Open Water Course

Open Water Course is for beginners without any experience it is the first stage of diving certifications. Here you learn all about your dive equipment and basic diving skills. This is a great course to help you gain the confidence needed to be a controlled diver.

You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving a body of water with pool-like conditions. Here you’ll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your scuba mask without surfacing. You’ll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or replacing your scuba mask. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends and have a great time. There are four open water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these four dives, you attain the skills you need to become a certified PADI diver.

**The license will not be given until both portions of the course are complete.

What You Learn

There are two basic parts to this course academic and practical.

• The academic portion  or “book knowledge” can be completed through PADI’s Elearning online course. “Learning the lingo” During the first phase of your padi open water diver scuba certification, you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear and what to consider when planning dives.
• The Practical portion or “dive skills” will be completed  with Panama Divers during 4 open water dives over the course of two days. This is what it’s all about – diving.

If you’ve tried diving through a Discover Scuba Diving experience, the skills you learned may be credited towards a portion of the full PADI Open Water Diver course certification.

Prerequisites
To enroll in the PADI Open Diver course or Junior Open Water Diver course, you must

• Be 10 years or older (PADI eLearning requires an extra registration step for students under 13 years due to international internet laws

The Fun Part

The fun part about this course is . . . well, just about all of it because learning to dive is incredible. You breathe underwater for the first time (something you’ll never forget) and learn what you need to know to become a certified diver.

The Scuba Gear You Use

In the PADI Open Water Diver course, you learn to use basic scuba gear including a dive compass and standard air gauge, and standard accessories.

Check with your local dive shop about the gear you’ll use during this course. You can find most everything at the scuba diving shop in your area.

The Learning Materials You Need

ELearning is the most convenient option, you may also chose a book and DVD package or a multimedia DVD-ROM.

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.

Note: Enroll in the PADI Open Water Diver Course Online for immediate computer-based access to the manual and video integrated into seamless, guided online learning.

Start Now