Diving
Q: How do I reserve a space in a dive outing or dive course?

Q: What happens if I have to reschedule or cancel a dive outing or course?


Dive Training
Q: What do I need to buy to begin the Open Water course?

Q: What should I read and/or watch before my first Open Water training session?

Q: How long does it take to complete a NAUI/PADI Open Water course?

Q: What is a referral course?

Q: Is it OK to mix and match certifications between agencies (eg. PADI and NAUI)?



Q: How do I reserve a space in a dive outing or dive course.
A: Send an email indicating what dive or course you'd like to attend. You'll receive confirmation and will be sent a Pay Pal request for deposit; JPY 5,000 for diving, or JPY 10,000 for a course. Once you are paid up, your space is reserved. Bank transfer is also acceptable, email for details.

Q: What happens if I have to reschedule or cancel a dive outing or course?
A: First, let me first say that we make every attempt to be flexible in assisting people fit recreational diving into their busy schedules. However, sometimes DDT will incur expenses when a customer has to change their plans. In such a case, we will naturally pass these fees onto the customer. Once confirmed, if an outing or course is rescheduled, there may be fees such as minshuku cancellation charges. If a course is cancelled or rescheduled, a fee of up to JPY 5,000 may be assessed if the change is disruptive to the overall teaching/diving schedule once plans have been set.

Q: What do I need to buy to begin the Open Water Course?
A: The short answer to this is that besides paying your course fees and buying the PADI Open Water Manual, you don’t have to purchase anything else. That said, it is highly recommended to have your own mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuit. These are personal items that make diving much more enjoyable, when you have gear that fits properly and is of high quality. However, for those who’d rather not buy anything until after completing their training, virtually all these items can be rented at Osezaki and other dive sites. Discovery Divers Tokyo also has a small amount of high quality gear for sale and rent.

Q: What do I need to read and/or watch before the first water training session?
A: At a minimum, you should read the first section of the NAUI/PADI OW book and watch the first section or two of the NAUI/PADI DVD or video. That will prepare you for the basics of the initial equipment setup and confined water training and will make your training smoother. The knowledge review for the first book chapter should also be completed before the first water training session. If you are able to read more chapters and perhaps begin reading the Dive Planner manual, that will prepare the diver even more. One of the biggest hindrances to beginners is that they do not read enough of the book on their own before classes. We cannot read the book for you, and your learning experience will be greatly enhanced if you have pre-read the material to be covered in a specific class.

Q: How long does it take to complete a NAUI/PADI Open Water course?
A: Aside from self-study time, the actual in-water dives take 3 to 4 days for a PADI course. There is about one or two days of shallow, confined water training, and 4 open water training dives, which take about two days. The PADI course is commonly completed in two weekends. NAUI courses often require a bit more in water time than other organizations. For example, the NAUI Open Water certification requires 5 ocean dives as compared to 4 dives for PADI..

Q: What is a referral course?
A: Both PADI and NAUI have provisions for what is known as a referral course for the Open Water license as well as other courses. A referral course is when a student starts a course in one location and finishes in another.

Referral courses are commonly used in the winter when completing an entire course would be problematic due to the ocean being cold in the course start location. In this case the student can complete the academics and pool sessions near their home, and then complete the ocean dives requirement of the course while traveling to another warmer location.

For example, during the winter, I often have students that do the pool segment of the Open Water course in Yugawara, and then they travel to Thailand or the Philippines to complete the ocean dives and receive their diving license.

Both PADI and NAUI, as well as most other major dive agencies, have referral programs. If you’d like to begin a referral course at any time or would like to learn more about it, please contact Jim.

Referral course pricing can be found in the education and pricing pages.

Q: Is it OK to mix and match certifications between agencies (eg. PADI and NAUI)?
A: All major dive agencies recognize equivalent certifications from other recognized organizations. For example, someone can have their Open water cert through SSI (Scuba Schools International), take Nitrox with IANTD (International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers) then do their advanced through SDI (Scuba Divers International) after which they take rescue with NAUI, and then decide to become a PADI Dive Master. As a rule, there is no inherent advantage/disadvantage to mixing agencies in your training path. It's best to find the instructor/dive operation you feel comfortable with and train there.