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COMMON QUESTIONS

You will need to fill out a medical declaration form prior to starting all scuba diving courses. If this form raises any issues which may mean it would be unsafe to Scuba Dive, then you will need to get a Dive Medical prior to participating in any in-water training activities. The South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society lists accredited dive doctors, so you can find someone near you.

People find the “weightlessness” of scuba diving to be quite freeing. Modern scuba masks are available in translucent models, which you may prefer if a mask makes you feel closed in. During your scuba diving training with Academy of Scuba, your instructor gives you plenty of time and coaching to become comfortable with each stage of learning. Your scuba instructor works with you at your own pace to ensure you master each skill necessary to become a capable scuba diver who dives regularly.

We always put your safety but also comfort and enjoyment above time schedules. Some people take longer than others to learn to dive and get comfortable and that is completely fine. Our patient, empathetic and amazing instructors will help guide you through the learning process and ensure you reach a comfortable level before moving onto the next skill set or dive. If extra time is needed then this is arranged. Some people learn better by themselves so we can arrange private tuition too.

Dropping the ball with diving is easy. Life can get in the way, and before you know it, time has passed and you haven’t been in the water. If its been a while since you went for your dive then we can easily get you back in the water and refresh your skills.  Better still, with our active network of divers you wont have a reason to be an inactive diver so you wont ever need a refresher again.
Our refresher programs reacquaint you with diving so that you’re back to feeling comfortable in the underwater world in less than a day. Scuba refreshers are conducted differently depending on how long you have been out of the water and how many dives you have under your belt.  We conduct these sessions in conjunction with either out Open Water Diver courses (see dates for theory, pool and shore sessions) or guided shore dives.  Please call us to discuss what kind of session would benefit you the most.

At Academy of Scuba, we believe a successful instructor is marked not by the quantity of students they certify, but the quality. We surpass the Australian standard of 1 instructor to 8 students by having an instructor to student ratio of 1:4. The temperate waters of Melbourne offer some of the best training conditions on the planet, because they challenge divers. Our divers are therefore more proficient, confident and comfortable, as they know they can dive anywhere in the world and be prepared.

It’s super easy – you can either come in store or purchase VIP membership online by clicking here.

Monday, Tuesday Wednesday & Friday: 10am – 6pm
Thursday: 10am – 9pm
Weekends: 9am – 5pm
 
If you are picking up or dropping off gear, you are welcome to park in our driveway at the back of the shop, and come up through the back entrance. You can get here by driving down the service lane just off Summerhill Road, which is just beyond our shop, at the lights, if you continue on Toorak Road.

You can dive practically anywhere there’s water – from a swimming pool to the ocean and all points in between, including quarries, lakes, rivers and springs. Where you can scuba dive is determined by your:

  • experience
  • level site
  • accessibility
  • conditions interests

For example, if you’ve just finished your PADI Open Water Diver course, you probably won’t be diving under the Antarctic ice on your next dive. But, don’t limit your thinking to the warm, clear water you see in travel magazines. Some of the best diving is closer than you think.

Melbourne has some incredible local diving: Port Phillip Bay, Westernport Bay and the surrounding ocean is full of life. There’s the exotic, the majestic, the deadly, the beautiful, the weird – something for everyone. With a huge amount of diversity right at our doorstep, Melbourne’s waters are home to over 1300 plant and animal species, 82% of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Diving is not a spectator sport, so the only way to see all of the incredible life that is teeming in our southern ocean is to dive it. Visit today to come and see what all the fuss is about.

Academy of Scuba Camberwell is located at 1124 Toorak Road. Tram 75 stops directly outside the store (stop 51) – timetable information can be found here. Hartwell station, on the Alamein train line, is a 5 min walk from the shop – timetable information can be found here.

Easy. There is no best gear. But, there is the best gear for you.

Our professional staff at Academy of Scuba are trained to help you find scuba gear that best matches your preferences, fit and budget. We can get you set with the right stuff, plus we provide after-sales service and support for years of enjoyable and dependable use.

