PADI Open Water Diver is the full entry-level certification and a pre-requisite for more advanced courses and certifications. With your Open Water Diver certification you will be certified to dive around the world. At Octopus Diving, we teach all classes with a maximum of 2 students per instructor to guarantee personal attention and help each student learn at their own speed.

For this course you will need to be comfortable in the water and have basic swimming skills. You will also need to complete a medical statement and may be asked to consult a physician to receive a medical clearance prior to diving. No previous knowledge of scuba diving or snorkeling is required.

The course consists of three basic parts: knowledge development, confined water dives and open water dives. Combined, these parts teach you the basics of scuba diving. Some students choose to do the knowledge development and confined water portions at their local dive center, then do their open water dives elsewhere, which is possible by obtaining a universal referral, which is accepted at most dive centers.

The knowledge development teaches you the fundamental principles and basic information about scuba diving and the equipment you will be using. Working with the guide book, you will complete knowledge reviews and a quiz a the end of this segment.

During the confined water portion you apply dive principles and practice skills in shallow, confined water. There are five confined water dives, each of which concentrates on different skills you will need as a diver, such as use of your equipment and buoyancy control.

The open water portion of the course consists of four open water dives conducted on two separate half-days. Here you will be practicing your skills in the open water with your instructor.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be a PADI-certified diver, which allows you to dive with virtually any dive shop in the world, rent gear, plan and conduct dives, and take advanced courses to expand your skills.

You now have the option of completed the classroom portion of the Open Water course before you come, from the comfort of your own home via PADI eLearning. The cost of the course with eLearning is $395 plus the cost of eLearning. You can sign up for eLearning here. You will need to enter our shop number so we can access your student records: Octopus Diving, PADI #799210.