Frequently Asked Questions
What is a certification?
In order for you to rent equipment and get airfills, you must be a certified diver. This means that you have gone through at least the Open Water class through any dive agency (PADI, NAUI, etc).How can I get certified?
SCVT offers classes through out each semester ranging from the initial Open Water class through Divemaster. Please refer to our classes page for further class information. To see when these classes are offered, please refer to our calendar. Note that our calendar lists items such as OW-A. This is our designation for Open Water class A (the first of the semester). AOW refers to Advanced Open Water.How do I join the club?
Go to the SCUBA Room in War Memorial Gym during scheduled gear hours (typically Mon-Fri, 5-6 pm).There you should be greeted by someone who will happily give you a membership form to fill out.
However, in order to join the club you must be a certified diver, and also be affiliated with VA Tech.
What are the Benefits of joining SCVT?
There are many reasons to become a member of SCVT.
High on the list include:
- joining is cheap!! ($20/semester or $35/full year)
- cheap gear rentals
- free airfills
- lots of dive buddies
- knowledge of local dive sites
- social events
- trips
- advance notice of upcoming courses
Where do you go diving?
Many of the SCVT members choose to dive in the New River. Some favorite spots are the 114 Bridge aka the Pepper's Ferry Bridge, and the "Whirlhole".If you are willing to drive a few hours some good spots include:
- South Holsten Dam in TN (just don't get too close to the generators if they are running)
- Bluestone Quarry in Thomasville, NC (also becoming a popular place for OW classes)
- Fantasy Lake in NC, near Raleigh-Durham

