How to get scuba certified: the Open Water course explained step by step

TUREFF• •0

Most people who learn to dive start with an entry-level course usually called Open Water (the exact name varies by agency). It is the qualification that lets you rent equipment, fill tanks and dive with a buddy without a professional at your side. This guide walks through how the course works, what you can do afterwards and what to sort out before you sign up.

Agencies: PADI, SSI and the rest

Diving is taught through training agencies, which write the standards and issue the certification cards. PADI and SSI are the names you see most often, and there are others, including national bodies and club-based systems. Entry-level certifications from the large agencies are widely recognised by dive centres around the world. For a beginner, the instructor and the dive centre matter far more than the logo. Ask how many students each instructor takes in the water at once, how much pool time is included and whether the open water dives happen somewhere calm enough to learn in.

What the course involves

An Open Water course has three parts:

Knowledge development: the theory of pressure, buoyancy, equipment, planning and problem solving. Many agencies let you do this online before you arrive, which frees up holiday time.
Confined water sessions: practice in a pool or a sheltered, pool-like spot. You learn to set up the kit, clear water from your mask, recover a regulator you have dropped, share air with a buddy and control your buoyancy.
Open water dives: usually four dives in the sea or a lake, where you repeat the skills in real conditions and start to actually explore.

Expect the course to take several days. Rushing it on a short holiday is the most common way to finish certified but uncomfortable underwater.

Requirements before you start

Swimming: you need to be comfortable in water. PADI's course page, for example, asks you to float or tread water for 10 minutes and swim 200 metres unaided (or 300 metres with mask, fins and snorkel). It is not a race, but you do have to complete it.
Medical: you fill in a diver medical questionnaire. Answering yes to certain questions, such as some heart, lung or ear conditions, or certain medicines, means you need a doctor's sign-off before any in-water training. Be honest; the form exists to protect you.
Age: many agencies offer a junior version from age 10, with tighter depth limits for younger children. Check the rules for the agency and centre you choose.

What you can do once certified

The standard depth limit for an Open Water diver is 18 metres (60 feet). Junior divers have lower limits, and PADI caps 10 and 11 year olds at 12 metres. You are certified to dive with a buddy of similar or higher qualification, in conditions similar to or better than those you trained in. That last part is worth taking seriously. A card earned in warm, calm, clear water does not make you ready for cold water, strong currents or poor visibility. Build up gradually, or take a guided dive when conditions are new to you.

After the course

Log your dives. A logbook or app record helps dive centres judge your experience, and helps you notice what you are improving.
Keep diving soon. Skills fade fast. If it has been a long time since your last dive, a refresher with an instructor in a pool is common and sensible.
Next steps: an advanced course extends your depth limit and introduces navigation and night diving; a rescue course is often the one divers say taught them the most.

Choosing where to learn

Read recent reviews that mention instructors by name.
Ask what equipment is included and how well it is maintained.
Check whether the price covers boat fees, materials and the certification itself.
Make sure you feel free to say "I'm not ready" and repeat a skill.

Certified recently, or about to start? Share your questions and your first-dive stories in the comments below.