Academy
Programs
We have thirty years providing recreational diving training and instruction, and we are pioneers in Venezuela in conducting technical diving programs.
Academy
Our Academy
We have thirty years providing recreational diving training and instruction, and we were pioneers in Venezuela in conducting technical diving programs.
We offer recreational diving, technical diving, rebreather, hyperbaric chamber and dive instructor course programs.
Programs
Recreational Diving Programs
- Discover Scuba Diving
- Open Water Diver
- Advanced Open Water Diver
- Rescue Diver
- Dive Master
- Assistant Instructor
- Side Mount and Nitrox
- Deep and Wreck Diving
- Night Diving
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
Discover Scuba Diving is the introductory experience to scuba diving.
It is ideal for those who want to try what it feels like to breathe underwater without needing a full certification.
It takes place in a pool or in calm waters under the direct supervision of a professional instructor.
What does this experience include?
E-learning code for PADI DSD
Simple confined water exercises, such as breathing with the regulator and clearing your mask.
A supervised mini-dive where you can explore the underwater environment up to a maximum depth of 12 meters.
Who can participate?
People aged 10 and older (in most cases).
No previous diving experience required.
You just need to know how to swim and be in good physical condition.
Scan the QR code in the second photo and start with us TODAY!
From $90
This course is the first step toward obtaining a limited certification. It allows you to dive under the direct supervision of a PADI professional up to a maximum depth of 12 meters (40 feet).
Practical Training
To get certified, you must complete:
• 3 Confined Water Sessions (pool): Where you will learn basic safety skills and equipment handling in a controlled environment.
• 2 Open Water Dives: Your first real experience in the sea or lakes! Here you will put into practice what you learned in the pool.
Theory and Requirements
• Knowledge development: You must complete the first 3 of the 5 chapters of the manual (or e-learning).
• Minimum age: 10 years old (Junior Scuba Diver).
From $260
The Advanced Open Water Diver is a diving certification that allows divers to improve their skills and explore new underwater experiences, up to 30 meters deep.
It is the next level after Open Water Diver and is designed to expand knowledge and confidence underwater. It is ideal for those who want to improve their technique and access more challenging dives.
What will you learn in this course?
• You will experience five adventure dives, each focused on a specific skill.
• You will learn to improve your underwater navigation and deep diving techniques.
• You will experience three additional dives, which may include buoyancy, night diving, wreck diving, or species identification.
From $350
The Rescue Diver is an advanced diving certification that teaches divers how to prevent and manage emergencies underwater.
It is a course designed to improve safety and confidence in diving.
What will you learn in this course?
• You will learn to recognize and respond to diving emergencies.
• You will learn about oxygen administration in an emergency case.
• You will learn to manage accidents and solve common problems with diving equipment.
• You will learn to rescue divers in distress, both on the surface and underwater.
• You will learn to improve navigation and underwater safety techniques.
This course is an essential requirement for more professional levels such as Divemaster or Diving Instructor.
It is also an excellent option for any diver who wants to improve their skills and be prepared to help other divers in case of an emergency.
From $400
PADI Divemaster: Lead the Adventure!
Are you passionate about diving and want to share it with the world? The PADI Divemaster course is the first step in your professional career. You will learn to be a mentor, a guide, and a leader underwater.
What will you achieve?
Upon certification, you will be qualified to:
• Guide: Organize and lead recreational dives.
• Assist: Help PADI Instructors in training courses.
• Lead: Conduct programs such as ReActivate and Skin Diver.
• Manage: Support logistics and safety at dive centers.
Requirements to start
Before diving into the professional level, make sure you meet:
1. Age: Minimum 18 years old.
2. Certifications: PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent).
3. Experience: At least 40 logged dives to start (60 to certify).
4. Health: Medical clearance for diving (last 12 months).
5. First Aid: Current EFR (Primary and Secondary Care) course within the last 24 months.
From $800
The Assistant Instructor course is the next step in a diver's professional career after becoming a Divemaster.
This certification allows you to begin teaching diving under the supervision of an instructor and gain teaching experience before becoming a Certified Scuba Instructor.
What will you learn in this course?
• Teaching and communication techniques.
• Organization and supervision of diving activities.
• Practical skills and diving theory.
• You will obtain preparatory training for the full Instructor Development Course (IDC).
What can you do as an Assistant Instructor?
• Teach diving theory in courses such as Open Water Diver under indirect supervision.
• Conduct confined water sessions and assist in open water.
• Teach courses such as Project AWARE and Peak Performance Buoyancy.
• Supervise programs such as Discover Scuba Diving in pools or confined water.
• Evaluate surface skills in entry-level courses.
Assistant Instructors are among the most sought-after diving professionals in the world because they have completed a program that sets the standards for diving training professionals.
Side Mount is a diving configuration where the tanks are placed on the sides of the body, instead of on the back as in the traditional Back Mount system.
This technique originated in cave diving and confined spaces. However, it is also used in recreational diving for its multiple advantages.
Benefits:
• Greater comfort and freedom of movement, especially in tight spaces.
• Better weight distribution, which reduces strain on the back.
• Easier access to valves and regulators, improving safety.
