2nd dive as a bonus FUN dive with the same Instructor and your rental gear for no additional charge ($204 FREE)!
PADI Checkout Dive Costs
Includes: All rental gear, seat on afternoon dive boat (weather permitting), Instructor evaluation of all required skills, processing your online certification (if applicable), issuing digital certification card (if applicable)
Not Included: gratuity for Instructor & boat crew (see our "Trip Advice From The Pros" page under the About Us tab for some great additional info!)
Dives 1 & 2 ONLY 1 Day $255 + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
Dives 3 & 4 ONLY with Sea Dwellers processing certification 1 Day $255 + 95 PIC fee + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
Dives 3 & 4 ONLY with shop of origin processing certification 1 Day $255 + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
Dives 1 - 4 with Sea Dwellers processing certification 2 Days $385 + $95 PIC fee + tax = $480 + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
Dives 1 - 4 with shop of origin processing certification 2 Days $385 + tax
Payment is due in full upon reservation
Only need 1 dive? No worries, you get a bonus!
Checkout dives are paid at the same daily rate BUT you get to join in the 2nd dive as a bonus FUN dive with the same Instructor and your rental gear for no additional charge ($204 FREE)!
*NOTE* PADI charges a processing fee of $95 for all certifications called a PIC fee, this fee is charged to the shop that submits the certification at the time of processing. If SEA DWELLERS will be processing your certification for referral checkout dives, the PIC fee will be included in the cost of your checkout dives and that is the ONLY reason it is a different price from the SSI checkout dives. SEA DWELLERS charges $255/$385 for checkout dives depending on if you are joining us for 1 day or 2 days regardless of which agency we are certifying through, the additional fees go DIRECTLY to PADI.
Please verify with your shop of origin if they charged you for a PIC fee. If you informed them that you would be completing your checkout dives elsewhere, they should NOT have charged you the PIC fee, if they did, it was probably an accident and we would recommend that you request a partial refund for that fee. The other option if your shop of origin charged you a PIC fee despite you doing your checkout dives elsewhere AND they won't refund the fee, is for us to complete the checkout dives and fill out your training packet then you return the entire completed student packet to the shop of origin for them to process your certification and issue your certification cards. We can also do it that way if you simply want your certification officially issued by your shop of origin because you just want it done that way.
Referral students completing checkout dives are expected to arrive prepared to be able to demonstrate each of the required skills. The Instructors will provide a detailed briefing on how they will ask you to show skills for evaluation but there will be no teaching of skills done during the checkout dive process, we are only evaluating. We DO offer, allow and encourage students who want to brush up a bit more on their skills, or just have a practice run in the pool with an Instructor to join a pool session prior to the afternoon checkout dives. If you would like to take advantage of this option, you would need to let us know at the time of reservation OR check with us to see if we have space available for the morning pool session PRIOR to arrival. Pool sessions are limited to no more than 8 students, the cost is $120 + tax and check in time is 730am - 745am.
After you’ve completed the classroom and pool/confined water sessions prior to arriving here in Key Largo, you’re just about ready dive into our beautiful blue water! So you are prepared to go diving on your first day, please bring the following items with you to check in:
- PADI Students: Student Referral Paperwork from your dive center/instructor – completely filled out and within 12 months of your class start date.
- SSI Students: Verify that your dive shop/Instructor has certified you as a referral diver in SSI's online system BEFORE you leave their shop.
- Medical Questionnaire – completely filled out and dated within 12 months of your class start date. IF your answers indicate that a medical evaluation is required, you MUST bring the completed and signed release with the medical provider's signature ON THE RELEASE with you to check in. If your answers indicate that a medical evaluation is NOT required, don't worry about printing out the release in advance, you will fill one out in the shop on arrival. **Honesty on the medical release is CRITICAL, False answers can be potentially fatal** *IF you are required to seek evaluation, the medical provider MUST sign the 3rd page of the medical release or we will NOT be able to accept it. If the medical provider's signature is not on the actual release, you do NOT have a valid medical release. Notes, letters, emails, etc., will NOT suffice and you will be considered to have a failed medical. Please see our cancellation policy for more information*
- Dive Logbook – with pool & confined water sessions pages completed and signed off by your previous instructor.
- Timing device/watch/dive computer – It’s required to have some type of device to keep track of your time underwater.
- Your boat liability waiver filled out with "STUDENT" selected on ALL 3 certification questions. Anything other than "STUDENT" selected will require a new waiver to be filled out (the lawyers get very prickly about this one). The link to the BOAT waiver can be found in all confirmation emails as well as the bottom right corner on our website home page (if you are on a mobile device, turn your phone sideways and it'll pop into view).
ALL Sea Dwellers scuba students receive a 15% discount on retail merchandise in our shop. *Not valid for use toward charter trips, courses or gift cards*