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EXPLORE TIGERTAIL
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DIVING C
SCUBA

Get SCUBA certified and find a whole new world of exploration waiting for you! The ocean is a deep and mysterious place filled with adventure, and getting dive certified is the first step. South Florida's reefs are among the best in the world, teeming with beautiful fish and underwater vistas, and there are countless wrecks and interesting structures to see. Few places can compare to the natural beauty of the ocean, and with a PADI certification you can dive anywhere in the world!

News and Updates

  • SCUBA tanks are now available for rent! Reserve your tanks when you create your reservation!
  • SCUBA Instructors MUST have a dive flag or SMB to identify their location in the water. This is a mandatory requirement now!
SCUBA Instructors
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Tigertail Lake Recreational Center’s SCUBA program features full PADI courses and certifications. After completing these courses, which is taught by a certified PADI instructor, the student will acquire an official PADI certification. Tigertail Lake Recreational Center even provides SCUBA equipment for use in the class!

PADI certification is recognized around the world and sets the standard for safety and education in this incredibly exciting sport. If you've ever dreamed of exploring our oceans and witnessing the wonders hidden among our reefs, take advantage of this Continuing Education course today. South Florida is considered one of the world's premier destinations for SCUBA diving featuring beautiful reefs, wrecks, amazing sea life and it's all right here in your backyard!

Tigertail Lake offers several classes and SCUBA certification levels:
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Open Water Diver

Experience unparalleled adventure and see the world beneath the waves with a SCUBA certification in PADI Open Water Diver – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course. Millions of people have learned to SCUBA dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world. This course is your first step on that amazing journey.

Requirements
The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases:
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Advanced Open Water

Exploration, Excitement, and Experiences – these are what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. You don’t have to be an advanced SCUBA diver to take it. It’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification. This course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. You can try different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. Open Water Divers who are at least 12 years old can enroll in an Advanced Open Water Diver course. Young divers may only participate in certain Adventure Dives – check with your PADI Instructor for more information.

Course Structure

This course allows you to plan your learning path with your instructor, and together you will plan the required 5 Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three. During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time. The other knowledge and skills you will learn varies according to your interest – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and much more.

Additional Courses

Need something specific? Perhaps you’d rather have a private class with individualized instruction? Tigertail Lake Recreational Center can schedule a course for you and we’re happy to accommodate any special requirements. From basic refresher courses to get you ready for your trip to a full private course with open-water dives, Tigertail Lake Recreational Center is your premier destination for SCUBA instruction.

Additional PADI courses may become available from time to time including: Dive Master, Rescue Diver, NITROX diver, and many other Adventure Dive options. For more information about additional courses available and learning to dive at Tigertail Lake Recreational Center, please contact our professional dive instruction team at 954-201-4503.

Instructors

SCUBA instructors are welcome to bring their classes and teach all the amazing skills of SCUBA diving at Tigertail Lake Recreational Center. Our facility is well-known and well-equipped to provide a comfortable learning environment for all skill levels. New instructors must be certified with a recognized organization (PADI, NAUI, SDI, etc), carry appropriate (and up-to-date) insurance, and fill out our Dive Instructor's Packet. Once you're in our system, you can bring your students to the lake to learn their skills, get their dives in, and experience all the underwater attractions, including Poseidon, The Jenny, several aircraft, and even an SUV! There's plenty to see and do, and it's a fantastic learning environment, especially on those bad weather days. Didn't bring enough tanks, or missing a wetsuit? Don't worry, we've got you covered - our SCUBA Shack has plenty of gear available for rental.

Every year, on July 1st, all dive instructors must register with us (yes, even if you've been coming here forever.) The good news is that it's finally an all-electronic process and there's no more clunky paperwork to print out, scan, rescan, correct, mail, email, and send by post. Simply click here to register electronically with us..

You'll need a copy (PDF or JPG) of your current and valid dive certification and your insurance. Your insurance MUST show the expiration date and should list "Broward College" under Additionally Insured. To add Broward College as Additionally Insured, simply contact your insurance company and ask them to do so. Takes five minutes. With these documents in hand, you'll be asked a few simple questions and then be able to upload your documentation. Once your documentation is reviewed, you'll be good to go. If there's a problem with your documentation, we'll notify you immediately.