PADI Open Water Diver Course

If you’ve always wanted to take scuba diving lessons, experience unparalleled adventure and see the world beneath the waves, this is where it starts. Get your scuba diving certification with the PADI Open Water Diver course – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course. Millions of people have learned to scuba dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world through this course. 

To enroll in a PADI Open Water Diver course (or Junior Open Water Diver course), you must be 10 years old or older. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with scuba diving is required.

What's in the course?

During the theory lessons you will cover five areas and complete the knowledges reviews and quizzes to make sure you have understood them.

There will be five dives in the pool during which you will learn about assembling and using scuba equipment. You will also learn how to manage simple problems you might encounter while diving.

You will demonstrate a basic level of fitness enabling you to dive by being able to tread water in water too deepto stand for ten minutes. You'll also complete a surface swim of 200m.

When you have completed the knowledge reviews and demonstrated the basic skills required in the pool, you will complete a further 4 dives in open water.

What will I have when I have finished this course?

When you are certified as an Open Water Diver you will be certified to dive independently to a depth of 18m.

Who can do this course?

Anyone over the age of 10 years old can complete this course, youths between 10 and 14 years of age attain the Junior Open Water Diver certification. A Junior diver is not certified to dive independently and should always dive with a parent, adult or dive professional. (Varies with age). Student divers must also be fit enough to complete the waterskills (swim 200m and tread water for 10 minutes).

Pricing information

PADI Open Water Diver Course

If you’ve always wanted to take scuba diving lessons, experience unparalleled adventure and see the world beneath the waves, this is where it starts. Get your scuba diving certification with the PADI Open Water Diver course – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course. Millions of people have learned to scuba dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world through this course. 

To enroll in a PADI Open Water Diver course (or Junior Open Water Diver course), you must be 10 years old or older. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with scuba diving is required.

What's in the course?

During the theory lessons you will cover five areas and complete the knowledges reviews and quizzes to make sure you have understood them.

There will be five dives in the pool during which you will learn about assembling and using scuba equipment. You will also learn how to manage simple problems you might encounter while diving.

You will demonstrate a basic level of fitness enabling you to dive by being able to tread water in water too deepto stand for ten minutes. You'll also complete a surface swim of 200m.

What will I have when I have finished this course?

You will have documentation that you can present to any PADI diving instructor worldwide showing the course elements you have achieved so far. Your PADI diving instructor can then complete the course and certify you in the normal way.

Who can do this course?

Anyone over the age of 10 years old can complete this course, youths between 10 and 14 years of age attain the Junior Open Water Diver certification. A Junior diver is not certified to dive independently and should always dive with a parent, adult or dive professional. (Varies with age). Student divers must also be fit enough to complete the waterskills (swim 200m and tread water for 10 minutes).

When can I start?

Give me a call - I might be free now! Seriously, it's your schedule and we'll agree a time that fits you and you're other commitments.

How long will it take to do the Open Water referral course?

A full open water diving course is usually four days. In order to do the theory and pool elements of that we'll need to find the equivalent of two days in your schedule, maybe two evenings per week for a fortnight? Or two weekday evenings and two weekend mornings, whatever works! If you want to do it all in one weekend we can do that too.

Will this be more expensive than doing the course abroad?

The cost of doing courses is left to the local dive centre and so where you go and what you are charged will of course vary accordingly. However, as an example an Open Water course in Phuket, Thailand a popular location for dive schools, costs around €440. They charge around €260 for referred students completing their open water course with them when doing boat dives. So yes, it is a little more expensive to complete the course this way than in Thailand, however, you are not having to spend so much time in the classroom or swimming pool while you are there, so you are getting better value for your holiday cash.

What do I need?

We can supply all the equipment you need. A swimming outfit and a towel for the pool elements, a pencil (and perhaps an eraser!) for the theory elements and that's it.

What is PADI?

PADI is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. It is by far the largest player in the industry and you will find PADI instructors able to continue your course wherever you travel in the world. It also means that when you achieve your own certification you know that your achievement will be recognised by any dive operator anywhere in the world.

Can you teach more than this course?

Yes, as a qualified Open Water Scuba Instructor I am qualified to teach any PADI diving course up to and including Divemaster. I have also achieved instructor ratings in a number of specialties such as Enriched Air (Nitrox), Deep diving, Underwater Navigation, Digital Underwater Photography, Gas Blending, Fish Identification, Coral Reef Awareness, Peak Performance Buoyancy etc. I am also an Emergency First Response Instructor and so able to teach and certify Rescue Divers / Emergency First Responders.