_Happy Cyber Monday! You're probably visiting our site today because either you bought the AMAZING Groupon for a Full Scuba Certification or you're considering it and you have some questions. Well, let us help you out with that.

Are you still diving locally? It seems cold! Yes it cold, and No we're not diving locally :) This Groupon allows you the chance to do the classroom and pool work in our heated indoor pool during the winter months. Then, when it warms up in April or May, we'll start to do local dives.

But I have a trip planned and would like to do my certification dives sooner? No problem! We drive to Florida every month to dive in warmer waters. For an additional fee, you can join us on one of these dives and have a great time in a freshwater spring AND 2 ocean dives! The Florida weekends cost $275. Stop by the shop and we'll give you more details.

I think I'll just wait till spring. My Groupon includes those dives, right? Yes. The Groupon includes the four certification dives conducted at Pennyroyal Quarry in Hopkinsville, KY.

What equipment do I need to own? Every student needs to own their own mask, snorkel, fins, and boots. We recommend purchasing a wetsuit as well. Even though the pool is heated, after an hour in the water, most people will get chilled even in 83 degree water. We have special equipment packages for Groupon customers that include all of those. And if you'd like to train in your personal dive system, instead of the included rental equipment, we can set you up with a great dive system to meet your needs. We even have a layaway plan so you can immediately dive in your own equipment and pay it off over time.

Why don't you rent those? The mask and fins are a very personal fit item. If they don't fit properly, you won't be able to do the skills well or not at all which doesn't make it very fun for you. And ultimately, it's not safe.

When do you have classes? Pretty much every weekend! Once the Groupon ad ends, we'll put together a calender of class offerings from December through May 6th. Just mention the Class Number when you call to schedule and we'll confirm you for that class. You will need to attend a Thursday night orientation at least one week before your weekend class. We offer those nearly every Thursday night. And then you will attend a Saturday/Sunday session. This will complete what is called your "Confined Water Training." We will post the updated class offerings on December 5th. Click here if you would like us to notify you when they are posted.

What is the PADI E-Learning that I saw on the Groupon? This is part of your academic training. When you call/visit us to schedule your class, we will give you an Online Training Code. You will then visit www.padi.com to complete the e-learning portion of the training. It's a very fun, interactive way to work on the academic elements of scuba diving. Because it's online, you can stop and go as you please, based on your schedule. At the end of the E-Learning, you'll take a few quizzes and a final exam and print out your E-Record. You will need to bring this E-Record with you to the Thursday Orientation. This means your E-Learning segment must be completed prior to your classroom/pool training. Don't worry :) We'll explain all this again when you visit us.

What was the fine print about scheduling by January 31? Don't worry, you don't have to complete the class by the end of January. You just need to call/visit us to SCHEDULE your class and reserve your spot. You will then have until May 6th to complete the classroom/pool portion of your training. Then, you have until September 2012 to complete your open water certification dives. Lots of time. We just need to have the classes scheduled by the end of January to make sure we have proper staffing during the winter months.

Phew! I was worried I didn't have much time. But what if I want to do the certification dives on a trip with Bluewater Scuba? What a wonderful idea!! Of course, you can complete your certification dives on any of our trips. We have the most active dive calender in Middle Tennessee, so you're in luck. If you want to go to Fiji, Indonesia, St. Croix or the Bahamas, you can do your certification dives at no additional cost besides the trip cost.


I have more questions. Who should I contact? The best way is to email our General Manager Kevin Sage. 

Bring in the New Year "Island Style!" with Bluewater Scuba. This is a great trip for families and non-divers as well as those looking to blow some bubbles in Grand Cayman. We'll be staying at the Compass Pointe Resort. Check out the video below...


Includes: 6 nights, R/T air from Nashville, luxury condo on the beach, rental car (1 per rental unit, insurance included), 5 days of 2-tank boat dives,  4 lunches, 1 dinner, pool, onsite dive shop.

Not included: Meals not listed above, Airline Baggage fees, training fees, and rental car fuel.

Trip prices are based on cash. .3% surcharge for M/C and VISA. $750 deposit due with booking. 2nd Payment:$750 due Sept. 15. Balance: due Nov. 15, 2011. All trip deposits are nonrefundable and non-transferable. Trip Cancellation Insurance highly recommended to protect your trip payments against unforeseen circumstances. Insurance can be purchased online at www.bluewaterscuba.com (contact us for details).

Call today to book your spots! 615-771-0002

Simple question, right? Simple answer: you do it with Bluewater Scuba!

We offer two basic formats. You can do PRIVATE INSTRUCTION where we can work with your schedule and provide one on one instruction with one of our professional instructors. This format covers the same amount of material but takes a fraction of the time because there aren't 8 other students in class with you. We can do one on one or build a class that's just for you if you've got a group of friends or family that would like to train together. And since we're the only PADI 5 Star IDC in Nashville with it's own pool, we can do all the training under one roof. Call today to book your private class!

Or you can train with a group. This format is a lot of fun. You get to meet new people with a similar interest in scuba diving. Who knows? You might even meet your new dive buddy in class. Bluewater Scuba's group class structure is as follows:

• Home Study - Students purchase a student kit prior to class sessions at BWS. Home study is self-paced and includes watching the PADI Open Water DVD, reading the Open Water Manual and completing chapter review questions. There is also the PADI Electronic Dive Planner calculator in the student kit that has an instructional booklet with sample problems that are worked on prior to class. Most people can complete the home study in 10-12 hours.
• Session 1: Thursday - Orientation. 6-10pm. Offered every other Thursday. Students can attend any orientation prior to their Saturday/Sunday session. Classroom and pool work.
• Session 2: Saturday - 8am-5pm (Working lunch). Classroom/Pool work.
• Session 3: Sunday - 1pm- 6pm. Classroom/Pool work.

After completing the weekend class, you have six months to complete your 4 Open Water Training Certification Dives at a real dive site. This trips are scheduled at local dive sites from May-October, and in Florida year-round. You can also be referred to a PADI instructor anywhere in the world if you have a trip planned.

Under the guidance of a professional Bluewater Scuba instructor, you will develop the comfort, knowledge, and skills necessary to safely enjoy diving for years to come. Our goal is to provide you with the level of training and practice at our pool so that you are safe, comfortable, and ready for your diving adventures.  We provide unlimited practice time in our on-site indoor, heated pool at no additional charge.  NO other program offers this level of value and commitment to you.  You will be well prepared for your diving experience when you leave us.

Knowledge: Bluewater Scuba is a PADI diver training facility as such we use PADI scuba training materials. Each student receives a textbook and DVD which they study at their own pace in a home study format. This minimizes time in the classroom while allowing you to develop real comfort with the material.

Skills: In multiple pool and open water sessions, you will practice scuba skills with PADI's teaching method. That means we provide a comfortable environment without unnecessary risks or stress. All of the skills we teach are real life applicable, not a test of super-athlete endurance. Some of the skills include: Moving in the water with ease, Breathing normally underwater, Controlling buoyancy so you neither descend nor ascend, Easy methods for entering and exiting the water, Getting water our of your mask, Setting up your equipment, and more!

Equipment: You can't scuba dive without equipment and better quality equipment along with a comfortable working knowledge of your equipment dramatically improves both your enjoyment and your level of safety. For that reason our course delivers extensive information about dive equipment.

So what are you waiting for?? Call us today and get started with your Open Water Scuba Certification with Bluewater Scuba: "Where Nashville Learns To Dive."

Guest Blogger,
Kevin Sage