Open Water Diver



Discover the beauty of the Ocean



PADI Open Water Diver is the first recreational scuba certification level.  A highly-trained PADI Instructor will teach you to scuba dive in a relaxed, supportive learning environment. By the end of the course, you'll have the skills and knowledge to dive at home or abroad and be an ambassador for the underwater world.


About the Course

Learn about scuba diving principles and terminology, then learn basic scuba skills in a pool with a highly trained PADI Instructor. When you're ready, make four dives in an open water environment with your instructor supporting you every step of the way.


Take this course if you want to:

  • Explore the other 70 percent of our planet
  • Support ocean protection
  • See things you've never seen before
  • Learn from a scuba diving expert
  • Hold the world's most recognised scuba certification
​


You will learn how to:

  • Be a confident and skilled diver
  • Assemble and use scuba gear
  • Manage your buoyancy
  • Respectfully approach marine life
  • Handle common problems


How to earn your Open Water Certification

Independent Learning

Step 1  PADI eLearning

PADI eLearning makes it easy to fit scuba lessons into a busy schedule. Learn about scuba diving principles and terminology whenever, wherever it's convenient for you.

 

Study offline, or online using a computer or mobile device. Connect with your instructor whenever you have a question.

 

  • eLearning time commitment: 5-10 hours


At the Dive Centre

Step 2  With Your Instructor


During your orientation session at the dive centre you will get fitted with the very latest dive gear to use during your course, then move on to the pool to practice using scuba gear until you're comfortable. PADI training includes practice "mini dives" to help you build confidence in your new abilities.

  • Prerequisites: Able to swim; medically fit for diving
  • Time commitment: 2 days
  • Minimum age: 10 years or older
  • Depth: swimming pool up to 3m


At the Open Water Site

Step 3  With Your Instructor


You will spend two days at an open water dive site, putting into practice the skills you have mastered in the swimming pool, and exploring the exciting attractions and interesting life below the water.

​

  • Time commitment: 2 days
  • Total time commitment: 4 days
  • Depth: expect shallow dives (12m), the maximum allowed depth is 18m


Additional Requirements

Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving.

​

Avoid disappointment, download and review the Diver Medical form to ensure you won’t need a physician’s approval to dive before enrolling in a scuba course. Instructors, divemasters and dive shop staff are not physicians and should not be asked for medical advice; only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive.

​

If you (or your physician) have questions about medical fitness to dive, contact the experts at Divers Alert Network (DAN).

Course prerequisites: able to swim, medically fit for diving, comfortable in the water

During the Open Water Diver course, your instructor will ask you to:

​

Float or tread water without aids for 10 minutes

Swim 200 metres with no aids 

 

Minimum age: 10

Divers certified between the ages of 10-14 earn a Junior Diver certification

​

Junior Open Water Divers automatically become Open Water Divers at age 15. Any replacement certification card or eCard purchased the day after the diver's 15th birthday will automatically show an Open Water Diver (not Jr. Open Water Diver) certification.

​

Children eight or older can try scuba diving in a pool. Children who are comfortable in the water can participate in the PADI Seal Team program, a more in-depth pool diving experience.

This course requires both knowledge development and in-water training for certification. 

Below are the additional costs to complete your certification.

​

We always require students to provide their own mask and snorkel. We sell these in our dive centre and you can purchase these on our online shop or during your orientation session at the dive centre. If you already own a mask and snorkel, bring them to your instructor before your first in-water session as some snorkelling masks are inadequate for scuba diving.

Use of basic scuba gear, including a regulator, buoyancy control device (BCD), fins, wetsuit, boots and cylinder, are included with the course cost.

The inland open water dive sites we use charge an entry fee ranging from £15 - £24 per day.