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  The PADI Open Water Diver Course is the world’s most popular scuba diving course. The course which can be taken over 3-4 days teaches you all the essential skills you need to know to dive safely. The course is broken down into three separate sections, knowledge development, confined water dives and open water dives.
Knowledge Development
The knowledge development section of the course focuses on teaching you the fundamentals of scuba diving in the classroom. The knowledge development is broken down into five sections, with a multiple choice exam following each section. The students start each section by watching the relevant section on the PADI Open Water DVD, after each section the student then completes the questions in the knowledge review which follow each chapter in the PADI Open Water Manual. Once completed the instructor will review the student’s answers and go over any problems encountered. The student will then complete a short multiple choice exam before starting the next section. After section five the student must complete a final exam, which goes over sections 1 through 5, the student needs to score 75% or higher to pass.
Confined Water Dives
The second section of the PADI Open Water course is the confined water dives. The confined water dives are shallow water dives conducted at a swimming pool. During this session the fun really starts to begin. The instructor will start you off by getting you to practice setting up your scuba equipment, before getting into the pool. Once in the water your instructor will get you practicing breathing and swimming underwater. The session is designed to teach you all of the fundamental dive skills you will need as a diver. The instructor will have you watch their demonstration of a skill before asking you to repeat the skill. This, like all sections of the course, is performance based, so once the skills have been completed to a standard at which your instructor is happy, you may move onto the final portion of the course, the open water dives.
Open Water Dives
The final section is by far and away the most enjoyable, the open water dives. During this section your instructor will accompany you as you take the skills and lessons you have learnt and dive in the open water. There are four open water dives taking place over two days. The first two dives are to a maximum of 12m/40feet, while the final two dives on day two are to a maximum depth of 18m/60feet. During your open water dives your instructor will ask you to demonstrate various skills you have learned during your confined water sessions. Throughout all your open water dives, the main objective is to get you comfortable in your new environment. On each of the four dives your instructor will spend time showing you around the beautiful coral reefs of the Andaman Sea. On these tours of the reef there is a great chance for you to see some of Thailand’s spectacular marine life, such as sharks , turtles , moray eels and of course NEMO!
Please see our Photo Gallery for some great images of the marine life you can see on your PADI Open Water Course.
Certification
Once all of the three sections of the course have been completed, your instructor will get you to fill out your details for your certification card. Once completed and sent off, PADI will issue you with your PADI Open Water Diver card. This card is valid for life, and entitles you to dive anywhere in the world with a diver holding the same or higher qualification. As your card can take up to 90 days to be fully processed and delivered, your instructor will issue you with a temporary card, valid until your card arrives from PADI.
Course Requirements
Before you can start the PADI Open Water course, there are several requirements that must be met. Firstly you must complete a Medical History form, secondly you must complete and sign a Statement of Understanding and a Liability Release, and finally you must be able to swim 200m and float for 10min. As of January 2006, it was made compulsory by PADI for all students to have their own manual. This manual is included in the price of your course.
If you have any questions or queries about the course then please refer to our FAQ page. If you can not find the answer you are looking for then please do not hesitate to Contact Us and we will try and answer your questions as best we can.
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