Like a good book, scuba diving plunges you into an alternate world full of majestic wonders and whales named Richard. Swan dive into a watery wonderland with this Groupon.
$189 for an Open-Water Scuba-Certification Package ($379.90 Total Value)
- Registration for the open-water scuba-certification program (a $159.95 value)
- One Scuba Schools International student-training kit (a $99.95 value)
- Two open-water dives at Weeki Wachee Springs (a $60 value each)
The following items are required to participate, but not included in this Groupon:
- One open-water DVD (a $29.95 deposit)
- Personal snorkeling equipment; those who supply their own personal snorkeling system (mask, snorkel, power fins, boots, weights and belt, and bag) must have it inspected by the instructors.
The three-part open-water certification program begins with in-class or online academic sessions, which cover dive theory, equipment, and planning safe dives amid reefs and shipwrecks. Next, students participate in pool sessions, where they’ll learn basic skills such as how to assemble their scuba units and communicate with their diving partners through hand signals and underwater Pictionary. To complete their training, students join their instructors for two open-water dives, most often in the viridian waters of Weeki Wachee Springs. Open-water sessions typically occur on Sundays at 7:30 a.m., when weather permits. Schedule your academic, pool, and open-water sessions on the online calendar.
Mac’s Sports
Mac’s Sports was born as the Beach Store in 1938, a general shop that supplied visitors of the neighboring beach with groceries, newspapers, fishing gear, and snack food. After the owners and their kids moved to New Mexico during World War II, the shop was renamed Mac’s and became a hit with youngsters due to its sought-after candy bars and heroic staff of swamp things. Though the original owners would soon repurchase their former business, its new name stuck, and the store would eventually evolve into Mac’s Dive Shop with a renewed emphasis on watersports and outdoor recreations. Mac’s has since opened two more in locations in Tampa and Clearwater, and its team boasts well over a century of cumulative scuba-diving experience.
Underwater jaunts remain the central focus of the shop, where instructors help students earn their gills with conveniently scheduled scuba-diving courses. After graduating from the open-water certification program, beginners can finally pull back the kelp curtains of their suspiciously private aquatic neighbors, and experienced divers can seek advanced education in higher-lever diving techniques and digital underwater photography. Group classes and guided dives take place nearly every day.