Learn to dive in ALBUQUERQUE

You are ready to learn to dive. Small classes. Personalized attention. We teach at your pace. Learn more about our training process here.

Adventure ahead! CALL OR TEXT today: (505) 585-1648.

Open Water Certification

Learn to Dive the Right Way — From Your Very First Breath Underwater

Most dive shops teach you just enough to pass. You’re placed in a group of 8 to 12 students, rushed through a checklist of skills, and often over-weighted so it’s easier to stay on the bottom — not because you’ve learned to control your buoyancy.

THAT’S NOT HOW WE DO THINGS.

We train safe, skilled divers — not just cardholders.

Why Our Training Is Different

🚫 The Other Guys: The Fast-Food Model (a.k.a. the McDive Shop)
Cheap. Quick. Predictable. Like ordering a burger at McDonald’s — it’s the same everywhere, but it’s nothing special. The instructor probably won’t know your name, and although you’ll pass, you won’t feel truly ready.

✅ The High-End Experience (That’s Us)
Think of it like a fine restaurant — personal, thoughtful, and high-quality. You get real instruction, individual attention, and all the time you need to feel confident in the water.

What You Get in This Course

No more than 3 students per instructor — ever
50% more dive time than most entry-level courses
Neutral buoyancy training from day one — no shortcuts
Unlimited pool sessions until you’re ready, at no extra cost
Altitude Diver Specialty Certification included
First deep dive included (credit toward your Deep Diver course)

what you’ll learn

How to select, use, and care for your dive gear
Buoyancy control and efficient underwater movement
Problem-solving and emergency procedures
Dive planning, safety, and physiology
Underwater communication and teamwork
Specialty skills like altitude and deep diving
How to be a confident diver — not just a certified one

How You’ll Learn

Online Classes — Learn the basics at your own pace
Classroom Instruction — Dive into theory and dive science
Pool Training — Practice until your skills become second nature
Open Water Dives — Apply everything in real-world conditions

Our pool sessions are never rushed. You’ll get hours of practice in a small group setting, so you learn faster and build confidence that lasts.

Optional certifications available the same weekend:

Nitrox Diver
Computer Diver
Deep Diver Specialty

What to Expect from Open Water Dives

It’s not unusual for people to assume our divers have been certified for years — that’s how prepared they look in the water.

Course Prerequisites

Minimum age: 12
Ability to swim 200 meters
Ability to float or tread water for 10 minutes

Take this quiz:

- Step 1 of 2

What best classifies your interest in diving? *

I'm just exploring my options.
I'm thinking about diving, but I'm not sure I'll like it.
I'm ready to sign up to scuba dive!

What diving experience do you have? *

I am certified.
Certified, but no dives in the last 6 months.
Not certified

Refreshers are no problem!

We are happy to get you back in peak shape to dive. Just fill out your contact information below, or call us or email us and let's go diving!

You don't need this form. come dive with us!

If you're certified and you're thinking about taking classes with us there's no better way to figure our if we're right for you. We try to get to Blue Hole at least once a month to dive for fun, and if we have a class going on, you're welcome to come and hang out!

We will always find you a buddy to dive with, and if we can't find someone (even if we are teaching!) we'll buddy with you.

99 percent of the time, our calendar is correct, but it doesn't have fun dive weekends included, so just call us or email us and let's go diving!

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Phone *

Can you come to Albuquerque for training? *

Maybe our training isn't right for you, but check out our shop for some great deals on equipment (including used and demo gear)!

Also, check out some of our blog posts about the scuba industry and scuba instruction.

Keep shopping around, and keep us in mind for future classes! Sometimes what you think you want when you start out doesn't work out so well. If that's the case for you. Come back and see us again!

What option is your highest priority for your training? *

Low Priced Training
High-Quality Training
Fast Training

It's not you, it's us.

We aren't the kind of shop that lures people in with gimmicks like "GET CERTIFIED TODAY FOR ONLY $99!"

Why? Because we pay our instructors to teach. "Discount" dive shops are going to hard sell you on equipment that's wildly overpriced (that's where they get their money - retail sales) and they pay their instructors poorly (we used to make less than minimum wage teaching for one of those shops!).

We formed Viking Dives because we hate that model. We pay our instructors a professional wage, and frankly, do you want to learn to operate life support equipment in an alien environment from someone who could be making more money flipping hamburgers?

We will sell you equipment, but we don't hard sell anything. We teach you how to avoid being ripped off in the future, and if we don't carry something that's right for you, we will help you find it. We'd rather have your trust and lose a sale.

Let me say that again: We value your trust, and we will help you get the right equipment and training, even if we don't sell it ourselves.

If you are going to "go cheap" on your training, do yourself a favor and look at our blog posts about the scuba industry and scuba instruction.

Even if we aren't a great fit, we want you to be successful as a diver and we have a few tips to help you make informed decisions!

Keep shopping around and keep us in mind for future classes! Sometimes what you think you want when you start out, doesn't work out so well. If that's the case for you. Come back and see us again!

Speed is of the essence!

