An honest, no-pressure comparison from the PADI instructors at Scuba-Fun Dive Center in Key Largo — so you can choose the experience that actually fits your trip.
This is one of the most common questions we hear at Scuba-Fun — and it’s a genuinely good one. Both Try Scuba Diving and PADI Open Water Certification are excellent experiences, but they serve different goals, different schedules, and different levels of commitment. This guide walks through both options honestly, compares them directly, and helps you figure out which one makes sense for your trip to Key Largo. There’s no wrong answer — only the one that fits you best.
The Short Answer — Which Should You Choose?
If you have one day, Try Scuba. If you have two to three days and want to dive independently for the rest of your life, certify.
| Time needed | 1 day (approx. 8 hours) | 2–3 days + eLearning before arrival |
| Cost at Scuba-Fun | From $245 | From $679 |
| Certification outcome | None — experience only | Lifetime PADI card |
| Who’s with you | Instructor beside you at all times | Instructor-led |
| Max depth | 20–40 feet | 60 feet certified |
| Good for | First-timers, curious visitors, one-day trips | Anyone who wants to dive independently after |
| Study required | None | 8-10 hours PADI eLearning before arrival |
| Minimum age | 10 | 10 |
| Dives included | Up to 2 reef dives | 4 open water training dives |
| Book now | Book Try Scuba | Book Certification |
What Is Try Scuba Diving (Discover Scuba)?
A guided one-day introduction — no study, no certification, no commitment.
Try Scuba Diving — officially called the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program — is a single-day experience designed for people who have never dived before and want to find out what it feels like before committing to a full course. You don’t need to study anything in advance, you don’t earn a certification card, and you don’t need any prior experience.
At Scuba-Fun, the day unfolds like this:
Morning — Pool session (approx. 3 hours) Your instructor introduces the equipment, explains the basics, and gets you comfortable breathing underwater in the pool. You practice clearing your mask, equalising your ears, and moving underwater. Your instructor is in the water beside you the entire time.
Afternoon — Two reef dives You board the dive boat and head out to Key Largo’s coral reefs for two guided dives — typically in 20 to 40 feet of water. Your instructor stays right beside you throughout both dives.
What you leave with An extraordinary first experience, a memory you’ll talk about for years, and a clear sense of whether scuba diving is something you want to pursue further. No card, no certification — but absolutely a real dive on a real reef.
✔ No prerequisites ✔ No study required ✔ Pool + 2 reef dives ✔ All gear included ✔ From $245 ✔ Offered daily ✔ Ages 10+
What Is PADI Open Water Certification?
A lifetime diving licence earned over 2 to 3 days on Key Largo’s coral reefs.
The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world’s most recognised scuba certification — the starting point for virtually every recreational diver on the planet. Completing it gives you a certification card that never expires and is recognised by dive operators in every country in the world. Once you’re certified, you can dive independently with a buddy to 60 feet anywhere, any time.
At Scuba-Fun, the course works like this:
Before you arrive — PADI eLearning (8–10 hours) You complete all knowledge development and the course exam online before coming to Key Largo — at your own pace, on any device. This saves a full classroom day and means you spend more of your trip in the water.
In Key Largo — 2 or 3 days On the 3-day schedule: day one is a full day in the pool mastering all required skills. Days two and three are each a half-day of open water training dives on Key Largo’s coral reefs — four dives total.
On the 2-day schedule: pool skills in the morning, open water dives in the afternoon, both days.
What you leave with A PADI Open Water Diver certification card that never expires, recognised at dive centres worldwide. The freedom to dive independently with a buddy to 60 feet anywhere on the planet, forever.
✔ Lifetime certification — never expires ✔ Recognised worldwide ✔ 2 or 3-day flexible schedule ✔ Max 4 students per instructor at Scuba-Fun ✔ All gear included ✔ eLearning available before arrival ✔ From $679 ✔ Ages 10+
Try Scuba vs Open Water Certification — Detailed Comparison
Every factor that matters, compared directly.
Time commitment Try Scuba takes one day. Open Water Certification takes 2–3 days in Key Largo plus 6–8 hours of online study before you arrive. If you only have one day in Key Largo, Try Scuba is your only option. If you have two full days or more, certification is within reach.