• Flexible configuration, ideal for divers with mobility issues or those seeking a more customized experience.
What will you learn in this course?
• You will learn how to assemble and adjust Side Mount equipment.
• Entry and exit techniques with this configuration.
• Buoyancy and trim control with side-mounted cylinders.
• Emergency procedures specific to Side Mount.
This diving style is very popular among those who want to do long or technical dives, as it allows you to carry more gas comfortably.
Requirements: PADI Open Water or equivalent.
3 Open Water dives.
From $250
The Deep Diver is a specialized diving certification that allows divers to safely explore depths of up to 40 meters.
Deep diving is ideal for exploring shipwrecks, underwater canyons, and unique ecosystems.
This course teaches advanced techniques to manage the risks associated with deep diving, such as nitrogen narcosis and air supply management.
What will you learn in this course?
• Deep dive planning and safety considerations.
• Proper use of specialized equipment for deep diving.
• Descent and ascent techniques to minimize risks.
• Management of nitrogen narcosis, an effect that can alter perception and judgment underwater.
• Air supply management.
The Night Diver specialty lets you discover the underwater world from a completely different perspective: at night. When the sun goes down, many marine creatures change their behavior, and the environment transforms into a mysterious and fascinating scene.
What will you learn in this course?
• Night navigation.
• Orientation using compasses and natural references in the dark.
• Lighting techniques: proper use of flashlights to communicate and explore safely.
• Nocturnal marine life behavior: you will observe species that only emerge at night.
• Adaptability in darkness: how to handle reduced visibility and stay calm.
• Organizing safe and effective night dives.
If you have ever wondered what happens underwater after sunset, this specialty is for you!
Peak Performance Buoyancy is a specialty course designed to improve divers' buoyancy control.
Buoyancy is a key skill in diving, as it allows the diver to move easily underwater and conserve tank air.
What will you learn in this course?
• Correct adjustment of your diving equipment to achieve perfect balance.
• Determining the proper weight for your body and equipment, to avoid sinking or floating too much.
• Advanced techniques for buoyancy control, such as efficient movement and the ability to stay suspended in the water effortlessly.
• Marine ecosystem protection.
Peak Performance Buoyancy is a different diving experience.
Programs
Technical Diving Programs
Technical Diving is Orcas Dive Shop's specialty dedicated to those seeking to go beyond the limits of recreational diving. We have advanced training programs in extended depths, use of gas mixtures such as Nitrox, Trimix and Heliox, cave and wreck diving, as well as planned decompression procedures, training and instruction in the use of closed circuit rebreathers. Our highly qualified instructors provide the training, equipment and safety necessary so that every diver can explore new environments with confidence and professionalism.
- Discover Tec
- Tec Basics
- Tec Side Mount
- Tec 40, 45 y 50
- Tec Trimix
- Gas Blender
PADI Discover Tec is an experience designed for recreational divers to dip their toes into Technical Diving (Tec). Here you not only swim, but learn to handle specialized equipment and procedures that allow you to go beyond conventional limits.
What will you experience?
• Specialized Equipment: You will use a backmount (twinset) or sidemount configuration. You will learn what all those hoses and regulators are for.
• Precision Buoyancy: You will practice much stricter hydrodynamic and buoyancy control techniques than in recreational diving.
• Tec Procedures: Introduction to gas planning and how to manage equipment failures underwater.
• Controlled Environment: The experience takes place in a pool or in open water with pool-like conditions, so you can focus 100% on the skills.
Requirements
• Certification: You must be a PADI Open Water Diver (or equivalent from another organization).
• Experience: Minimum of 10 logged dives.
• Minimum age: 18 years old.
From $120
Designed for divers who want to gain experience and develop skills with technical diving equipment configurations, while focusing on their buoyancy and trim.
It consists of two knowledge development segments, one practical application session, and two no-stop dives.
Tec Basics is a multi-purpose course that focuses on orientation to new diving equipment, technical diving skills, and techniques.
It is an optional level that can help divers explore new equipment configurations and refine their fundamental skills before moving on to the Tec 40 Diver course.
This course is also useful for technical divers who may need a refresher or orientation to a new diving equipment configuration.
From $200
Using more than one tank has become increasingly popular in technical diving.
With the Tec Sidemount Diver course, you can apply what you learn to other TecRec courses.
Sidemount is an increasingly popular way to configure multiple cylinders for technical diving.
Tec 40, 45, and 50 Programs: Your path in technical diving.
Tec 40: Designed for the diver transitioning from recreational to technical diving. You will qualify to perform limited decompression dives up to 40 meters/130 feet and use up to 50% oxygen as a decompression gas. The course consists of seven knowledge development sections, four practical application sessions, and four training dives.
Tec 45: Extends your depth limit to 45 meters/150 feet. You will learn to plan and conduct single and repetitive decompression dives using a single decompression cylinder with up to 100% oxygen.
Tec 50: The ceiling of technical diving with air. Perform dives up to 50 meters (165 feet). Learn to use two different gases (EANx and/or Oxygen) to accelerate decompression.
