Learn to dive with the professionals at the Marin Diving Center. We offer a broad range of PADI diving courses. PADI is the world's largest diver certification program and has an international reputation for quality training, safety, and ease of use.  Our instructors open up new adventures while emphasizing the techniques needed to become a safe and comfortable diver. If you are in good health and free from heart and lung problems, you can learn to SCUBA dive.

The Marin Diving Center Difference

Our training program involves a home study system that utilizes online training or textbooks and DVDs to thoroughly prepare our students in the academics of diving, minimizing classroom hours and allowing our instructors to concentrate on pool training. Our pool and ocean sessions use some of the best equipment available. The latest dive computers and weight integrated buoyancy compensators are used exclusively to make your training more comprehensive and your dives more enjoyable and safe.

Class Descriptions 

Open Water – If you want to become a PADI-certified diver, this class is for you! This class will teach you all the basics of diving, including how to use diving equipment, control buoyancy, adapt to the underwater environment, use dive computers, and, most importantly, how to be safe when you're diving.

Try Scuba – Thinking about getting certified but not sure if diving is for you? Then come to one of our Try Scuba classes, where you can experience breathing underwater in the comfort of our heated pool. You will get an introduction to how the dive equipment works and how to conduct yourself underwater so that you can decide if scuba diving is something you want to pursue.

Scuba Skills Update – If you plan on diving on your upcoming vacation, but you haven't been scuba diving in the past year, it's time to consider a refresher course.   Many resorts will require that you have a refresher to make sure that you remember everything necessary to stay safe while diving. This class is also great for people who haven't been diving in a long time and need a quick refresher or want to familiarize themselves with new advances in scuba.

Advanced Open Water – Ready to advance your diving knowledge? Advanced Open Water is designed to improve your underwater knowledge and skills.  You can enroll immediately after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification, regardless of your skill level. Advanced Open Water is designed to build your confidence and introduce you to diving activities such as night diving, wreck diving, or understanding more about the local ecosystems. You will complete five Adventure Dives: a deep dive (beyond 18m/60F), a navigation dive, and three additional Adventure Dives.  

Specialty Certifications – Ready to take your diving interests to the next level? New skills such as navigation, underwater photography, deep diving, or night diving broaden your diving experience, increase your appreciation for the underwater world, and are a whole lot of fun! Specialty training takes you beyond the basic skills. It prepares you to dive into various situations and conditions, increasing your confidence, furthering your interests, and making you a safer and more comfortable diver.

Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) – Learn to dive with higher oxygen concentrations than are found in the air. Breaking nitrox allows for longer dive times and reduces the risk of decompression sickness without increasing the need for safety stops. The class will focus on ensuring that you get the maximum bottom time while learning how to deal with potential oxygen toxicity.

Rescue Diver – This class gives you the ability to assess and handle diving emergencies – a must for frequent divers. Even if you are comfortable with your ability to keep yourself out of trouble, knowing what to do in an emergency may save another diver's life. Rescue Diver explains the factors that contribute to diving emergencies and how to identify and avoid them altogether.

Master Scuba Diver  – The Master Scuba Diver rating places you in an elite group of divers who have earned this rating significant experience and scuba training.  Fewer than two percent of divers ever achieve this rating. The path starts with gaining an Open Water Diver certification, followed by Advanced Open Water Diver and Rescue Diver.  You also need to earn five Specialty Diver certifications and have logged a minimum of 50 dives.

If there is a class that you're interested in taking but don't see it here, give us a call!

(415) 479-4332