Referral Dives and Checkout Dives in Cozumel
Course at a Glance
Price
$380 USD – SSI or PADI
Duration
Minimum 2 days
What's Included
Gear rental, all boat and training dives, Marine Park fee
Number of Dives
4 open water certification dives
Prerequisites
Completed theory and confined water training with an SSI or PADI instructor at home referral paperwork required
Who It's For
Students who completed classroom and pool training at their home dive shop and want to finish their certification in Cozumel
Important
Must have referral letter from your home instructor contact Pelagic Ventures before booking
Finish Your Open Water Certification in Cozumel
A referral dive also called a checkout dive or course completion dive is for divers who have completed the academic and confined water portions of their Open Water certification at a dive shop back home, and want to do their four open water checkout dives somewhere worth doing them.
Doing your checkout dives for scuba diving in cozumel instead of a local lake or quarry is a straightforward decision for anyone planning a trip here. You earn exactly the same certification at the end. The difference is what you see on those four dives.
How the Referral Process Works
Step 1
Complete the theory (knowledge development) and confined water dives at your home dive shop. Your home instructor issues a referral letter or referral form confirming what you have completed.
Step 2
Book your referral dives with Pelagic Ventures in advance, and send through your referral paperwork. Pelagic Ventures needs to confirm your training is complete and compatible before you arrive.
Step 3
Arrive in Cozumel. Your instructor reviews your skills briefly before beginning the open water dives this is standard practice, not a retest.
Step 4
Complete four open water certification dives over two days. Dives progress in depth and complexity to the Open Water maximum of 18 metres / 60 feet.
Step 5
Your certification is processed by Pelagic Ventures through your chosen agency (PADI or SSI). You leave Cozumel as a certified Open Water Diver.
Important - Agency Compatibility
Your referral must be completed with the same agency you started with. If you began your course with a PADI instructor at home, your checkout dives at Pelagic Ventures are completed as PADI. If you started with SSI, the checkout is SSI. This is an agency rule, not a Pelagic Ventures policy.
Pelagic Ventures offers both PADI and SSI so regardless of which agency you started with, we can complete your certification. Confirm your agency and referral paperwork before booking.
What the Checkout Dives Look Like
Four dives over a minimum of two days. The first dives are at shallower depths, allowing your instructor to confirm that the confined water skills you learned at home transfer correctly to open water conditions. Skills such as mask clearing, regulator recovery, and controlled ascent are demonstrated during these dives.
As skills are confirmed, the dives progress toward the Open Water maximum depth of 18 metres / 60 feet. The final dives are the most rewarding you have demonstrated the required skills, your instructor is confident in your abilities, and you are diving a Cozumel reef in the same conditions as fully certified guests.
All checkout dives are conducted by boat, with all gear provided. The Marine Park fee is included.
Frequently Asked Questions
You need a referral form or referral letter from your home instructor confirming that you have completed the theory and confined water components of the Open Water course. The exact format varies by agency your home instructor will know what to provide. Send a copy to Pelagic Ventures before your trip so they can confirm everything is in order.
Most agencies have a time limit for how long referral training remains valid before it needs to be repeated. PADI and SSI referrals are typically valid for 12 months from the date of the confined water training. If it has been longer than that, contact your home instructor about what refresher, if any, is required before completing the open water dives.
Referral dives require advance booking and paperwork confirmation before arrival. Unlike a standard fun dive, Pelagic Ventures needs to review your referral documentation before confirming the booking. Contact as early as possible at least several days before your planned dive dates.
If a skill is not demonstrated to the required standard during the checkout dives, the instructor will work with you on it before the certification is processed. The goal is to leave Cozumel certified not to send students home without their card on a technicality. If genuinely more time is needed, the schedule is adjusted.
Ready to enquire about referral or checkout dives?
Contact Paulino and Mary Cozumel’s most experienced small-group dive operation since 1994. Marine Park fee always included. Gear rental included in course price.