We are the only PADI center in Venezuela that allows you to complete these programs using Helium, Nitrogen, and Oxygen mixtures (Tri-Mix).
From $450
Tec Trimix Programs: Exploring beyond the limits.
Tec Trimix 65: The first step in the world of Trimix (mixture of Helium, Oxygen, and Nitrogen). Up to 65 meters (210 feet) using mixtures with 18% or more oxygen.
Tec Trimix Diver: The pinnacle of technical training. You will train to descend to 75-90 meters (245-300 feet) using hypoxic Trimix mixtures. Includes planning and execution of extremely long and complex decompression profiles with multiple stops.
We are the only PADI center in Venezuela that can train you in this area.
Tec Trimix 65 from $599
Tec Trimix Diver from $900
What does the program consist of?
The course trains you to be the trusted person behind gas blending. You will learn to prepare enriched air mixtures (Nitrox) and, optionally, helium-based mixtures (Trimix), using different filling methods.
Training Scope
In this course you will develop critical skills for technical diving safety:
• Mixing Methods: You will master partial pressure, continuous blending system, and membrane use.
• Oxygen Handling: You will learn to handle pure O₂ safely (a mistake here can be explosive!).
• Oxygen Cleaning: You will know which equipment requires special cleaning and how to perform it.
• Regulations and Standards: You will learn local and international regulations for cylinder filling.
• Precision Calculations: You will learn to use formulas (or software) to obtain the exact mixture the technical diver needs.
Requirements to enroll
• Minimum age: 18 years old.
• Previous certification: Be a PADI Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) or have an equivalent certification from another organization.
• Willingness to learn: No dives required, so it is conducted entirely in a classroom or service workshop.
Being a Gas Blender makes you a key asset for any technical diving center or expedition. It is the logical step if you want to work in the industry or simply want to understand what is exactly inside your tank before descending to 50 meters.
Programs
Other training programs
In our advanced training you can specialize in wreck diving (Technical Wreck), as well as in the use of Megalodon and Prism 2 Rebreathers at levels 2 through 5. We also offer training as a Gas Blender in continuous mixes, along with visual cylinder inspection and preparation as a hyperbaric chamber operator, ensuring complete and highly technical instruction.
- › Wreck Diving (Technical Wreck)
- › Megalodon Rebreathers (Level 2-5)
- › Prism 2 Rebreathers (Level 2-5)
- › Gas Blender (continuous mix)
- › Visual Cylinder Inspection
- › Hyperbaric Chamber Operator
The Wreck Diver course is a diving specialty that trains divers to explore wrecks (ships, airplanes, cars, or submerged structures) safely and responsibly.
There are two main types of wreck diving:
• Non-penetration: exploring the exterior of the wreck.
• Limited penetration: entering safe interior areas, always within the "light zone" and with proper training.
What will you learn in this course?
• Navigation and buoyancy techniques specific to diving around submerged structures.
• Risk assessment and how to avoid hazards during dives: entanglements, unstable structures, or reduced visibility.
• Use of reels and guide lines, especially if limited penetration inside the wreck is performed.
• Safety and conservation rules, to protect both the diver and the environment.
Each wreck dive offers an opportunity to discover and unravel a mystery or contemplate something lost.
Extras
Especialidades y certificaciones
Underwater photography is a fascinating discipline that combines the art of capturing images with the adventure of exploring the underwater world.
Whether freediving, snorkeling, or scuba diving, this specialty allows you to document marine ecosystems, wildlife, wrecks, and underwater landscapes with a unique and different perspective.
What makes it special?
• Challenging conditions: Light behaves differently underwater, colors are lost with depth, and visibility can vary. This requires mastering specific lighting and composition techniques.
• Specialized equipment: Waterproof cameras, external lights, macro or wide-angle lenses, and buoyancy systems are used.
• Technique and buoyancy: To achieve sharp and well-composed images, the photographer must have excellent buoyancy control and move smoothly to avoid disturbing the environment or scaring marine species.
Requirements: PADI OWD or equivalent.
2 open water dives.
From $190
The Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver certification allows divers to use oxygen-enriched air, known as Nitrox.
Features:
• Longer bottom time: Since Nitrox has less nitrogen than regular air, you can stay underwater longer without exceeding decompression limits.
• Less fatigue: Because the body absorbs less nitrogen, post-dive fatigue is reduced.
• Shorter surface intervals: By reducing the amount of nitrogen in the body, divers can do repetitive dives with less waiting time between them.
• Greater safety: By decreasing nitrogen absorption, the risk of decompression sickness is reduced.
It is one of the most popular PADI specialties, as it is required for diving in many dive destinations and liveaboards.
Requirements: PADI OWD or equivalent.
2 dives (optional)
From $180
Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) is the professional level that allows you to teach and certify divers at all recreational levels, from Discover Scuba Diving to Divemaster.
It is the definitive step to becoming a diving educator and turning your passion into a career.
What does being an OWSI involve?
• Conducting full courses such as Open Water Diver, Advanced, Rescue, and specialties.
• Evaluating and certifying students, both in theory and practical skills.
• Guiding dives and training new diving professionals.
• Inspiring and leading others, being a role model in safety, technique, and marine conservation.
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