You may also want to talk to other scuba divers – come into our weekly Club Nights on Thursday evenings from 6:30pm at the shop to meet other divers and chat to them to get recommendations on particular scuba equipment brands and models. Listening to other peoples’ experiences is often a really good tool to help with making a decision a particular piece of equipment.

Not necessarily. Any condition that affects the ears, sinuses, respiratory function or heart function or may alter consciousness is a concern, but only a physician can assess a person’s individual risk. Physicians can consult with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) as necessary when assessing a scuba candidate. If you are concerned, see a diving doctor. Find a list hereDAN has information available online if you wish to do some research.

Sun burn and seasickness, both of which are preventable with over the counter preventatives. The most common injuries caused by marine life are scrapes and stings, most of which can be avoided by wearing gloves and an exposure suit, staying off the bottom and watching where you put your hands and feet. Contact us for information about exposure protection needed for any of your diving.

When you’re lucky, you’ll get to see a shark. Although incidents with sharks occur, they are very, very rare.  Most commonly shark encounters primarily involve spear fishing or feeding sharks, both of which trigger erratic feeding behaviour. Sharks’ main food source is fish and if they can get a free feed they will. Most of the time, if you see a shark it’s passing through and a relatively rare sight to enjoy. Some myths, about sharks, that you have heard may be dispelled by checking out Australian Geographic.

Aside from pregnancy, no. Because physiologists know little about the effects of diving on the fetus, the recommendation is that women avoid diving while pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Menstruation is not normally a concern.

The Open Water Diver certificaton qualifies you to dive with a buddy to 18m, unless you are a Junior Open Water Diver, in which case you are qualified to a maximum depth of 12m.

Advanced Open Water divers are qualified to a depth of 30m, and with the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres.

Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is no deeper than 12 metres/40 feet where the water’s warmer and the colours are brighter.

That’s not likely because you have a gauge that tells you how much air you have at all times. This way, you can return to the surface with a safety reserve remaining. But to answer the question, if you run out of air, your buddy has a spare mouthpiece that allows you to share a single air supply while swimming to the surface. There are also other options you’ll learn in your PADI Open Water course with Academy of Scuba.

OPEN WATER DIVER FAQ

Learning to scuba dive with Academy of Scuba and PADI is an incredible adventure! With PADI as your training organisation, your path to breathing underwater is accomplished in three exciting phases:

1. Knowledge Development – Learn the lingo.

During the first phase of your PADI Open Water Diver scuba certification, you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear and what to consider when planning dives. You briefly review what you have studied in the five knowledge sections with your instructor and take a short quiz to be sure you’re getting it. At the end of the course, you’ll take a longer quiz that makes sure you have all the key concepts and ideas down. If there’s anything that is still unclear, you’ll be able to review it with the instructor, who will be happy to go over any information with you until it’s clear.

2. Confined Water Dives – Scuba Skills Training.

This is what it’s all about – diving. You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving in a pool or body of water with pool-like conditions. Here you’ll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your scuba mask without surfacing. You’ll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or replacing your scuba mask. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends and have a great time. There are five confined water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these five dives, you attain the skills you need to dive in open water.

3. Open Water Dives – Locally or on Vacation.

After your confined water dives, you and the new friends you’ve made continue learning during four open water dives with your Academy of Scuba PADI Instructor at a dive site. This is where you fully experience the underwater adventure – at the beginner level, of course. You may make these dives around Melbourne, on the Mornington Peninsula, or at a more exotic destination while on a group trip with Academy of Scuba.

Yes. All our Open Water diver students need to have obtained a full dive medical prior to starting this training. For a list of diving doctors please go to www.spums.org.au. This is to ensure maximum safety for everyone involved.

All training carried out by Academy of Scuba exceeds industry and national safety standards. Our instructors are all put through a rigorous internship program before they teach courses for us, and we constantly check with their students to ensure that Academy of Scuba maintains the highest of standards. We have a huge support network available to you after you successfully complete your course so that you can keep diving. We want you to have as many great experiences with us as you can so we organise reunion dives for your class, our extensive dive club has regular guided dives, and we can even match you up with a dive buddy of similar ability to help you see all the great diving Victoria has to offer. We are passionate about our diving. Diving is something we live and breathe every day, and want to share it with you.

