Who should take this 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 – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba course. Millions of people have learned to scuba dive and gone on to discover the wonders of the aquatic world through this course.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about exploration, excitement and experiences. You don’t have to be "advanced" to take it – it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. You try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving.
To enroll in a PADI Open Water Diver course (or Junior Open Water Diver course), you must be 10 years old or older. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. No prior experience with scuba diving is required. PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers who are at least 12 years old are ready to step up and enroll in an Advanced Open Water Diver course. Young divers may only participate in certain Adventures Dives – check with your PADI Instructor.
What will you learn?
The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases:
- Knowledge Development (eLearning for Open Water Diver, independent study or in a classroom) to understand basic principles of scuba diving
- Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills
- Open Water Dives to use your skills and explore!
With the Advanced Open Water Diver course you’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three, for a total of five dives.
During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time.
The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.
You may be able to get college credit for the Open Water Diver and the Advanced Open Water Diver courses.
How can you start learning now?
Enroll in eLearning for Open Water Diver and eLearning for Advanced Open Water Diver – PADI’s eLearning option – and you can start learning right away. PADI Open Water Diver Online gives you the background information you need to dive safely and allows you to study at your own pace through an interactive computer-based program. Get started now!
WIth eLearning for Advanced Open Water Diver you learn about seven of the most popular Adventures Dives – including the required Deep and Underwater Navigation Adventure Dives, plus Boat, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Naturalist and Wreck Adventure Dives. You study at your own pace through an easy to use, interactive program. You also have access to an online version of the Adventures in Diving manual and can complete sections for other Adventure Dives as directed by your PADI Instructor.
You can also choose to read the Adventures in Diving manual and watch the Adventures in Diving video (a book and DVD package). Stop by Underwater Vision to enroll in the course, get your materials and start learning. Your PADI Instructor will meet with you to schedule knowledge review sessions along with your Adventure Dives.
You can also start learning with PADI’s home-study materials – Touch eLearning for Open Water Diver (a tablet app) or the Open Water Diver Manual and Open Water Diver Video (a book and DVD package). Stop by Underwater Vision to enroll in the course, get your materials and start reading the book and watching the video. Your PADI Instructor will schedule time with you to check your progress and make sure you understand important scuba diving information.
What scuba gear will you use?
Beyond using basic scuba gear, including a mask, snorkel, fins, regulator, buoyancy control device and a tank for the Open Water Diver course you’ll learn to use specialized gear depending on the Adventure Dives you choose. The equipment you wear varies, depending upon whether you’re diving in tropical, temperate or cold water. For example you will need a dry suit for the Dry Suit Adventure Dive or a sidemount configuration for the Sidemount Adventure Dive. Your PADI Instructor will explain the equipment that you need and may suggest additional gear, such as a dive light for night diving or a lift bag for search and recovery diving.
Check with Underwater Vision about the gear you’ll use during this course and get advice about everything you need from your PADI Instructor.
Next Step
Breathing underwater or the first time is something you’ll never forget, so don’t wait.
- Start learning right away by signing up for eLearning for Open Water Diver and eLearning for Advanced Open Water Diver
- Book the PADI Open Water & Advanced Open Water Package at Underwater Vision
- Try scuba diving with other PADI Specialty courses
- Download a PADI Medical Statement and Questionnaire (pdf)
- Browse the certified scuba diver FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Check out other courses in the PADI Course Catalog
