All You Need to Know About the PADI Open Water Diver Course

If the underwater world has been calling to you and you’ve decided you’re ready to answer, why not join the millions of other people who take the PADI open water diver course each year. You’ll learn all the basics necessary to get you even more excited and when you’ve completed the course you’ll be a proudly certified diver.

Why This Course?

PADI’s open water diver course is the most popular scuba diving course in the world, and PADI is one of the most trusted and reputable names in scuba. Plus, the only requirement is that you be at least 10 years old to enroll.

The open water diver course is taken by millions of people every year and prepares them for basic diving; this is not an advanced course or an instructor training but rather an introduction. After completing this course you will be eligible to take other courses offered by PADI to increase your knowledge and gain further certifications.

PADI courses are taught by trained, experienced divers who have turned their love of diving into a career. You can rest assured that your training will be nothing less than the best and that you will be fully prepared and completely comfortable by the end of your course.

One last reason why the PADI open water diving course is the way to go is that they offer something that is rare in the diving world; eLearning. You can actually enroll online and gain instant access to the training manuals and videos. After completing the eLearning courses, you simply schedule your hands on lessons at the PADI dive shop of your choice.

What You Will Learn

This basic training course will cover the fundamentals of scuba and scuba safety. You will learn all about the necessary skills, vocabulary, and techniques. Proper procedures for underwater breathing, learning to remain calm underwater and swimming techniques will all be thoroughly covered as well as any other questions or concerns you may have.

Safety is the most important thing that your training will cover as you learn how to keep yourself and other divers out of danger and how to respond in an emergency. Being able to think quickly and remain calm are vital when diving and the PADI course will strive to help you be able to do this.

You will also learn the basics of scuba equipment; what each piece does, how it’s used, how to care for it, and how to purchase your own. One advantage of the PADI course is that they also cover how to use dive computers, which are becoming more and more common and are wonderful to have on dives.

How Does It Work?

During the course of this training you will take part in class discussions, watch videos, and of course- dive. Generally the open water diver course takes you on a pool (confined water) dive to get used to the feel of the equipment and breathing underwater, and then 4 or 5 open water dives so you get a more real life experience. All of your dives are done under the direct supervision of your instructor who will help you to breathe calmly and learn proper techniques for ascending and descending without causing injury to yourself.

As far as basic training courses for scuba diving go, you really cannot get much better than the PADI open water diving course. Well trained instructors cover all the essentials and then some, and the experience really is enjoyable. You can be sure that upon completion of the course you won’t want to get out of your wetsuit.