OPEN WATER DIVER The world's most popular scuba diving course

The PADI Open Water Diver course

The most popular course in diving!
If you've always wanted to learn how to scuba dive, discover new adventures or simply see the wondrous world beneath the waves, this is where it starts. The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world's most popular scuba course and has introduced millions of people to the adventurous diving lifestyle.

PADI Open Water Divers are qualified to: 

• Dive to a maximum depth of 12 metres / 40 feet as a Junior and 18 metres / 60 feet for an adult.
  
• Virtually dive anywhere in the world! (Within your training of course)
• Obtain air fills, rent or purchase scuba equipment and participate in other diving activities as long as they have the required supervision
• Continue their dive training with a speciality dive (Adventure Dive), in the PADI Adventures in Diving program or in PADI Speciality courses
• Plan, conduct and log open water no stop (no decompression) dives when properly equipped and in conditions with which they have training and/or experience.
  
  

Prerequisites

To enrol in the PADI Open Diver course or Junior Open Water Diver course:

• Participants must be at least be 15 years old (or 10 years old for Junior Scuba Diver certification).
• Participants must be at least 12 years old to be taken into the open body of water dives
• Be a comfortable swimmer able to complete a 200 metre swim with a stroke of your choice, plus a 10-minute tread water.
• No pre-training required although dive experience is useful.
• Before participants take part they must fill out Galaxsea's Application and Medical Forms 
  
  

What You Learn

The PADI Open Water Diver course is broken into:

• Two theory sessions
  
• Four to five pool sessions
  
• Two days in open water. (Done over a Saturday and Sunday)

The course consists of three main phases:

• Knowledge Development (online, home study or in a classroom ) to understand basic principles of scuba diving
• Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills
• Open Water Dives to review your skills and explore!
• Preventing common problems underwater such as:
  - Cramp removal
  - Emergency weight drop
  - Snorkel to regulator exchange
  - Clear a partially flooded mask.
  - Buoyancy skills including comfortable ascents and descents, and breathing underwater.
  - How to set up your equipment with skill and care.
  - Staying warm underwater
  - Streamlining your swimming skills and buddy diving techniques.
  - Learning the pre-dive safety check
  - Breathing from an alternate air source supplied by another diver
  - And much more!

If you've participated in a Discover Scuba Diving experience or resort course, the skills you learned may be credited towards a portion of the full PADI Open Water Diver course certification.

The Fun Part

The fun part about this course is...well, just about all of it! You breathe underwater for the first time (something you'll never forget) and learn what you need to know to become a certified diver. During the course, you'll make at least five pool dives and four dives at local dive sites under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. There is a good reason why the PADI Open Water Course is the most popular of all!
You will get a guided  experience through the underwater world while learning skills to help equip you to go and explore all around the world. Making your diving experience safe, and so much fun! 

The Scuba Gear You Use

You'll use all the basic scuba gear including a buoyancy compensating jacket that also holds your scuba tank, a scuba regulator that you will be breathing from, a weight system and instrumentation to monitor depth and air supply. Including a few extras, such as using a compass.

However, you may want to invest in your own mask, snorkel, and fins since these personal items are a lot more fun to use when they fit properly. You may also want to wear a scuba wetsuit to enhance the comfort and relaxation.

Already have your own equipment? Maybe you have a mask or fins? GREAT! feel free to bring it along. Anything you don't have, or might need, we have here at Galaxsea. 

The Learning Materials You Need

We offer a variety of home-study materials for the Open Water Course, a book and video on DVD package or a multimedia DVD. 
The materials provide a comprehensive overview of all the scuba diving skills, terminology and safety procedures. For each concept, you'll read a description and watch a video demonstration. Once you're a certified diver, use the course materials as a reference guide for future diving adventures.

The Choices To Choose From

The Scheduled full course (including open water dives)
This option includes set dates in our calendar for the theory, pool sessions and open water dives through your chosen month.

The Bespoke full course (including open water dives)
Bespoke means that subject to our availability, you can start whenever you like, and work with us to pick dates that work around you, a good choice if you have odd work hours.

Our Referral PADI Open Water Diver course
This is the same course as above but does not include the open water dives, this is the option for most people who are just about to go on holiday and do not have time to finish the full course so they finish their course abroad. Again there are Scheduled and a Bespoke options

 Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!