Did you lose your wedding ring at the boat dock? Going on vacation next Friday and you've scheduled a dive next Saturday, but you aren't certified? We can run a private class for you, right now.

There's a saying, "Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick any two..." We don't mind saying we're good, and you want fast. That means not cheap, but hey, you were there already. Since time is of the essence here, get on the phone and call us at (505) 585-1648. We will take care of you, without compromising our standards or your safety.*

*Paying for dive training isn't a guarantee of certification. We're pretty good at getting our students to an acceptable level of competence in a short amount of time, but we can't and won't certify a student unless we'd let them dive with our loved ones.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Phone

Sign me up for the newsletter! (Occasional News, Training Tips and Discounts)

When you learn to dive, your instructor matters a lot. Would you like to know and speak with your instructor before you sign up for the course? *

Yes, I'd like to make sure that my instructor and I will be able to work well together.
No, I'm ok with anyone.

You want a deal, we get it

The problem with cheap scuba courses is they only cover the very basics, they are boring and you don't get any individual attention. You won't be just a number with our shop. We don't "go cheap" on your training, but we try to save you money in the long run by offering you options for equipment that will last you a lifetime.

We know that if you're well-trained, you'll enjoy diving more.

Call us at (505) 585-1648. We can talk about your individual needs. If you decide we aren't right for you, we'll even recommend other shops to you!

Take a look at our blog posts about the scuba industry and scuba instruction. Even if we aren't a great fit, we want you to be successful as a diver and we have a few tips to help you make informed decisions!

Thinking about diving gives me anxiety.

True
False

I cannot swim.

True
False

I'm afraid of the water.

True
False

I'm not sure I'll like scuba diving.

True
False

Would you be interested in learning more about pay-as-you-go options or group discounts? *

How often do you see yourself diving after you are certified? *

This is a one-time thing. It is on my bucket list, but I probably won't dive again.
Once or twice a year, mostly on vacation.
I want to dive regularly, at home and abroad.

Pay-As-You-Go

Pay-as-you-go starts with signing up for eLearning.

Once you've finished with eLearning, you'll pay $200 for your pool sessions, and then the remainder of the price of the course (about $158.84...) before you go to your open water sessions.*

You can get started right now by signing up at this link. You'll receive your eLearning course and you can start right now!

Group Discounts

If you're signing up a group of 2 or more, call us or email us and we can offer you a group discount!

*Pay-as-you-go works for all our classes, but the prices above are for the Open Water Scuba Diver course.

It sounds like you are a good candidate for a discover scuba experience!

Not everyone can be sure they want to commit to a full class right away. We think you'd be better off taking a short class and then coming to the pool where you can get a taste of scuba diving! We will have a short class and then teach you a couple of skills then you can try out diving. If you like it, we'll send you another coupon for $49.99 off your open water course, so really there's no cost for trying scuba out. That's a pretty good deal!

You can't swim! We've got you covered.

As Rudy likes to say, "Scuba ain't swimming!" That being said, you do need to be able to swim to pass through your open water course.

Usually, we can get you swimming well enough to pass the course during our pool sessions. You won't look like Michael Phelps in the water, but once you learn how to float, moving through the water is a piece of cake!

If you're really worried about your swimming, give us a call, we can set up a private session for you. We promise we will make you comfortable in the water!

You seem like a good candidate for a private class, or some one-on-on time with an instructor.

Fear of the water or bad instruction can really sour a scuba experience. At Viking Dives, we LOVE working with people like you.

That's not hyperbole. We got into this business because we wanted to share our love of diving with others, and as instructors, the most rewarding classes we teach are for people like you. Taking someone who is afraid of the water, or someone whose instructor did something to make them afraid to dive and giving that person the time and space to grow into someone who loves the underwater world is incredibly rewarding for us. We have a lot of experience working with folks just like you.

Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner.

We are a perfect match! Your choices match up with our philosophy, so let's get started!

Enter your info below and we will reach out to you, or just call or text us at (505) 585-1648 or email us at info@vikingdives.com.

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Phone *

How do you prefer to be contacted?

Text Message
Telephone Call
Email

Ready to Get Started?

Start your dive journey today.
Click the button below to learn more about our flexible, pay-as-you-go options or to enroll now.

Start Now

Click Here to learn more about pay-as-you-go options.

Questions? You can call or email us!

*Our average dive is more than 30 minutes and standard training dives can be as short as 20 minutes, but individual dives vary.

Learn to dive in ALBUQUERQUE

Open Water Certification

Learn to Dive the Right Way — From Your Very First Breath Underwater

Why Our Training Is Different

What You Get in This Course

what you’ll learn

How You’ll Learn

What to Expect from Open Water Dives

Course Prerequisites

Refreshers are no problem!

You don't need this form. come dive with us!

Maybe our training isn't right for you, but check out our shop for some great deals on equipment (including used and demo gear)!

It's not you, it's us.

Speed is of the essence!

You want a deal, we get it

Pay-As-You-Go

Group Discounts

It sounds like you are a good candidate for a discover scuba experience!

You can't swim! We've got you covered.

You seem like a good candidate for a private class, or some one-on-on time with an instructor.

Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner.

Ready to Get Started?

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