Open Water Diver
The certification that means you can dive
- Agency
- PADI
- You earn
- Open Water Diver
- Duration
- 4 days / 4 dives
- Open water
- 4 dives
- Max depth
- 18m
- Class size
- Max 4
- Minimum age
- 10+
- Who for
- Swimmers
Open Water is the certification people mean when they say they want to learn to dive. It is a real course with real theory, and it is the only one on this page that changes what you are permitted to do without a professional beside you.
How the four days run
The theory is eLearning and you do it before you arrive - we send the code the day you book, and it takes about eight hours spread over a week at home. That leaves the days here for water. Confined water on day one, then two open water dives on each of days two and three, with the fourth day held in reserve for weather.
The bits people worry about
The swim assessment is 200 m any stroke, untimed, plus ten minutes floating. It is an assessment, not a test - nobody fails it, and if you cannot do it on day one we work on it. Mask removal underwater is the skill most students dread and the one they are proudest of afterwards.
Group size
Four students to an instructor, and we mean it. It is the difference between being taught and being processed.
What you will be able to do
- Certified to 18 m, for life
- Four students per instructor maximum
- eLearning theory done before you arrive
- Four open water dives
What is included
- Full equipment rental
- Course materials and eLearning
- Certification processing fee
- Confined water session
Where you train
Course syllabus
How the course runs, day by day - theory, confined water, then the open water dives.
Day 1Confined water and the swim assessment
Kit assembly, the swim and float assessment, then the first three confined-water sessions in a sheltered bay - regulator recovery, mask clearing, buoyancy.
Day 2Open water dives one and two
Out to Turtle Bay. The skills you did in the shallows, repeated at depth, and then the part of the dive that is just diving.
- 2 open water dives
Day 3Open water dives three and four
Jackson Bar. Compass navigation, a controlled emergency swimming ascent, and your first proper drift along a reef. The certification is signed off at the end of this day.
- 2 open water dives
Day 4Reserve day, or two fun dives
Held for weather. If the sea has been kind all week, this becomes two fun dives at the certified-diver rate instead - your first dives without an instructor holding a slate.
What it costs
Every price below is the full course fee, taxes included. Nothing is added at checkout - there is no checkout yet, so tell us your dates and we will hold your place.
- Four students per instructor, all equipment, materials and the certification fee.
Courses start on the dates that suit you. Tell us when you are on the island and we will schedule your first session.
From the water
Before you dive
The rules every student on this course is held to. None of them are negotiable, and none of them are a surprise on the day.
Minimum age
Divers must be 10 or older on the day of the dive.
Medical declaration
Every student signs the agency medical declaration before the first water session. A yes to anything on it needs a physician's sign-off, and we would far rather see that form at the enquiry stage than at the pool.Flying after diving
Leave at least 18 hours between your last dive and your flight. Book your trip home with that gap already in it - we cannot shorten it for you.
Insurance
Student divers are covered by our centre insurance during training, which is not the same thing as personal dive cover. We recommend your own policy for the fun dives that follow.
This is general guidance for recreational diving, not medical advice about you. If any of it is a question rather than a formality, speak to a doctor before you travel.
Questions students ask
Do I have to be a strong swimmer?
You need to be comfortable in water. The assessment is 200 m of any stroke, untimed, and ten minutes of floating - there is no speed requirement and nobody is watching your technique.
Can I finish the theory here instead of at home?
You can, but it costs you a day of diving and you will do it in the evenings. We strongly recommend the eLearning before you fly.
What if I cannot clear my ears?
Then we go up a metre and try again, as many times as it takes. A slow descent solves it for almost everybody. If it genuinely will not clear we stop - and the unused portion is refunded.
Is the certification recognised everywhere?
Yes. A PADI Open Water card is accepted by every dive centre in the world and it does not expire.
How soon can I fly afterwards?
Eighteen hours after your last dive. Plan your flight for the day after the course ends, not the same evening.
Other courses you might like
Turtle BayDiscover Scuba Diving
₹4,500per person - Taxes includedView Details
Turtle BayScuba Diver
₹22,000per person - Taxes includedView Details
Not sure this is the right course? Tell us how much diving you have done and we will point you at the one that fits.
What people say once the boat is back in
Best first dive I could have asked for. The instructors were unbelievably patient - I panicked at four metres on the first attempt and nobody made me feel stupid about it. Second attempt went fine and I finished the course three days later.
Rahul MenonOpen Water Diver I cannot swim well and I said so when I booked. They ran the whole thing one instructor to one diver, stayed in the shallow half of the bay, and never once made it feel like a concession. I have since done the swim assessment and the full course.
Aditi SharmaOpen Water Diver