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In addition to Basic Open Water a number of continuing education courses are offered for your benefit. The list below is list of all courses currently available through SEI Diving. Not all courses may be available through UDM Aquatic Services. Call for course availability.

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    Now offering Drysuit and Nitrox Courses!

Drysuit Course- $155.00- The SEI Diving Drysuit course I offer is designed for those who are considering or have purchased a Drysuit and wish to shorten the learning curve involved with diving dry. There is increased task loading involved with using the suit but it is not rocket science. Having the drysuit certification will also allow you to rent a suit in places where such a certification is required. The course involves classroom and a pool session followed by 4 open water diver over two days. During the course you'll learn proper weighting with the suit, buoyancy control and trim, and how to use the suit and BC to compliment each other. There are also emergency procedures that will be covered as well as rescue of a diver who is in a dry suit. Divers may rent gear or are free to use their own equipment. Back Plates and Wings are welcome as are double cylinders!

Nitrox Course- 145.00- The SEI Diving Nitrox course will allow you to take advantage of what was once known as VooDoo Gas! Called that by some still, it is nothing more than breathing air with an oxygen content greater than 21% up to 40%. You'll spend 3-4 hours in the classroom, An hour or so observing how nitrox is blended and how to use an analyzer to verify the contents or your cylinder.  And unlike the direction many agencies are taking you will do a min of two dives with the gas that you analyzed. Nitrox will allow you to reduce your surface intervals or lengthen your bottom times before reaching your no decompression limits.There are depth restrictions however and you will learm about these as well. There is a common misconception that with Nitrox you can dive deeper. This is false and we'll see why in the course. 

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday July 12, 2010 1:32 pm

 

    Brand New! Underwater Navigation $165.00

Do you want to know where you are going? Do you want to know how to find your way underwater to objects, sites, and points of interest? And most importantly, do you want to be able to find your way back? Then this is the course for you! Over the course of 6, yes 6 dives, and a minimum of 6 hours of classroom you will learn to use a compass, natural features, and for the first time in a recreational navigation course, the use of lines and reels to successfully navigate underwater. In the classroom we will cover the equipment, techniques, challenges, and hazards of underwater navigation. You will also learn about why these techniques are used and when to use them. I'll teach you to make decisions on what to do when navigating a site and conditions change or are not what you expected. In addition you will do something that no other agency offers until the divemaster level. You will learn how to create a map of the site you are diving and create this map during your dives and surface intervals. Then as part of the exit requirements you will turn in a finished version of the map and take your final exam. You will need to furnish your own compass, slate, and dive kit. I will provide the lines and reels.There is also a student handbook that accompanies the course which you should also have that covers the navigation aspects as well as a section on gas management and it's applications to navigation which is also covered in the classroom portion. For complete details email or call to set up a time to personally discuss this exciting chapter in your diving education.

Posted by jimlap212 on Sunday March 22, 2009 10:22 am

 

    NEW! DRAM : Diver Rescue and Accident Management $165.00

The Diver Rescue and Accident Management course is one of the most valuable courses for the recreational diver. Prerequisites include First Aid, CPR, AED, Oxygen Provider. For more details call.

Posted by jimlap212 on Friday March 13, 2009 5:37 pm

 

    Future courses that may be offered by UDM Aquatics include

Search and Recovery/Public Safety Diver, Full Face Mask Diver, Ice Diver 

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:14 am

 

    Available Courses From SEI Diving & UDM Aquatics in the Pittsburgh and Washington Pa Area

Open Water, Open Water Plus, Advanced Open Water, Advanced Plus Diver, and  Master Scuba Diver, Specialties available include- Dry Suit Diver, Equipment Service, Nitrox, Diver Rescue and Accident Management. We can also begin your pro level training with DiveMaster and Assistant Instructor! And now I'm pleased to announce that I am able to offer the new SEI Underwater Navigation course! Details will be posted in the very near future but this is like no other recreational navigation course available today in terms of course content, number of dives, and skills taught and utilized. Watch for details or email me if interested.I offer these courses to students in Pittsburgh Pa,  Washington Pa, Wheeling West Virginia, and all surrounding areas.

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:14 am

 

    Snorkeling for Families $25.00 per person

The underwater world is a fascinating place that can be discovered with a minimal amount of effort and the use of a mask, fins, and a snorkel. This class is all pool work with poolside lectures and training tips.

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:13 am

 

    Open Water Scuba Diver $329.00- NOW Includes Class Materials!

The SEI Diving Open Water Diver course is for individuals ages 12 and older. It involves equal parts of classroom amd pool instruction along with 5 open water checkout dives. Completing this course may be the start of many wonderful hours spent beneath the surface. It will challenge and thrill you at the same time. You may discover things about yourself that you never knew. You will discover more about life on our planet than you ever dreamed possible. Give me a call or send an email to begin your new adventure!

The Open Water Course consists of 24-32 hours of instruction in the classroom and pool. During this training you will learn about diving history, equipment, physics, physiology, dive planning, the environment, and rescue skills. You'll develop skills that you'll use on every dive. You will also discover more about yourself than you thought possible. In addition to the $329.00 tuition cost you will need to purchase a text book and workbooks. These total approximately $60.00. Call for information on discounts for couples, groups, and students. Due to the current economic situation I am now including the classroom materials in the basic cost of $329.00! In addition I am also offering a 25.00 rebate for every new student you would refer who takes any OW or Specialty class! So If you want a quality education and the chance to not only save money but recover some of your investment sign up with UDM Aquatic Services for your scuba training!

I offer this course to students in Pittsburgh Pa,  Washington Pa, Wheeling West Virginia, and all surrounding areas. For the finest in Scuba Instruction in Pittsburgh, Washington, Canonsburg, Pa, and all of SW Pa, and Northern West Virginia give me a call or send an email via the contact page.