If you have an appetite for excitement and adventure, odds are you can become an avid PADI scuba diver. You’ll also want to keep in mind these requirements:

Minimum Age:
  • 12 years old
  • Students younger than 15 years, who successfully complete the course qualify for the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification, which they may upgrade to PADI Open Water Diver certification upon reaching 15. You must be at least 13 years old to take scuba lessons online with PADI eLearning, due to international internet laws. If you’re younger, you can still learn to dive – just have your parent or legal guardian contact ACADEMY OF SCUBA.

Physical: For safety, Academy of Scuba requires all our students to have a current valid Dive Medical before they can join the Open Water Diver course and do any in-water training activities. For details of appropriate diving doctors, please go to www.spums.org.au and click on the ‘Diving Doctors’ tab.

Waterskills: Before completing the PADI Open Water Diver course, your instructor will have you demonstrate basic waterskill comfort by having you:

  • swim 200 metres/yards (or 300 metres/yards in mask, fins and snorkel). There is no time limit for this, and you may use any swimming strokes you want.
  • float and tread water for 10 minutes, again using any methods that you want.

About Physical Challenges: Any individual who can meet the performance requirements of the course qualifies for certification. There are many adaptive techniques that allow individuals with physical challenges to meet these requirements. Individuals with paraplegia, amputations and other challenges commonly earn the PADI Open Water Diver certification. Even individuals with more significant physical challenges participate in diving. Come into the store and chat to Kat or one of the staff about any concerns you may have.

Learning Materials : Unless you choose PADI eLearning, you’ll need and use the following training materials during the PADI Open Water Diver course, and for your review and reference after the course:

  • The PADI Open Water Diver Manual
  • PADI Open Water Diver Video on DVD
  • You will also need your PADI Log book and Recreational Dive Planner (Table, The WheelTM or eRDPTM).

Yes, maybe. Bring in any existing items you have and our staff will check that the equipment meets the standards required for scuba diving.

 

 
  • Theory session – at our shop in Rye
  • Pool session – conducted in Hastings or Merricks
  • Shore dives – usually conducted at Rye Pier
  • Boat Dives – usually departing from Portsea Pier

All locations and timings will be confirmed with you prior to your course starting. Please get in contact with staff for more information.

Yes, ideally. Although it may be possible to car pool with your fellow students and/or instructors, we cannot guarantee this.

 

 

Please feel free to invite family and friends to join you on the course. If you have 4 people we can run the Open Water Diver as a private course just for your group.

 

 

Melbourne’s water temperature varies from 22° Celsius in the summer, to 10° in the winter. Although 10° feels cold, the wetsuits we provide will keep you warm. Wetsuits work by warming the small amount of water that gets into the suit to your body temperature. This warm water stays in the suit for the dive and keeps you comfortable. If you do tend to feel the cold, or you’re diving in the middle of winter, we do suggest purchasing a hood and gloves, as these extra pieces really help keep you warm. Ask staff for more information about which product would be right for you.

 

 

 

In the highly unlikely event that you decide you do not like scuba diving at all, we offer a 100% money back guarantee for all your course fees and snorkelling items purchased if you decide not to continue after or during your pool session. We just have to know on the day of the pool session. We understand that learning to dive requires an investment on your part and would not like you to be put out if you were to decide that scuba diving really isn’t for you.

The Open Water Diver course runs as either a 3 or 2 day course. 4 Day courses are available, but are less frequently run.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is incredibly flexible and performance based, which means that we can offer a wide variety of schedules, paced according to how fast you progress.

Our training ethos centres around producing proficient, confident, happy divers, rather than pushing people through a course when they don’t feel comfortable with the material – you’re just more likely to dive in the future if you have confidence in yourself! So, our training is based upon demonstrating that you know what you need to know and can do what you need to do. This means that you progress at your own pace – faster or slower depending upon the time you need to become a confident scuba diver who dives regularly. That’s all there is to it.

