Learning to dive is a big thing and you need to ensure that you choose a dive company that you feel safe with.
The PADI Open Water Diver Course
Learning to dive is a big thing and you need to ensure that you choose a dive company that you feel safe with. Whether learning diving on holiday or at home with a local shop – be sure that you know all you can about the course. Neptune Diving Resorts have many very experienced dive instructors to take care of your dive education requirements. Due to this we can provide you tuition starting around your dates for your maximum convenience. All we require is 24 hours notice.
The path to the PADI Open Water Diver Course can lead to two possible dive education certifications:
- PADI Scuba Diver (S/D)
- PADI Open Water Diver (O/W)
- Dive independently (with a certified diving buddy) while applying the diving knowledge and dive skills that you learned within the course, within the limits of your dive training and experience.
- You shall be licensed to dive to a recommended maximum depth of 18 meters.
- Gain air fills, scuba equipment and other service for going scuba diving.
- Plan, conduct and log open water no stop (no decompression) dives when equipped properly and accompanied by a buddy in conditions which you have dive training and or experience.
- Continue your diver training with a specialty dive in the PADI Advanced Open Water program, and or in PADI specialty courses – Neptune offer a lot of PADI diver specialty training courses..
- Dive under the in water supervision of a PADI Dive Master (or dive professional with higher certification) while applying the knowledge and skills that you learned in the scuba diver course, within the limits of your training and experience. You shall be licensed to dive to a maximum of 12 meters.
- Gain air fills, scuba equipment and other service for scuba diving whilst under direct supervision.
- Plan, conduct and log open water no stop (no decompression) dives when equipped properly and accompanied by a buddy in conditions which you have training and or experience.
- Continue your scuba dive training to the PADI Open Water Diver certification and some selected specialty courses.
Minimum AGE for scuba certification are:
- 10 for the Junior Open Water or Junior Scuba Diver certification (adult supervised diving).
- 15 for the Open Water Diver or Scuba Diver certification.
The basics:
- To become a Scuba Diver or a PADI Open Water Diver – you need to be comfortable in the water and have basic swimming skills, so your diving instructor will have you do some swimming and floating (nothing extreme – 200 meter swim at you leisure and a 10 minute float on the surface (any way up).
- Before any confined water dives (in the swimming pool or an environment similar to a swimming pool i.e. an enclosed and sheltered bay) or skills, your instructor will have you complete a PADI medical statement.The information that you put on this shall be entirely confidential. Because the diver medical statement identifies conditions that may be affected by diving, for your safety it is important to complete it entirely and accurately. If any of the conditions apply to you, as a prudent precaution, your dive instructor will ask you to consult a physician before participating in any of the water activities. If you would like to check out the medical requirements – please check Diver Medical Form. If you require a medical check when here (very seldom) we can assist in taking you to the doctor.
With the PADI Open Water Diver Course – there are options
| Cource | Duration | For Me? | How is the Open Water Course Operated? |
| Regular Open Water Course | 4 days | Perfect if you have 4 days. |
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| 3 day O/W | 3 days | Maybe have limited time on vacation |
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| 2-3 days O/W | 2 -3 days | Maybe having completed the PADI Elearning online diver course prior to arrival |
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Neptune is very flexible as to your requirements and dates. If you really are short of holiday time or do not wish sitting in a classroom for a day then please do click to learn more about the PADI eLearning Courses. By taking the divers academics prior to arrival you do NOT have to sit in a classroom at all. Neptune Diving Resorts experienced diving instructors shall simply review your academics with you in a relaxed atmosphere. Check out the PADI eLearning Open Water Diver course.
To complete your diver training as an entry-level scuba diver or Open Water Diver by applying all that you have learned and further developing your knowledge and dive skills in a dive environment under your instructors supervision and direct guidance. The PADI Water Course has 5 elements to it. In order to pass all of these your PADI dive instructor shall guide you through the course and diving. If only 3 of the 5 sections are completed by the diver then they can be signed off as a PADI Scuba Diver – allowing them to gain further scuba diving experiences. The Scuba Diver can be upgraded to the FULL PADI open water course by simply taking the last 2 portions of the course from before. This is approximately half price in most dive operations. Please check Neptunes Price list for course costs.
Going for the Open Water Diver Course you’ll make at least 4 Open Water Dives and perhaps an optional skin dive, during this part of the PADI Open Water Dive course. Prior to certification, you’ll meet specific learning objectives that you’ll read about in the PADI Open Water Divers manual. If you opt for the PADI E-Learning prior to your arrival then you have access to the open water manual online for a full year.
Holding either of the SD or the OW certifications quantify that you successfully completed the PADI Scuba Diver or Open Water course according to the training standards and requirements established by PADI. Scuba diving centers and dive resorts require a person to be a certified diver or in training before they will rent or sell you scuba equipment, fill scuba tanks for you, or let you participate in scuba activities.
PADI have an excellent system whereas if you lose or forget your PADI certification card on holiday – your diver credentials can be checked on computer. Simply by entering your name, DOB and cert level we can find your details and qualify that you are indeed the diver that you say you are.
When you are certified as an Open Water Diver you are able to dive to a maximum recommended depth of 18 meters with a buddy of equal or higher scuba training to yourself… or even head for further dive education with the PADI Advanced Diver Course at Neptune Diving Adventure.
The next diver course after the PADI Open Water diver course is the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course
