​PADI Open Water Course

About the Course

PADI® Open Water Diver is the first scuba certification level. A highly-trained PADI Instructor will teach you how 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.

What You'll Learn

-Be a confident and skilled diver

-Assemble and use scuba gear

-Manage your buoyancy

-Respectfully approach marine life

-Handle common problems

Certification Requirements

Prerequisites:

-Able to swim; medically fit for diving

Time:

-PADI eLearning: 5-10 hours

-Entire course: In as little as 2-4 days

Age:

-10 years or older

Health:

-Good physical health

Depth:

-Expect shallow dives (12m/40ft), the maximum allowed depth is 18m/60ft

How to Earn your Scuba Diving Certification

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

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.

It's your course on your time. 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

Step 2

With Your Instructor

Practice using scuba gear in a pool (or pool-like environment) until you're comfortable. PADI training includes practice "mini dives" to help you build confidence in your new abilities before making four dives in open water.

• Total time commitment: In as little as 2-4 days

Medical Requirements

• 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).

Prerequisites & Minimum Age

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/yards with no aids or 300 metres/yards with mask, fins and snorkel

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 (or pool-like environment). Ask your PADI Dive Shop about a Bubblemaker experience or birthday party. Children who are comfortable in the water can participate in the PADI Seal Team program, a multi-day pool diving experience.

After This Course

Experience new adventures with a PADI Instructor by your side. PADI continuing education courses like Advanced Open Water Diver and Deep Diver will help you develop your skills as a diver. Learn more about PADI Specialty courses.

Not sure which specialty to try first? Try the Advanced Open Water Diver course, it's like a specialty sampler platter.

• Improve your navigation and buoyancy skills while you try new activities like wreck diving, night diving, or digital imaging
• Choose from more than 20 specialty diving options
• An Advanced Open Water Diver certification also opens the door to dive sites deeper than 18m/60ft

If you don't have the opportunity to dive for six months (or longer), you can quickly refresh the knowledge and skills you learned in Open Water with the PADI ReActivate® program. Your PADI certification never expires, but after a long period of inactivity, you may want to brush up on diving fundamentals and safety procedures.

About the Course

The Advanced Open Water Diver course is designed to enhance your diving skills and open up new adventures. You'll complete two required dives—deep diving and underwater navigation—then choose three additional specialty dives based on the local environment and what excites you most, for a total of five dives. Each specialty dive you complete can earn credit toward PADI® specialty certifications.

Here are a few of the many options: Deep, Digital Underwater Photography, Dive Against Debris, Dry Suit, Enriched Air Nitrox, Fish Identification, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search & Recovery, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Navigation, and Wreck Diver.

What You'll Learn

-Explore below 18m/60ft

-Improve your buoyancy

-Use a compass to navigate effectively

Certification Requirements

Prerequisites:

-Open Water Diver/Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification)

Time:

-PADI eLearning: 6-8 hours

-Entire course: 2-3 days

Age:

-15 years or older (12 -14 for Jr. Advanced Open Water Diver)

Health:

-Good physical health

Depth:

-The maximum depth depends on your age, but maximum depth is up to 30 metres/100 feet

How to Become an Advanced Open Water Diver

Learn about underwater navigation, deep diving and three types of specialty diving that interest you. After some skill practice with your instructor, you'll make five open water dives. There's no exam because this course is truly about having fun and gaining experience.

Step 1

PADI eLearning

• eLearning time commitment: 6-8 hours

With Your Instructor

The course includes five dives: a deep dive below 18m/60f, a navigation dive, and three specialty dives. Gain experience, build confidence, and discover your diving abilities.

• Total time commitment: 2-3 days

Medical Requirements

Prerequisites & Minimum Age

Course prerequisites: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water Diver, or qualifying entry-level certification.

The minimum age to start the Advanced Open Water Diver course is 12.

• Divers 15 or older earn an Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
• Divers between the ages of 12-14 earn a Junior Advanced Open Water certification.
• Divers 10-11 can earn a Junior Adventure Diver certification. Upon turning 12, they can complete the deep dive and earn a Junior Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
• Divers certified as Junior Advanced Open Water Divers automatically become Advanced 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 Advanced Open Water Diver (not Jr. Advanced Open Water Diver) certification.

After This Course

PADI R​escue Course

About the Course

The PADI® Rescue Diver course will change the way you dive – in the best possible way. Learn to identify and fix minor issues before they become big problems, gain a lot of confidence and have serious fun along the way.

Discover why countless divers say Rescue Diver is their favorite scuba course.

What You'll Learn

-Help other divers

-Use emergency oxygen kit

-Fix minor gear issues

Certification Requirements

Prerequisites:

-Adventure Diver/Junior Adventure Diver (or qualifying certification) with completed Underwater Navigation Dive; EFR Primary and Secondary Care training (or qualifying training) within 24 months

Time:

-PADI eLearning: 8-12 hours

-Entire course: 2-7 days

Age:

-12 years or older

Health:

-Good physical health

Depth:

-The maximum depth depends on your age, but maximum depth is up to 30 metres/100 feet

How to Become a Rescue Diver

Learn how to think like a rescue diver through home study and skill practice with an instructor. All PADI courses are flexible and performance-based. You'll practice basic rescue skills and then show you can effectively apply them in open water.

Step 1

PADI eLearning

Online learning makes it easy to fit scuba lessons into a busy schedule. Complete the knowledge development section of your course whenever, wherever it's convenient for you.

Work at your own pace, online or offline, using a computer or mobile device. Connect with your instructor for in-water training, or whenever you have a question.

• eLearning time commitment: 8-12 hours

With Your Instructor

The water training sessions are serious fun. You'll practice handling scenarios such as a leg cramp and assisting a tired diver by role-playing with other students and your instructor.

• Total time commitment: 2-7 days

Medical Requirements

Prerequisites & Minimum Age

Minimum age: 12.

Rescue Divers certified between the ages of 12-14 earn a Junior Rescue Diver certification. Any replacement certification card or eCard purchased after the diver's 15th birthday will automatically show a Rescue Diver (not Jr. Rescue Diver) certification.

Course prerequisites: Any diver with an Open Water (or Jr. Open Water) Diver certification may enroll in a PADI Rescue Diver course, complete Rescue Diver eLearning, and participate in Rescue Exercises in confined water.

To participate in open water Rescue Exercises and be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver, the student must complete the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive and hold a PADI (Junior) Adventure Diver certification. A PADI (or other qualifying) Advanced Open Water Diver certification also meets this prerequisite.

Certification also requires CPR and first aid training within the past 24 months. If you don't have this training, you can enroll in an Emergency First Response® (EFR) Primary Care (CPR) and Secondary Care (First Aid) course with your PADI Instructor.

After This Course

The skills and confidence you'll gain in the PADI Rescue Diver course prepare you to take the first step towards a scuba career and/or achieve the most elite rating in recreational diving. As a certified Rescue Diver (18 years or older), you can enroll in the PADI Divemaster course.

Upon completion, you can work anywhere in the world there's water: assisting with classes, leading dives, working on a liveaboard. A PADI Rescue Diver certification is also a prerequisite to enrolling in the Public Safety Diver™ course. This intense and challenging program comes with great rewards. If the programs above don't interest you, consider becoming a PADI Master Scuba Diver™. Fewer than 2 percent of divers ever achieve this elite rating. As a certified Rescue Diver, you only need five specialty certifications and 50 logged dives to become a Master Scuba Diver™.