Start Your Scuba Certification Here, Finish It Anywhere
Rick Harkins Sep 26, 2026
Life gets busy. Vacations get booked. And a full Open Water course doesn't always fit around either one.
That's where the Referral Diver program comes in.
What is a Referral Diver?
It's the first half of your Open Water certification. You do the classroom session and the pool training with us in Harrisburg. Digital learning is included in the course price.
Then you finish your open water dives later, at any SSI-affiliated dive center. Once the classroom and pool are done, you're a Referral Diver. That rating is good for six months.
It's the same certification path as our full Open Water Diver course. It's just split in two.
Why pick it over the full course?
- You have a trip coming up. Learn the basics at home, then do your open water dives on the vacation.
- You want to dive warm water. Finish in the Caribbean, on a liveaboard, or anywhere else with an SSI dive center.
- Your calendar is the problem. Your travel schedule decides when and where you finish, not a class calendar.
What to know before you sign up
We'd rather you hear it from us now.
- The open water dives are separate. Ask the dive center where you're headed about their schedule and pricing before you book.
- The six-month clock starts when you finish classroom and pool. Plan your trip inside that window.
- Running short on time? Call us before the window closes and we'll help you sort out next steps.
- Want to finish close to home? We also offer a Referral Diver Open Water Dives package so you can complete everything here in Pennsylvania.
So which one is right for you?
Traveling soon and want to finish somewhere warm? Go with Referral Diver.
Want to knock it all out in one shot, with no deadline hanging over you? Take the complete Open Water Diver course.
Not sure? Call us at 833-PA-DIVER or stop by the shop. We'll help you pick.
