Scuba Diving

MBIO 1300 Introduction to Scuba Diving Science (3 Credit Hours)

This 3-credit elective from Halmos College of Sciences and Oceanography provides a comprehensive curriculum of the skills and academics required to safely participate in recreational/sport scuba diving activities. The course is comprised of classroom lecture sessions as well as pool and open water lab sessions. Academic content includes the history, physics, physiology, equipment specialties, medicine, and the underwater environment of recreational sport scuba diving. Pool and open water labs encourage proficiency in dive planning, safety, buddy systems, equipment handling, diver assistance, air consumption, underwater problem solving, entry and exit procedures, proper buoyancy, and dive boat protocol.

Upon successful completion of this course students will receive the following certification:  PADI Open Water Diver


MBIO 2350 Advanced Diving Technology and Techniques (3 Credit Hours)

An introduction to advanced scuba theory, and management of minor and major emergency events related to scuba diving activities. The course provides a comprehensive curriculum of the skills and academics required to safely participate in recreational/sport scuba diving activities and is comprised of classroom lecture sessions as well as pool and open water lab sessions. Academic content includes emergency management, diving physics, and the proper use and planning of enriched air dives.

Upon successful completion of this course students will receive the following certifications:
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver
PADI Rescue Diver
DAN Diving First Aid for Professionals


Contact Tec Clark at tclark@nova.edu or Bill Conrad at bill.conrad@nova.edu for more information. To register for any of these academic scuba courses you may do so through the NSU course registration or with the help of your Academic Advisor.

PADI Discover Scuba Experience

The PADI Discover Scuba experience is a fun and exciting way to try scuba diving and to see what it is like to breathe underwater. No prior scuba diving experience is necessary, but you do need to be in good physical health. This is not a certification course.

PADI Open Water Diver

This is the entry-level beginning scuba diver course. PADI Open Water Diver certification is issued upon successful completion of the course. This course meets for six weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays during Term 1 and Tuesdays and Thursdays during Term 2.

PADI Scuba Review

The Scuba Refresher is a fun and easy way to review dive theory and practice dive skills after a period of inactivity. This course includes one classroom session and one pool session. Join our prescheduled class or contact us to set up your own private scuba review. This is not a certification course.

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

Advanced Open Water Diver is for certified scuba divers who wish to expand their knowledge and improve their diving skills and techniques through a variety of diving environments and activities. The five open water dives give the student experience in the specialty areas of Deep, Wreck, Underwater Naturalist, Navigation and Night. This curriculum builds truly advanced divers that are strong, comfortable and competent possessing great diving skills and knowledge.

DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers

Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) Diving First Aid for Professional Divers course, DFA Pro as it’s called, is designed for commercial, professional, aquarium and scientific divers, providing first-aid knowledge and skills specific to these diving environments. This includes four DAN courses Emergency Oxygen for Scuba Diving Injuries (Oxygen Provider), Neurological Assessment, First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries, and CPR for Health Care Providers. This course is a prerequisite for certification as a Rescue Diver and Divemaster.

PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver

The PADI Enriched Air Nitrox Diver course provides recreational divers with the knowledge to safely plan and conduct EANx (nitrox) dives up to 40%. Scuba diving with enriched air nitrox gives divers more no-decompression dive time. Classroom only and two-tank diving options available.

PADI Rescue Diver

Rescue Diver is an important step in furthering your diving knowledge and experience. This course is tailored for those who are interested in becoming future dive professionals. The unique content includes in-depth academics on diving physiology, dive accident profiles and statistics, risk management and preventative techniques.

PADI Divemaster

Divemaster candidates will learn the knowledge and skills necessary to transition from a recreational diver to a dive professional. Instructor-level academic knowledge will be developed in diving physics, physiology, decompression, equipment, and environment. Pool training includes perfecting skills to a level of “demonstration quality” for open water skills, rescue, navigation, and problem solving.

PADI Instructor Development Course

Learn how to teach the PADI Open Water Diver through Divemaster courses. Become a mentor to new divers. Gain an understanding on training standards and safe diving practices. Improve your scuba skills and knowledge of dive theory and learn to manage risk to increase diver safety.

Instructor Specialties

At the NSU Academic Diving Program we also offer multiple instructor specialty courses such as Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty Instructor, Wreck Diving Specialty Instructor, Deep Diving Specialty Instructor, and DAN Diving First Aid for Professional Divers Instructor to name a few.

PFI Freediver

The Performance Freediving International (PFI) Freediver program teaches fundamental freediving techniques for comfortable enjoyment in the aquatic world to depths of 20m/66ft. You will also practice Static Apnea to help develop your breath-holding abilities and in-water comfort.

PSI HAZMAT Cylinder Handler and Fill Station Operations

Businesses that operate cylinder filling stations are required by OSHA to provide formal, function specific training to employees operating filling equipment. Topics include pre-fill inspection, proper techniques, system maintenance, and emergency procedures. As fill systems vary greatly, this course is customized to specific fill stations operational procedures. This course is included with our PADI Divemaster course.

PSI Visual Cylinder Inspection

This is the core certification course provided by Professional Scuba Inspectors (PSI) and in it we teach the regulations and fundamentals of conducting visual inspections of solid wall and composite SCUBA and SCBA cylinders. The full day course is suited for those new to visual inspection as well as those who have been inspecting without formal training through its wide range of inspection subjects including damage limits, neck cracking, and laws affecting inspectors.


Contact Tec Clark at tclark@nova.edu or Bill Conrad at bill.conrad@nova.edu for more information or to register for any of these scuba courses!

The purpose of the NSU Scuba Club is to provide the dive community at Nova Southeastern University supervised dive activities. This NSU dive community includes NSU students, faculty, and staff. As a part of Campus Recreation & Wellness, the club organizes and leads dive trips with professional supervision, rental scuba equipment, and following diving industry standards.

Overview

The NSU Scuba Club format consists of Semester-long membership of $75 and includes the following:

Free rental scuba equipment for all club dives
Free Scuba Refresher at the beginning of each semester
Free supervised beach dives
Half-priced boat dives

Dive Trips

Dive trips are approximately every other week per semester, or approximately 8-12 dive trips per semester. We dive in locations all around Florida including Lauderdale By The Sea, Pompano Beach, Dania Beach, Key Largo, Tavernier, Key West, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Clewiston, Crystal River and Venice Beach.

Types of Dives

We offer a variety of supervised dives including:

Beach dives
Wreck dives
Night dives (for Advanced certified divers)
Deep dives (for Advanced certified divers)
Megalodon sharks teeth collecting dives
Goliath Grouper dives
Cavern dives (safe for Open Water divers)
Conservation dives
Lionfish eradication dives
Reef clean-up dives

Prerequisites

To be a member of the NSU Scuba Club you must have the following prerequisites:

Hold an Open Water Diver certification from an international dive training agency (i.e. PADI, NAUI, SSI, TDI/SDI, GUE, RAID, SEI, YMCA, etc.)

Have an active diving accident insurance coverage with Divers Alert Network (DAN) at the Master Level or higher.

Take the free Scuba Refresher if you have never taken an NSUADP scuba course OR if you have not been diving in 6 months or longer.

Complete the Medical History Questionnaire

The NSU Scuba Club is a great way to explore the many diving locations that Florida has to offer. It is also a great way to connect with other's who are passionate about underwater exploration at NSU. Go Sharks!

Contact Tec Clark at tclark@nova.edu or Bill Conrad at bill.conrad@nova.edu for more information or to register for the Scuba Club!