We offer our PADI Open Water Diver course for $799, inclusive of learning materials, boat fees and the gear you’ll need. The only things that are not included in the course price are the cost of:

  • A recreational diving medical – usually $140 – $200
  • Your snorkelling items – fins, mask, boots and snorkel, and a hood and gloves in winter

Our instructors are highly trained, experienced professionals and are here to offer you close guidance and attention. From the first day, scuba diving starts transforming your life with new experiences you share with friends. And, you can do it almost anywhere there is water!

Choosing and using your scuba gear is part of the fun of diving. We will help you find the right gear. Each piece of scuba equipment performs a different function so that collectively, it adapts you to the underwater world. When you start learning to scuba dive we require all our students to have their own:

  • mask
  • snorkel
  • boots
  • fins

Not only is this to your benefit in terms of comfort and hygiene, but learning in the gear that you will continue to use in the future will help to make you a better and more confident diver straight away. At Academy of Scuba we offer all our students a discount when purchasing their snorkelling gear, and we also will happily exchange any of the gear after you complete your pool session, should you find any of your equipment uncomfortable. Included in the cost of your PADI Open Water Diver course, we provide our students with a:

  • Regulator
  • BCD
  • Dive computer
  • Scuba tank
  • Scuba wetsuit (7mm semi dry)
  • Weight system and weights

Our instructors and shop staff will make sure that you’re fitted with the correctly sized equipment before your course begins. Once you’ve completed your Open Water, it’s recommended that you invest in your own scuba equipment simply because you’ll be more comfortable diving in your own gear, it will be more convenient to go diving, meaning you’ll be out diving more often, and in the long run you’ll save money from not needing to rent.

No, assuming you have no irregularities in your ears and sinuses. The discomfort is the normal effect of water pressure pressing in on your ears. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to adjust for pressure changes in our ears – you just need to learn how. If you have no difficulties adjusting to air pressure during flying, you’ll probably experience no problem learning to adjust to water pressure while diving. If you are concerned, see a specialist diving doctor – a list can be found by clicking here

 

ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER FAQ

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about excitement, exploration and experiences. You don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. You try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving.

Most people stay down in Rye, to avoid the long drive back after the night dive, only to be coming back down again the next morning.  You’re welcome to ask for more information at the beginning of your course.

Shore dives – usually conducted at Rye Pier

Boat Dives – departing from Portsea pier, using RedBoats.

Our course structure includes 3 shore dives and 2 boat dives. We have structured our course to offer you the chance to not only improve your scuba diving skills, but also experience some of the different kinds of diving on offer in Victoria.

Our 5 dives are: Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Navigation, Night, Deep & Wreck.

If you want to do a different adventure dive just let us know when booking your course, and based on group consensus we will try and make this happen for you, however please be aware that it is a PADI requirement that you complete the Underwater Navigation and Deep adventure dives to earn your Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

 

Yes, they do. We need to see proof of the completed dives through your log book and training record and then we can finish any other dive for you. Prices do get reduced if you are not completing all dives. Contact our staff for more information

 

You will need to fill out a medical declaration form prior to starting the Advanced Open Water course. If this form raises any issues which may be counter-indicatory to Scuba Diving, then you will need to get a Dive Medical prior to participating in any in-water training activities. Diving doctors can be found at www.spums.org.au 

GEAR AND SERVICING FAQ

All manufacturers will have a slightly different policy on service intervals for their gear. Generally, an annual service is required for most gear, to keep it in warranty. Some manufacturers, such as Oceanic and Hollis, have a two year service interval, and only require an inspection every year. To be sure, bring your items in and our staff can check for you.

We provide door to door service with our contactless service pickups.  Just book your gear in through our service page. The turnaround time for most gear serviced in-house is 10 – 14 days, but please do allow longer if you need it for a specific date. Click here for more information.

Full regulator set: $130 plus parts

Full BCD Service: $65 plus parts

Hydro test cylinder: $60 (up to 14l cylinder) $75 (>15l cylinder)

Service parts for regulator (1st, 2nd or octopus): prices differ between brands and reg types. Prices start from $25-$65 per service kit.