Tobermory Certification Weekend

Trip Report 2025: Tobermory June Certification

June Certification

This is a scuba certification weekend for Training Members of the “Learn to Scuba” course, referred to Blue North for NAUI certification. All your dives will be through Blue North Scuba Club with your own NAUI instructors, at Canada’s first National Marine Park, Fathom Five, “The Freshwater Diving and Shipwreck Capital of Canada”. Clear water, more than 20 historic shipwrecks, submerged geological formations, cliffs, caves and overhangs offer a variety of underwater experiences.

What is Blue North Scuba Club?

Blue North is the “preferred dive operator for HHUC.” Blue North Scuba Club was created specifically to provide a variety of open water diving experiences in Ontario, beyond the 100 km HHUC travel restriction, for our members and university divers and alumni who join Blue North. Your own course instructors will be leading the Open Water Training in Tobermory as qualified NAUI Instructors of Blue North Scuba Club to enable you to complete your NAUI Scuba Diver certification. The two separate clubs work in tandem to provide pool and open water scuba opportunities.

Membership in Blue North Scuba Club is part of your scuba certification package for additional diving and training opportunities this summer.

NAUI Scuba Certification

Your Blue North NAUI Instructors, Martin and Courtney, will fill you in on the skills and activities leading up to your certification. Tobermory is a unique location for certification dives with great visibility and interesting limestone ledges to explore on your Saturday shore dives at Lighthouse Point. Then on Sunday, you have the good fortune to experience scuba diving from a charter dive boat on some interesting shipwrecks in the area, suitable in depth to your level of experience. You’ll have a chance to practice both shore diving and boat diving entries and exits, buoyancy control and buddy awareness under the watchful eye of your knowledgeable instructors and assistants.

Checklist of Things To Do before the end of March

• Registration: Fill in the Certification Profile Form.
• Deposit Payment: $250 by eTransfer before the end of March to: bluenorthscuba@gmail.com
• Fathom Five Tag: The Fathom Five Diver Registration Form will be sent to you separately.
• OUC Release: If you haven’t signed the OUC Release for 2026, selecting BOTH clubs (Blue North AND HHUC), please do so before the end of March. Contact us if you do not know your official 2026 OUC number.
  Do not use last year’s OUC number, or a temp code such as 99999999. Otherwise you will have to re-sign.
• Equipment: Arrange for your scuba equipment, except tanks. (Note: Tanks are provided in Tobermory.) Your instructors will provide a checklist of scuba gear to bring, suitable for your certification dives, and let you know about equipment rental for HHUC members at Hart House.
• Accommodation: For two nights (Friday and Saturday), consider shared accommodation to reduce the cost.
  • Your Instructors may have a recommendation
  • and here are a few ideas for accommodations.
• Transportation: Carpooling is a great option — If you are driving, please offer a ride to your fellow divers on the scuba course WhatsApp. If you need a ride, check the scuba course WhatsApp.

Included in the Certification Fees:

• Tank Rentals,
• Air fills,
• Delivery of tanks to the Lighthouse parking lot on Saturday
• Fathom Five Park Dive Tag (required for all scuba divers by the national park),
• Picnic lunch on both days,
• Charter dive boat on Sunday,
• NAUI Certification Card,
• NAUI Instructors, qualified in-water assistants, and various on-shore support staff for the weekend,
• Diving Membership in Blue North Scuba Club for the rest of the year, which includes easy shore dives, boat dives, continuing scuba education, and additional training opportunities geared to newly certified divers.

Costs that Training Members are responsible for:

• Accommodation
• Parking – You must pay for parking at designated parking areas in town and at Lighthouse Point.
• Dinner – Saturday night with the group at a local restaurant – sample menu
• Equipment rental or purchase – BCD, Regulator, full wetsuit and weights – Your Instructor will provide you with a complete equipment list.
• Transportation – Transportation to Tobermory for the weekend, consider carpooling.
• Note: You do not have to bring tanks. Tanks and air fills will be provided.

Certification Weekend Dates and Times: Your instructors will provide info on exact times and locations to meet. On Sunday, the dive shop asks that you arrive at the dock 30-60 minutes prior to the boat departure for briefing and loading gear. Boats leave precisely on time! Don’t be left behind.

Blue North Divemasters / Instructors:

• Martin Bonert
• Courtney Gibson

Notes:

• Dives: Your diving includes four certification dives for Training Members including shore dives, boat dives and shipwrecks. Here’s a description of some of the possible dive sites and wrecks suitable for open water certification diving.
• Lunch: Your training staff will provide a picnic lunch for you on both days as part of your certification package.
• Dinner on Saturday evening: Everyone is invited to a group dinner at a local restaurant on Saturday. Everyone pays for their own dinner.

Location: Little Tub Harbour, Tobermory, ON.

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Dive Shop:

Dive Life Tobermory (formerly Divers Den)
3 Bay Street, Tobermory, ON N0H 2R0
(705) 351-2309 – call or text
https://www.divetobermory.ca/
info@DiveTobermory.ca

Air Fills:
Air fills after the Saturday dive will be taken care of by the dive shop located in Tobermory.

Directions to Tobermory:
From Wiarton, it’s straight up Hwy 6. Use a maps app on your phone such as Google Maps and search the address of your accommodation or the dive shop.

Tourist Sites of Interest to Divers:

.More touristing ideas

Club Policies
Blue North club policies.