PADI, which was founded in 1966, is known for upholding the highest industry standards for diving instruction, safety and customer service while still making underwater exploration accessible to new and experienced divers.As a PADI Educational Dive Center, the BRIC will become a hub for local and visiting scuba divers to take part in diver education, purchase dive equipment and provide help in finding upcoming diving opportunities at Cal Poly Pomona (CPP). The BRIC will be joining PADI’s database of more than 6,300 dive centers and resorts.
The BRIC’s Scuba Program, which had already been offering scuba certification courses and trips for about two years, currently has five Open Water Divers certified under the BRIC’s recent PADI Educational Dive Center certification. These divers include third-year mathematics student Frank Browning, third-year zoology student Jacob Charney, biology graduate student Robert Fitch, fourth-year marketing student Nazareth Zezaghian and CPP alumni Parth Jhaveri.
To obtain a PADI Open Water Certification, divers must successfully complete the following three phases:
- Knowledge Development (to understand basic principles of scuba diving)
- Confined Water Dives (to learn basic scuba skills)
- Open Water Dives (to apply these skills)
“Coming to Campus Rec and seeing that they offered this introductory open water certification, I jumped on it and once I did my first dive I was hooked,” said Campus Rec aquatics supervisor and fourth-year chemistry student Kevin Wong. “From then, I moved onto my advanced certification and got the opportunity to go to the Florida Keys and dive in tropical waters which is something I never would have done if I didn’t have this opportunity here at Cal Poly Pomona, so I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve received.”
Since certification courses follow strict educational guidelines, PADI Open Water Divers are known to hold one of the most prominent and sought after scuba diving credentials.
For those new to diving, the BRIC will be offering a short and simple introductory scuba course called Discover Scuba Diving on Tuesday, Feb. 21, which is also taught by a PADI dive instructor.
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To learn more about PADI, please visit padi.com.
