Open Water Course Details
Prerequisites for Certification
You must sign a medical release and be age 15 or older (10 for Junior Divers).
You must attend and participate in all class sessions.
At some point prior to certification, you must also complete a 200-yard continuous surface swim or a 300-yard mask, snorkel, and fin swim, plus a swim/float without using a mask, fins, snorkel, or any other swim aid.
About the Course
The PADI Open Water Diver course is performance-based. This means that you can progress by meeting learning requirements and mastery of the required skills.
The course is divided into three segments: Knowledge development and class, four confined water dives and swim tests, and four open water dives over 2 days.
The course is taught in five knowledge development sections, five confined water dives, and four open water dives. You will need to meet the requirements and mastery for each before moving on to the next.
You'll complete most of your knowledge development at your own pace. Prior to the class, watch the Open Water Diver video and complete the reading, exercises, and Knowledge Review questions in your Open Water Diver Manual (or use the multimedia version). I'll look over your Knowledge Review when we meet for the review.
As you read, underline or highlight important information - particularly the information related to objectives.
When the class meets, we review the five knowledge development sections you will have filled out in advance, and take a short 10-question quiz which tells how well you understand the material. Then we will review any areas where you have difficulty of understanding.
After the last section, you'll take a final exam of 50 questions. You need 75 percent to pass each of the four quizzes and one final exam.
Knowledge development makes sure you remember everything you've learned throughout the course.
We'll make four scuba open water dives over two days, during which you'll apply what you've learned, plus develop some new skills. The first dive of the open water dives will be spent exploring and getting acquainted with your gear, areas in which we will complete our second, third, and fourth dives.
