Fancy exploring the mesmerizing underwater world? The PADI Open Water Diver course is your golden ticket to this thrilling realm. This globally recognized certification program is your first step in the journey of scuba diving, taking you to the heart of the ocean to experience an environment that constitutes about 70% of our planet.

From witnessing vibrant marine life to discovering historical shipwrecks, the PADI Open Water Diver course opens up a world of adventure. The course is tailored to ensure that you learn and master the essential skills required for scuba diving, providing you with the confidence and competence to navigate the underwater world safely.

Why Choose PADI?

PADI, short for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, is the world’s largest and most respected scuba diving training organization. With over 29 million certifications under its belt, PADI has a robust network of dive centers, resorts, and professional members spread across the globe.

As a PADI certified diver, you not only gain access to unparalleled dive sites worldwide but also become part of a global community committed to ocean conservation. PADI’s mission goes beyond imparting dive education; it encourages divers to become torchbearers for ocean change, contributing positively towards protecting our blue planet.

The PADI Open Water Diver Course: A Deep Dive

1. Course Overview

The PADI Open Water Diver course is a comprehensive program that combines theoretical knowledge, skill development in confined water (with us: calm, shallow water in the sea, never a pool), and actual dives in open water. This course equips you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to venture underwater independently, up to a maximum depth of 18 meters (60 feet).

2. Course Structure

With us each course day runs on our boat: hotel pick-up 8:00–8:30 inside Hurghada (7:30–8:00 outside town, confirmed the evening before), the boat leaves at 9:00 and is back between 3 and 4 pm.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is divided into three main segments:

1. Knowledge Development

This section introduces you to the basics of scuba diving. You’ll learn about diving principles, safety guidelines, equipment handling, and dive planning. With us every Open Water student does the theory through PADI eLearning, at your own pace before you arrive: we register you with a €120 deposit, which comes off the course price. Your instructor focuses on the practical part, teaches you the basics of the theory and answers any questions you have.

1. Confined Water Dives

In this segment, you’ll learn and practice essential scuba skills in calm, shallow water in the Red Sea (we don’t use a pool) under the guidance of a PADI Instructor. This includes learning how to set up your scuba gear, getting comfortable underwater, mastering buoyancy control, and handling potential underwater problems.

1. Open Water Dives

The final part of the course involves four open water dives, where you’ll put into practice the skills you learned in the confined water dives. These dives are usually conducted over two days in the Red Sea.

3. Prerequisites for the Course

To enroll in the PADI Open Water Diver course, you need to meet a few prerequisites:

• You should be at least 10 years old. Divers aged between 10 to 14 years earn a Junior Open Water Diver certification, with certain restrictions (ages 10–11 dive to a maximum of 12 meters, ages 12–14 to 18 meters).
• You should be in good physical health. Certain chronic health conditions or medications may require you to get clearance from a physician before diving.
• Basic swimming skills are necessary. You should be able to swim 200 meters (or 300 meters with mask, fins and snorkel) and float or tread water for 10 minutes without aid.

4. Flexibility and Options

One of the advantages of the PADI Open Water Diver course is its flexibility. You can opt to complete the entire course locally, split it between your home location and a vacation spot, or complete the entire course while on vacation.

PADI’s eLearning platform lets you complete the theoretical part of the course online, at your own pace, making it easier to fit scuba lessons into your busy schedule.

5. What to Expect from Open Water Dives

The four open water dives are the culmination of your PADI Open Water Diver course. Each dive builds upon the skills you developed in the confined water dives and knowledge development sessions.

The first two dives are usually conducted to a maximum depth of 12 meters, focusing on building in-water comfort and introducing new divers to the open water environment. The last two dives go up to 18 meters and involve the practice of more advanced skills.

6. Ensuring Safety

Safety is a top priority in PADI’s scuba diving courses. PADI Instructors undergo rigorous training to guarantee your scuba certification class is both safe and enjoyable. Before every dive, you’ll perform a pre-dive safety check and adjust the weight you need during the dive. With us, one instructor teaches no more than 4 students, and couples or friends are kept together with their own instructor whenever we can. If you want a private instructor guaranteed, it’s €20 a day for your group, not per person.

7. Joining the PADI Community

Once you earn your PADI Open Water Diver certification, you become part of the PADI community. This network of divers, instructors, and dive centers is not only a great resource for furthering your dive knowledge but also a powerful force for ocean conservation.

8. Further Education Opportunities

Your diving journey doesn’t end with the Open Water Diver course. PADI offers a range of continued education courses like Advanced Open Water Diver and Deep Diver to further develop your skills as a diver. These courses offer you the opportunity to explore new activities like wreck diving, or underwater photography.

Keeping Skills Fresh

Remember, although your PADI certification never expires, it’s important to keep your skills fresh, especially if you’ve had a long break from diving. PADI offers the ReActivate program (with us: the Scuba Review), which allows you to quickly refresh the knowledge and skills you learned in the Open Water Diver course.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is more than just a diving certification; it’s a doorway to a whole new world of exploration and conservation. Whether you’re planning to dive in PADI Hurghada or any other location, your PADI certification will ensure you’re welcomed with open arms. Dive in today and embark on an unforgettable underwater adventure!

Next step: the Nitrox course.