| If you have been considering learning to dive and | | | | safety precautions, equipment selection and how |
| you want to know more about what's involved in | | | | to maintenance, planning your dives, and preview |
| the basic open water scuba diving course, below I | | | | the skills you will learn in the water. A test will be |
| will try to answer your questions. | | | | conducted at the end of the course. |
| What is the Open Water Course? | | | | Confined Water Training |
| As mentioned above the basic scuba diving | | | | This will be your first step into the water with |
| certification course will be taught by all certification | | | | your equipment, but as you have no skills it will be |
| agencies. They are basically the same across | | | | conducted in a safe environment such as a |
| different agencies and will only differ slightly but | | | | swimming pool. Your training will start at shallow |
| they will all cover the same basic skills and | | | | water where you can stand and start the basic |
| knowledge you will need to be able to dive safely. | | | | skills, as you progress in confidence you will lead |
| Who can enrol for the Course? | | | | to deeper water the skills will continue until you |
| You can begin to learn to dive from as early as | | | | successfully complete all the skills and drills |
| 10 years old but this will maybe be 12 years old | | | | required to advance to the open water. |
| depending on the country you are at and this will | | | | Open Water Training |
| be classified as the Junior Open Water Course. | | | | This will be your first dive in the open water, and |
| You will need to be at least 15 years old to enrol | | | | you will take around 4 or more dives and you will |
| in the Open Water Course directly, but if you | | | | go over all the skills and drills that you previously |
| learn as a junior open water course you will be | | | | learnt in the swimming pool until you are |
| automatically upgraded to Open Water Diver | | | | completely confident and can perform them in |
| when you reach the age of 15 years old. | | | | real diving situations. By the end of the open |
| The other requirements are you will need to be | | | | water part of the course you will be happy diving |
| physically fit and have a basic level of swimming | | | | with the fishes. |
| skill. | | | | What does the course qualify you to do? |
| How long does the Course take? | | | | When you're certified as an Open Water diver |
| This will become an important question as we are | | | | you will be able to dive to 18meters when you |
| typically busy and dont have much time to spare. | | | | dive with a fellow diver with a minimum |
| Normally an average vacation course will take | | | | qualification the same as yours. You do not have |
| around 3 to 5 days and will depend on the time | | | | to be accompanied by a dive master of instructor |
| and effort put in each day. Courses can also be | | | | but this is recommended. Also you will be eligible |
| done over weeks or months which will generally | | | | to do your Advanced Open water where you can |
| fit into your hectic schedule after work or on the | | | | dive at night and dive to 40m. |
| weekend. | | | | Do I have to renew my certification in future? |
| What will be covered during the course? | | | | The certification is a life long certificate and does |
| Basic Knowledge Development | | | | not need to be renewed. However, it is |
| When the course starts you will be given text | | | | recommended that if you have not dived for a |
| books, videos or even learn online, you can study | | | | while or feel you lack the confidence in your skills |
| alone before starting the lectures. Areas to be | | | | you should do a Scuba Review. This review is a |
| covered in your course will be basics of diving | | | | short refresher course with a professional that |
| techniques, how diving will affect your body, diving | | | | can be integrated into your first dive. |