The adventure of learning to scuba dive in Malta starts here, with the PADI Open Water Diver Course. Start with PADI’s online eLearning course. Move to the pool or shallow open water and practise your new skills. Then experience your open water (sea) dives. At ABC Diving your instructor will be a recognised PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer with at least 500 dives experience in Maltese waters. You will be in safe hands.
PADI Open Water Diver Course Overview
The world’s most popular and widely recognised scuba course.
If you’ve always wanted to take scuba diving lessons, experience unparalleled adventure, and see the world beneath the waves, this is where it starts. Get your scuba diving certification with the PADI® Open Water Diver course.
Millions of people have learned to scuba dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world through this course.

To enrol in a PADI Open Water Diver course (or Junior Open Water Diver course):
- You must be 10 years old or older
- Participants need adequate swimming skill
- You need to be in good physical health
- No prior experience with scuba diving is required
To complete the academic studies through the eLearning product, we estimate 8 – 12 hours of independent study.
The duration of the three course options ranges between two and a half days and four days. A full day is 8 hours on average.
You learn to use scuba gear, including a mask, snorkel, fins, regulator, buoyancy control device, dive computer and a cylinder. All required equipment for your course is supplied by ABC Diving.
The total, fully inclusive cost of the PADI Open Water Diver Course starts at €485.00 with our ‘budget’ option. Our ‘Standard’ option is €565.00 and our ‘Bespoke’ option is €1190.00.
This includes:
- All dive equipment needed for the completion of your course
- PADI eLearning educational materials
- Certification cost
PADI Open Water Diver Course: THE LEARNING PATH
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
how the booking Process works
It's As Easy As ABC!
1. Complete the form
Click ‘Request to book’ button and complete the booking request form. Only 1 form per group required.
2. Booking approval
Within 3 working hours, your booking request will either be approved or an alternate date suggested.
3. Pack your towel!
Once the booking is approved, a payment request is sent to you. Upon payment, your booking is confirmed.
Choose your course option
Bespoke, Standard or Budget?
Bespoke
€1190
- Private Tuition
- Private Transfer Service From Anywhere in Malta
- 4 Day Dive Course
- 5 Confined & 5 Open Water Dives
- Multilingual eLearning
- PADI Open Water Diver Certification
- Premium Dive Equipment Supplied
- You Choose the Days
- Student Dive Insurance Included
- Descent Workshop
- Buoyancy Workshop
- Efficient Finning Workshop
Standard
€565
- Class size up to 4
- Daily pick up/drop off service From Transport Zone*
- 3 Day Dive Course
- 5 Confined & 5 Open Water Dives
- Multilingual eLearning
- PADI Open Water Diver Certification
- Premium Dive Equipment Supplied
- You Choose the Days
- Student Dive Insurance Included
- Descent Workshop
- Buoyancy Workshop
- Efficient Finning Workshop
Budget
€485
- Class size up to 4
- 3 Day Dive Course
- 5 Confined & 4 Open Water Dives
- Multilingual eLearning
- PADI Open Water Diver Certification
- Premium Dive Equipment Supplied
- Set Schedule**
- No Daily pick up/drop off service From Transport Zone
- No Student Dive Insurance Included
- No Descent Workshop
- No Buoyancy Workshop
- No Efficient Finning Workshop
**The budget course option has a class starting Tuesday & Friday of every week. Each class is conducted for consecutive days.
Course 1 = Tuesday (08:00 am – 17:30 pm), Wednesday (08:00 am – 17:30 pm), and Thursday (08:00 am – 13:30 pm).
Course 2 = Friday (08:00 am – 17:30 pm), Saturday (08:00 am – 17:30 pm), and Sunday (08:00 am – 13:30 pm).