Cost Try Scuba starts at $245 at Scuba-Fun. Open Water Certification is $679 and includes everything — eLearning, all gear rental, entry fees, charter fees, instruction, and certification. Try Scuba is the lower upfront cost, but the Open Water certification is the far better long-term investment — one price, unlimited diving for life.
What you get at the end Try Scuba leaves you with an experience and a memory. Open Water Certification leaves you with a PADI card that qualifies you to dive independently with a buddy to 60 feet anywhere in the world, forever. There is no expiry date.
Who’s with you underwater During Try Scuba, your instructor is beside you for every single moment underwater — you never dive without them. During Open Water certification training, your instructor teaches and supervises all skills and dives, but the goal of the course is to develop your independent capability. By the end, you’re a certified diver who can plan and execute dives without an instructor present.
Depth Try Scuba dives take place at 20–40 feet. Open Water certified divers can dive to 60 feet independently with a dive buddy.
Study required Try Scuba requires zero preparation. Open Water Certification requires completing PADI eLearning before your in-water sessions — approximately 8-10 hours of online study that most people complete over a few evenings at home before their trip.
Nervous about trying? Both options are designed for complete beginners. The difference is that Try Scuba removes all commitment — if you get in the water and decide scuba isn’t for you, the day ends and that’s completely fine. Certification is a more invested process — but one designed with the same patient, step-by-step approach from the ground up.
Choose Try Scuba Diving If…
Try Scuba is the right choice when any of these apply to you.
✔ You only have one day available in Key Largo
✔ You’re not sure yet whether scuba diving is for you
✔ You want to experience scuba before committing to certification
✔ You’re travelling with a partner or group and want a shared one-day experience
✔ You’re nervous and want to test the water — literally — before going further
✔ Budget is a primary consideration and $245 fits better than $679 right now
✔ You’ve been curious about scuba for years but never tried it
✔ You want a bucket-list underwater moment without a multi-day commitment
Try Scuba is not a lesser experience — it’s a different one. The reef is the same, the fish are the same, and the feeling of breathing underwater for the first time is something you’ll remember regardless of whether you have a certification card afterwards.
Choose Open Water Certification If…
Certification is the right choice when any of these apply to you.
✔ You have 2–3 days available in Key Largo
✔ You already know you want to dive and want the freedom to do it anywhere
✔ You’re planning future dive trips and need a certification card to participate
✔ You want to dive independently — without an instructor beside you on every dive
✔ You’re committed to making scuba a regular part of your travel and adventures
✔ You want to progress to Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver, or eventually Divemaster
✔ You’ve tried scuba before (anywhere — even Try Scuba) and already know you love it
✔ You’re travelling with a certified diver who you want to dive with independently
One important note: many of our students who came intending to just Try Scuba end up asking about certification the same day. If there’s any chance you’d want to dive again after your Key Largo trip, getting certified is almost always the better investment — the $679 cost is your entry to a lifetime of independent diving worldwide.
Can I Do Both — Try Scuba First, Then Certify Later?
Yes — and it’s one of the most natural progressions we see at Scuba-Fun.
Plenty of our certification students started with Try Scuba — either on a previous trip to Key Largo or right here, the day before.
What many people don’t realise is that a Discover Scuba Diving experience can count toward your full Open Water certification — but it isn’t automatic. You need to let your instructor know in advance so they can log the dives and sign off on your skills correctly. When credited, your Try Scuba day typically replaces your first confined water pool session and your first open water training dive.
Decided you want to certify after your Try Scuba day? You can keep going without going home.
Here’s how it works in practice:
- Day 1 — Try Scuba. If you love it and want to certify, tell us that evening. We’ll sort the eLearning access and get you started.
- That evening — Work through the first three chapters of the PADI eLearning on your phone or laptop. It takes a few hours.
- Days 2–4 — Your Open Water certification course. Your Try Scuba dives are already credited, so you’re not starting from scratch.
- Evening of Day 2 — Complete the remaining two eLearning chapters before Day 3.
We handle the eLearning enrolment, and students who convert from Try Scuba to Open Water receive a reduced rate on the certification — just ask us about current pricing when you’re ready.
One condition worth knowing: your Try Scuba dives count toward certification only if you complete the full Open Water course within 12 months.
If you think there’s any chance you’ll want to certify, mention it before your Try Scuba day even starts. It costs nothing to flag it early — and it means we log everything correctly from dive one.
