TIDES DIRECT: Frequently Asked Questions
Student age minimum for the program is set at 12 in order to maintain class sizes of 8 students with 2 instructors for an instructor to student ratio of 4:1. Scuba Schools International’s (SSI) standards do not permit more than two students under the age of 12 per instructor if any of the remaining students in the group are under the age of 15. A limited number of students aged 10 and 11 may be permitted to join TIDES on a case by case basis. Contact chrissy.frederick@oceanfirst.blue for more information.
The expedition is an integral part of the program that ties all of the class and pool training together where students participate in real-world citizen science projects and learn important research skills. Ocean First Dive shop offers a number of SSI scuba certifications courses that students may sign up for independently that do not require an expedition. Ocean First Education and Ocean First Institute also offer a multitude of non-diving marine science programming.
Make-up classroom sessions are $25/hr, make-up pool training sessions are $50/hr. Instructors will communicate with parents to schedule make-up sessions. If you know your child will miss a session, please communicate early.
The pace of the TIDES course is a bit slower to ensure younger learners have ample time to understand concepts and complete skills. TIDES courses also utilize more interactive, hands-on activities as well as contain in-depth marine science components that normal dive classes do not.
Absolutely! We have a number of virtual options available for our programs. For the Explorers program, students could complete classroom and pool training at a local dive shop in their area and meet us to complete their open water check out dives as a referral diver. Alternatively they could complete their full open water certification course at a local dive shop in their area and enter into the TIDES program as an Advanced Explorer. For all other experiences, students would take the classroom portion of the course virtually and meet us at the expedition location for confined water training, research activities, and open water diving.
The pricing for each experience varys by the course and attached expedition. All TIDES Direct courses include two scuba speciality certifications, one marine science short course, dive instructors, marine science educators, pool and classroom training, and all rental scuba equipment. The Explorers experience also includes a personal snorkel gear equipment package.
For the local trip in the Explorer course, we can schedule your student to do their open water checkout dives on the next Explorer course trip or your student could join one of the upcoming monthly trips for Ocean First dive shop. For all other experiences, your student would be eligible to join the next upcoming expedition for that experience.
Schools in our TIDES Academy program routinely utilize the program as a science credit or extracurricular activity. The TIDES Direct program is a direct to consumer program and credit for the course would be dependent on the school.
Not at this time.