Open Water is the entry level certification for SCUBA diving. Most YMCA Open Water courses consist of 32 hours of classroom and pool instruction followed by a weekend of open water dives. Prerequisites include: Medical Questionnaire or doctor's approval; swim 300 yards, stay afloat for 15 minutes, and swim underwater 50 feet. Before participating in the open water dives you must pass an written exam and be able to perform the required pool proficiency skills. The open water dives consist of a minimum of one skin dive and four SCUBA dives.