What to Expect at Your First Scuba Class
Carolyn Bryan Jun 17, 2026
Your first pool session will feel a little strange. You are breathing underwater for the first time, and your brain needs a few minutes to accept that this is actually happening. That is completely normal, and it passes quickly.
Here is an honest picture of what your first class looks like, from the moment you walk in to the moment you get out of the water. For the full overview of the certification process, see our complete Denver scuba certification guide.
Before you arrive
You will have completed your online coursework before your first pool session. PADI's eLearning covers the basics of dive theory, equipment function, and safety procedures. Plan for 8 to 10 hours. Show up to your first pool session having finished it.
Bring a swimsuit, a towel, and any personal gear you have purchased (mask and fins if you have them). Everything else, including your regulator, BCD, wetsuit, weights, and tank, will be provided.
Eat something light beforehand. Not right before you get in the water, but do not show up hungry either.
Getting geared up
Your instructor will walk you through assembling your equipment before you get in the water. You will attach your regulator to your tank, connect your BCD, check that your air is on, and run through a basic pre-dive check with your buddy.
This process is slower the first time. That is by design. Your instructor is using this time to make sure you understand what each piece of gear does, not just how to click it together.
The full setup can take 20 to 30 minutes for new students. By session two or three, most students can gear up in under five minutes.
Getting in the water
Your first pool session starts in the shallow end, standing up with your head above water. Your instructor will have you put your regulator in your mouth and practice breathing while you are still standing. This sounds unnecessary until you realize it genuinely helps.
Then you kneel on the bottom of the shallow end with your head underwater. You breathe. Nothing happens. You keep breathing.
For most students, this is the moment the anxiety fades. You realize that the regulator works, the air tastes fine, and breathing underwater is surprisingly ordinary once you are doing it.
The skills you will practice
PADI Open Water confined water training covers 24 skills spread across five dives. Your first session typically covers five to eight of them. Here is what those early skills look like:
Regulator clearing and recovery
You will practice removing your regulator from your mouth underwater and putting it back in. Then you will practice what happens if it gets knocked out: you find it, clear it of water, and breathe from it again. This skill sounds alarming to describe but feels very manageable in practice.
Mask clearing
You will flood your mask with water and clear it by exhaling through your nose while tilting your head back slightly. Most students find this uncomfortable the first time and routine by the third.
Buoyancy control
You will practice inflating and deflating your BCD (buoyancy control device) to hover at a consistent depth. Neutral buoyancy, where you are neither sinking nor floating up, is the central skill of diving. You will work on it during every session for your entire diving life. Do not expect to nail it on day one.
Equalizing
As you descend, you will feel pressure in your ears. You equalize by pinching your nose and gently blowing, the same way you might clear your ears on an airplane. Some students get this immediately. Some need several attempts over multiple sessions. Tell your instructor if you are having trouble. There are techniques that help.
What your instructor is watching for
Your instructor is not trying to catch you failing. They are watching to see where you are comfortable and where you need more time. If a skill does not click, you will simply practice it again. There is no penalty for needing more repetitions.
What instructors do pay attention to is whether students are relaxed. A student who is tense and holding their breath underwater is a student who needs more time in the shallow end. That is not a failure. It is useful information that helps the instructor know how to support you.
How long is the session?
Plan for two to three hours for your first pool session, including gear setup, in-water skills, and debrief afterward. Later sessions may be shorter as you get faster at gearing up and move through skills more efficiently.
What most students say afterward
The most common thing students say after their first pool session is some version of: "That was less scary than I expected." The second most common is: "I cannot wait to come back."
By session two, most students show up noticeably more relaxed. By session three, most are having a genuinely good time.
Ready to book your first session?
See our current course schedule for upcoming pool session dates. You can also call us at 303.988.6725 with any questions before you sign up.
If you want to try it before committing to a full course, our PADI Discover Scuba session lets you breathe underwater in our pool with no certification required.
Underwater Phantaseas | PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center | Lakewood, CO | uwphantaseas.com
