PADI Open Water Diver Certification

The PADI Open Water Diver course is a full entry-level certification, which allows the diver to plan and dive with a buddy to a maximum recommended depth of 18 meters/60 feet. The Open Water Diver course is the minimum requirement for the next level of certification i.e. PADI Advance Open Water course.

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases:

  • Knowledge Development to understand basic principles of scuba diving
  • Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills
  • Open Water Dives to review your skills and explore!

 

How much time is required to complete the course?
Typically the Open Water Diver course is completed in four days.

What is the age requirement for the Open Water Diver course?
The minimum age requirement for Open Water Diver is 10 years or older.

What are the pre-requisites for Open Water Diver Course?
(a) Mentally capable of understanding the knowledge development concepts.
(b) In good physical form and should be able to swim 200 meters on the surface and float for 10 minutes on the surface.

What are the study materials required for the course?
The student should have their personal copy of Open Water Diver Manual or Open Water diver Multimedia and Recreational Dive Planner.

PADI’s Open Water Diver materials cover what you need to know about basic scuba diving skills, terminology and safety procedures. For each concept you’ll read a description and watch a video demonstration. Then you’ll jump in the pool (or pool-like environment) to practice these skills with your instructor. Later, as a certified diver, use the course materials as a reference guide for future diving adventures and to review what you learned.