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:12 am

 

    Open Water Plus Scuba Diver $50.00 / $359.00

SEI Diving's Open Water Scuba Diver course that involves an additonal 2 dives under instructor supervision. During these dives we'll work more on your buoyancy and spend more time on your naviagtion skills with a compass and using natural navigation. It will enable you to feel more comfortable in the water and with your hew found skills. The best thing to improve your diving is to dive! Having a little more professional guidance is just icing on the cake.

If taken in conjunction with Basic Open Water the total cost is $359.00. To add it to an existing OW certification is $50.00.  In addition it will involve an extra day of diving as we are limited to a maximum of 3 training dives per day of which 2 count towards certification. Standard practice is to do two dives per day. This allows us plenty of time for setup, debrief, and relax after the dives.

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:11 am

 

    Advanced Open Water Diver $195.00

The SEI Advanced Open Water Diver course. This course gives you an additional 5 or 6 dives beyond your open water training and whatever dives you have done since then. We will add to your experience by exposing you to deep dives(100 feet max.), search and recovery, underwater navigation, and night. In addition we'll spend more time in the classroom giving you the information you need to conduct these new dives safely. Depending on your level of comfort and desire to dive this may be the perfect course to plan the direction of your advanced plus course. It will definitely give you more experience and knowledge.
There would be two classroom sessions covering approx. 6-8 hours and going over navigation, search and recovery, deep diving, gas management, and night low vis techniques. This would be in addition to 2-3 hours of on site instruction in addition to the dives. An all day classroom option is available on a very limited basis with advance arrangements.

Dives would include- Search and Recovery/: Navigation using compass, natural, and lines or reels/; Deep ( to 100 feet)/; Night/Lowvis and an Advanced Skills dive covering shooting of bags, propulsion techniques(frog, back, helicopter turns), uw communication and fine buoyancy control. In addition you will carry and deploy a redundant air supply on at least 2 of the dives. Note that buoyancy, trim, and proper weighting will be addressed on ALL dives. In addition a replacement for the search and recovery dive can be tailored to the needs of the individual diver(s). For example a Buddy Skills and Assistance dive is now being offered for those who want to take their buddy skills to the next level. Prereqs are: OW plus 10 dives or OW and a skills checkout in the pool if I do not know you or your certifying instructor.

Note that this course and all other advanced courses are scheduled according to the needs of the student. I also offer private instruction in advanced courses at no extra charge for tuition. Extraordinary travel (airfare, etc), boat fees and quarry entry fees are the responsibility of the student. Again this course also has a prerequisite of 10 dives post OW cert and may include a skills evaluation pool session and possible ow dives to assess your skills in order to determine if you are indeed ready for Advanced Training.

I offer this course to students in Pittsburgh Pa,  Washington Pa, Wheeling West Virginia, and all surrounding areas. In addition the all day classroomn option is available to anyone willing to travel to me. I have had students from South Carolina and Philadelphia make the trip for this course. If you have 4 students who wish to take this course in their own area I can also travel at your expense for this class. Prior advance notice of a min 6 weeks would be required and availability for this is extremely limited at this time. 

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:11 am

 

    Advanced Plus Scuba Diver $350.00 plus boat/quarry fees where applicable

This course includes additional classroom training and 10 additional open water dives. This course will challenge you and give you experience and knowledge that will vastly expand your knowledge, improve your skills, and your confidence. We'll go into alot more detail on gas management, dive planning, and more advanced navigation. You'll expand your deep dive skills as well as night/low visibility, and work on truly perfecting your trim and overall technique. The SEI Advanced Plus course is one that will truly challenge you and advance your diving skills. During the training you'll work on all of your skills and discover new ones. Your knowledge of dive theory will be expanded and you'll be exposed to new envrionments and conditions. It will also be good preparation for the SEI Master Diver Course.

Posted by jimlap212 on Monday January 05, 2009 10:10 am

 

 

Mask
Snorkel
Fins
Boots

Your training will take place in the classroom and in the pool. You will be required to have your own personal gear for the class and it must be of dive quality. See sidebar under "personal gear" for items required. You will also be required to have a copy of Dennis Graver's "Scuba Diving". This text can be ordered through UDM Aquatic Services. You'll sign a learning agreement which outlines our commitment to you and your responsibilities as a student. At the completion of the classroom and pool sessions you will do a series of Open Water dives at a local lake or quarry. You may also elect to take a referral and do the dives in a warm water location with another instructor. Another option is to allow me to conduct your checkout dives on an excursion to a warm water destination on a scheduled trip or in the case of private lessons cover my expenses for a trip to do these checkouts should you choose not to do them locally. All lessons will be private or semi private. Please contact me for rates for both types of classes. You will also be responsible for renting gear for your open water checkout dives. Either Pittsburgh Scuba or Dive World has rental gear available.  I will inform you of the requirements as to what gear you will need to rent at our first meeting.

 

 For those already certified as Open Water divers with SEI Diving or having YMCA cards who wish to continue training with me in one of my advanced or specialty classes all you need do is sign up. For those certified through other agencies or with an instructor I'm not familiar with I require an interview and perhaps skill evaluation session in the pool and/or open water. Some skills required to earn OW  certification with SEI Diving are not taught by other agencies. I require that you be able to perform these in order to earn certification. It is stated in the learning agreement you will sign for each class and is stated here. Payment of tuition is not a guarantee of certification. It is a guarantee of training. Certification is earned not bought. Failure to achieve the skills required by SEI Diving and UDM Aquatic Services will result in no card being issued. We will train you till you are able to meet the standards.


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             James Lapenta

 

615 McNary Ave. # 2

Canonsburg, PA  15317

Phone:

724-255-3765