PADI Scuba Courses: Skin Diver, OW, Adventure Diver, AOW, Rescue, MSD

PADI Scuba Courses: Skin Diver, OW, Adventure Diver, AOW, Rescue, MSD

Written by the Swim And Scuba team · Published January 19, 2015 · Last updated September 21, 2026

Which scuba diving courses are taught across Long Island and New York City?

 

We currently offer beginner to advanced Scuba Diving courses for all ages. Our instructors provide Scuba training in: Skin Diving/Snorkeling, Discover Scuba, Bubblemaker, Seal Team, Scuba Diver, Reactivate (refresher), Open Water Scuba Diver, Adventure Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver,  Master Scuba Diver, Divemaster,  Assistant Instructor,  Open Water Scuba Instructor, Handicapped Scuba, IDC Staff Instructor, Specialty Dive Instruction: Advanced Adventure, Peak Performance Buoyancy Control, Altitude, Boat, Cavern, Nitrox, Deep, Diver Propulsion Vehicle, Drift, Dry Suit, Equipment Specialist, Full Face Mask, Ice, Naturalist, Night/Limited Visibility, Research, Search & Recovery, Sidemount, Under Water Lionfish Hunter, Under Water Navigation, Under Water Photography, Under Water Videographer, Visual Inspection Procedures, Project AWARE, AWARE Coral Reef Conservation, and Wreck Diving as well as Technical and Rebreather courses.

How does the scuba course ladder fit together?

Scuba certifications stack, and each level exists because it removes a specific limit from the one
below it.

  • Try-dives. Discover Scuba, Bubblemaker and Seal Team are pool experiences rather
    than certifications. They answer one question: does this person enjoy breathing underwater?
  • Open Water Diver. The first real certification and the one dive operators ask to
    see. It combines knowledge development, confined water skills and open water dives.
  • Advanced Open Water. Structured experience rather than a harder exam. You dive with
    an instructor across several specialties, which is how most divers discover what they actually like.
  • Rescue Diver. The course divers consistently name as the one that changed how they
    dive, because it shifts attention from yourself to the people around you.
  • Master Scuba Diver. A rating rather than a course: see
    what it requires.

What does scuba training actually involve?

Every level has the same three parts in different proportions: theory, confined water (a pool, where
skills are learned without consequence), and open water. The theory is usually done online before you
arrive, which keeps pool time for skills. Prerequisites and minimum ages are set by the certifying
agency and change occasionally, so check the current requirement for the course you want on
PADI's course catalogue before booking.

Diving locally, after certification

Long Island diving is cold, often low-visibility and tidal, which makes it demanding water to learn
in and excellent water to become competent in. Divers trained here tend to find warm, clear destinations
straightforward. A drysuit course and a nitrox course are the two most common additions for people who
intend to dive through the local season rather than only on holiday.

Courses run with Scuba Network of Long Island in Carle Place.

PADI scuba courses: common questions

Which PADI scuba courses does Swim and Scuba offer?

Swim and Scuba offers PADI scuba courses from beginner to advanced, including Discover Scuba, Bubblemaker, Seal Team, Open Water Scuba Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, Master Scuba Diver and Divemaster. Specialty, technical and rebreather courses are also offered, and courses run with Scuba Network of Long Island in Carle Place.

Are Discover Scuba, Bubblemaker and Seal Team certifications?

No. Discover Scuba, Bubblemaker and Seal Team are pool experiences rather than certifications, and they show whether a person enjoys breathing underwater. Open Water Diver is the first real certification and the one dive operators ask to see. It combines knowledge development, confined water skills and open water dives.

Which courses help divers keep diving through the Long Island season?

A drysuit course and a nitrox course are the two most common additions for divers who plan to dive through the local season rather than only on vacation. Long Island diving is cold, often low in visibility and tidal, which makes it demanding water to learn in.

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