The PADI Open Water Diver course is the single most popular diving course in the world; it’s your first step into the exciting undersea world of scuba diving. The course comprises of a mixture of academics, skill practice in the pool and actual diving in the open water, all under the guidance of one of our friendly and experienced instructors.

The course is incredibly flexible and performance based, and paced according to how fast you progress. It’s possible to complete your confined and open water dives in as few as three or four days (provided you have read the manual and watched the dvd/video ahead of time). However, many people prefer a more leisurely schedule over a period of weeks or months.

On enrolling on the course we’ll give you your PADI Open Water Diver course crew pack, containing all that you need to get started. We strongly urge all our divers to take the time, before the course itself, to read the Open Water manual in the crew pack and to complete the knowledge reviews at the end of each module.

Course requirements and essential information:

  •  You need to be a minimum of 15 years of age*
  •  You’ll need to be able to swim at least 200m and feel comfortable in the water
  •  To be able to tread water/float for 10 minutes 
  •  Have a reasonable level of fitness and health and be fit to dive
  • We prefer you to have your own mask, snorkel and fins but we can provide these if necessary 
  •  All you need to bring is swimming trunks/costume and a towel

 

Learning to dive isn’t difficult, but like any activity worth doing, it requires some time and effort. While taking the PADI Open Water Diver course, you’ll enjoy three phases: Knowledge Development, Confined Water Dives and Open Water Dives.

 

The three phases:

Knowledge Development - this develops your familiarity with basic principles and procedures. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best gear and what to consider when planning dives.

You complete Knowledge Development on your own, reading each of five sections of the PADI Open Water Diver Manual and watching the corresponding section of the PADI Open Water Diver dvd/video (which also previews skills you’ll learn). If you like learning with a personal computer, you can also get the Open Water Diver manual and video together as a CD-ROM. You briefly review what you studied in each section with your instructor and take a short quiz to be sure you’re getting it. At the end of the course, you take an exam that makes sure you’ve got all the key concepts and ideas down.

Confined Water Dives - this is what it’s all about - diving. You develop basic scuba skills in a pool. Here you’ll learn everything from setting up your gear to how to easily get water out of your mask without surfacing. You’ll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air - just in case. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends and have a great time.

There are five confined water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these five dives, you attain the skills you need to dive in open water.

Open Water Dives - after your confined water dives, you and the new friends you’ve made continue learning during four open water dives with your PADI Instructor at a dive site. This is where you’ll have fun putting it all together and you’ll fully experience the underwater adventure - at the beginner level, of course. You may make these dives near where you live or at a more exotic destination on holiday (as a referral*)

Course price: £360

Included in the course price:

• PADI Open Water Crew Pack

• PIC Card

• Entrance fees to dive sites

• One years free membership of Another World Diving Club

Not included in the course price:

• Transport (we will assist where possible)

• Overnight/weekend stays (where necessary)

• Food and beverages

• Wet suit/dry suit hire (if required)

 

Open Water Dive Referrals*

Price: £250 (theory and pool dives only)

 

We can organise individual private tuition for an additional cost.

 

Important note

All Open Water Diver course students are required to sign a PADI Medical Statement, Divers Medical Questionnaire, Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding and Statement of Risks and Liability. Additionally students are required to sign the Another World Diving Learning Agreement and Terms and Conditions.

If the student has any of the medical conditions listed on the Medical Questionnaire then signed clearance from a doctor, valid within 12 months, will be required.

All students *under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when undertaking the course. Additionally the parent/guardian is required to complete and sign the above-mentioned forms.