PADI Open Water Diver Course

This is what it’s all about – diving. You’ll develop basic scuba skills in a pool or in confined water – a body of water with pool-like conditions, such as off a calm beach. The basic scuba skills you learn during your certification course will help you become familiar with your scuba gear and become an underwater explorer. Some of the essential skills you learn include:

• Setting up your scuba gear.
• How to get water out of your mask.
• Entering and exiting the water.
• Buoyancy control.
• Basic underwater navigation.
• Safety procedures.

You’ll practise these skills with an instructor until you’re comfortable. When you’re ready, it’s time for your underwater adventure to begin at an open water dive site.

Dive 1:

• With control and reference, descend using a descent line or sloping bottom contour to a depth not greater than 12 metres/40 feet.
• Participate in a trim check.
• Clear a partially flooded mask.
• Recover and clear the regulator at depth.
• Explore the dive site.
• Signal whether remaining air supply is near designated caution zone, and/or indicate air supply in bar/psi.
• Stay close enough to make physical contact with buddy within two seconds.

Dive 2:

• Descend using a descent line or sloping bottom contour for control and reference to a depth not greater than 12 metres/40 feet. Use the five-point method.
• Become neutrally buoyant by adjusting air in the BCD (or dry suit) with the low-pressure inflator.
• Clear a fully flooded mask.
• Perform each role: In a stationary position, one person signals “out of air” and secures and breathes from an alternate air source provided by another diver; the other diver provides the air source.
• Ascend properly using an alternate air source and establish positive buoyancy at the surface. Act as either donor or receiver.
• Explore the dive site.
• Avoid contact with sensitive organisms and the bottom, and resecure any equipment that becomes loose.
• Indicate remaining air supply within 20 bar/300 psi without rechecking the SPG.
• Signal air remaining at intervals assigned during dive planning.

Dive 3:

• Descend with a visual reference for control to no greater than 18 metres/60 feet. Use the five-point method.
• Become neutrally buoyant and hover by inflating the BCD orally.
• Remove, replace and clear the mask.
• Explore the dive site.

Dive 4:

• Descent – no visual reference to no greater than 18 metres/60 feet. Use the five-point method.
• With a buddy, explore the dive site.
• Avoid contact with sensitive organisms and the bottom, and resecure any equipment that becomes loose.
• Stay close enough to make physical contact with buddy within two seconds.
• Indicate remaining air supply within 20 bar/300 psi without rechecking the SPG.
• With a buddy, signal when to turn the dive and when to ascend, based on air supply or time per the dive plan, and take appropriate action.

• Descent – A detailed look into your body position during the first stages of descent.
• Buddies execute a five-point descent. Concentrate on descending slowly and neutralising your buoyancy as needed during descent.
• Bubble check and acclimatisation below the surface (3-6 metres/10-20 feet recommended).
• Adjust for neutral buoyancy at depth determined by instructor.
• Demonstrate efficient fin kicks, using long, slow strokes and gliding after each kick. 
• An introduction to the frog kick.
• Manoeuvre close to a nonliving portion of the bottom (rock, sand, etc.) without touching it and then back away using neutral buoyancy with hand or fin sculling.

Get to grips with the principles of scuba diving. You will cover 5 theory sections.

Some of the topics you will cover include: 

• The relationships between depth and pressure  
• The effects of increasing pressure on body airspaces  
• Equalisation
• Swimming and moving
• Pre-Dive preparation and gearing up  
• Apparent size and distance
• Dive Planning
• Underwater problem management
• Decompression Sickness
• Oxygen issues 
• Flying after diving 
• Underwater Navigation