Category Archives: Carousel

If you are a diver in the local area we would like to get to know you!  We don’t have a dive shop in town anymore (although that may be about to change) and we are challenged by the very fluid population in Del Rio of likely divers.  Getting together, however, is a way to get to know other divers, their experiences and share diving opportunities here.  We have Lake Amistad and San Felipe Creek for local diving, but depending on your willingness to drive, there are other places worth checking out, too: Chalk Bluff, Frio River, Balmorhea State Park, just to name a few.  Although very informal, the Del Rio Dive Club meetings serve as a chance for divers and non-divers alike to gather, share, ask questions and enjoy a bite to eat.  We typically meet at Rudy’s Restaurant for some great barbecue 7pm on the third Thursday of each month.  This is our opportunity for local divers to plan more activities and do more DIVING!  You don’t have to be a diver to come out and have a good time.  Maybe you’ll even get the bug for it just by hanging around us!  Don’t forget to like our Facebook page so you can keep up with what’s going on.  Sadly, there has not been much interest in the past year, and a meeting of one or two isn’t productive.  If we see more activity happening on our Facebook page we will spin meetings back up.  All too often we run into certified divers who move to the area but have sold their gear because they either didn’t know there was diving here or simply aren’t interested in fresh water diving.  All we can say is: A C-card means you can dive, but diving makes you a diver!

Although not official a part of the Del Rio Dive Club, scuba diving certification is available locally.  Robert Wade is a certified instructor with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), #234370, and has been teaching classes including Basic Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and Divemaster since 2008.  An avid diver since 1985, Robert (aka ScubaDog) has consistently maintained the high standards of the PADI curriculum while keeping the classes fun and interesting.  His primary motivation for teaching scuba diving has always been to share wonder and excitement of the sport with anyone willing to try.  Classes are structured to give students plenty of self-study time and then maximizing value with the in-class and in-water portions.

A regular course schedule has not been planned for 2024 due to the extremely low lake conditions. Lake Amistad continues to drop and the visibility has remained pretty steady at zero. Recreational diving is supposed to be fun and relaxing, and most students have significant anxiety mastering skills in open water when conditions are this adverse. As a result, we must limit class sizes to two and students must already be very comfortable in open water.

If you have considered the challenges, conditions and risks and are still interested feel free to contact us to work out a schedule.  While PADI’s eLearning option for the academics portion is now the primary method to get started, you can also choose to accomplish the academics via DVD & workbook followed by evening classroom review & tests. Once the academic portion is complete you will accomplish the practical application in a pool and open water.

Basic Open Water classes are $325 per person or $425 for private instruction.  This price includes the eLearning academics or student Open Water Pak (workbook, dive tables (aka Recreational Dive Planner) logbook, instructional DVD, the formal instruction) and use of a BC (buoyancy compensator), pressure gauge & dive computer console, tanks and weights.  Students must supply their own personal gear: wetsuit, boots, mask, fins, snorkel and submersible watch.  Students must also be able to swim 200 meters (any style or styles, not in a wetsuit) or 300 meters with mask and fins and tread water for 10 minutes.  After successfully completing all required course objectives students will be given a signed temporary certification card with their permanent card to arrive typically 2-3 weeks later.  Newly-certified divers are encouraged to dive as often as possible after getting certified in order to build more confidence in the fresh dive skills.  NOTE: If you have completed the PADI eLearning portion with another instructor or dive shop please bring your documentation to complete the in-water portion of the course, the cost is $240.

Prior to considering taking the course you should download the following documents: http://www.delriodiveclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/THINGSTOKNOW.pdf and http://www.delriodiveclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Diver_Medical_Participant_Questionnaire_2022_02_1.pdf.  The first document provides more depth and detail to the requirements of the course, format of the instruction and my personal notes.  The second document is a Medical Statement that you’ll need to fill out.  In some cases you may find that a physician is needed to evaluate your specific condition and make a determination if it is safe for you to dive.  As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Note for classes that happen to be held in April/May: The water temps are typically still quite chilly–70 at the surface, upper 50’s at depth.  You will need, at a minimum, a 5mm full wetsuit.