The final step in your Open Water Certification involves a series of four fast-paced dives on Saturday and Sunday at a particular checkout dive site, where you will demonstrate the skills you've learned in the pool with little to no instruction by the instructor. Arrival times at the dive site will be determined by your instructor and communicated prior to the class. Your instructor will call or email you approximately one week before the dive session to discuss the weekend’s itinerary.

These checkout dives serve as a final evaluation of your confined water skills. Each diver must perform the required skills upon command and at depth. If you feel unprepared, please contact the Louisville Dive Center to arrange an additional pool lesson or private session with an instructor. Timeliness, focus, and readiness are crucial for success at the open water checkout dive site.

Items to consider:

• The Open Water session must be completed within 6 months after your Confined Water session to maintain student insurance and e-learning activity.
• E-learning must be 100% complete before participating in the Open Water checkout dives.
• Rental equipment for the dive is included in the price of the course but its transportation and care is at the responsibility of the student.
• Accommodations, transportation to and from the dive site, and any weekend park fees are not included in the course and are at the student’s expense. 

For accommodations near Pennyroyal and Mermet Springs (our most popular checkout dive sites), we recommend:

• Holiday Inn & Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites in Hopkinsville, KY (mention you're diving with Pennyroyal for the diver’s rate).
• Holiday Inn Express in Metropolis, IL (for a $94/night diver discount, call 618-524-8899 and mention Mermet Springs).

During the winter season, our instructors take students to Vortex Springs in Ponce de Leon, FL to do their checkout dives. 

• The spring's water temperature is 68F year-round. 
• The drive from the Louisville Dive Center to Vortex Springs takes approximately 9 hours.
• Checkout dives will begin on Saturday and Sunday at around 9 AM local time, concluding at approximately 4 PM on Saturday and 12 PM on Sunday. If you drive, you'll have time to return on Sunday. However, if you choose to fly, you must wait until Monday (24 hours after your last dive) to fly back.
• Flying will also require you to rent tanks and gear from Vortex Springs at an additional cost, in addition to any gear not rented from us.
• Onsite camping and lodging are available at Vortex Springs, and there are hotels in the nearby area, with Ponce de Leon being the closest city. We recommend arriving Friday evening. 
• Panama City and Destin are about an hour away, and there's a possibility of doing checkout dives with the Panama City Beach Dive Center on their boat on Sunday.
• We strongly recommend renting gear from us and driving to Vortex, as you will incur extra charges for gear rental at the site if you opt not to rent from us. Rental gear from the Louisville Dive Center is included in the Open Water course price.

Please note: A $90 rescheduling fee for the open water checkout dives will apply to no-shows and reschedules made within 48 hours of the course. 

The Open Water Checkout Dives come after the Confined Water/Pool Training Sessions listed under Open Water Scuba Diver.