PADI Open Water Diver

Medical requirements

A minimum level of health and fitness is required for scuba diving. In case you are suffering from any chronic health condition, or taking certain medications and/or had surgery recently, you will have to get written approval from a physician before diving. In order to avoid any confusion, you can simply download and review the Diver Medical Form to make sure that you will not require approval from a physician to dive. You should not ask your instructor, dive master, or dive shop staff for medical advice as they are not physicians. Only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive if you do not have a minimum level of health and fitness. 

Prerequisites & minimum age

Course prerequisites include the following:

• Able to swim
• medically fit for diving
• comfortable in the water

During the PADI Open Water Diver course, you will be asked by your instructor to:

• Float or tread water without aids for ten minutes
• Swim 300 metres/yards with mask, fins and snorkel or 200 metres/yards with no aids

Minimum age: Ten years

Divers certified between the ages of ten to fourteen years earn a Junior Diver certification.

At the age of fifteen years, Junior Open Water Divers automatically become Open Water Divers. An Open Water Diver (not Junior Open Water Diver) certification will be shown automatically in case of any replacement certification card or eCard purchased the day after the diver’s fifteenth birthday.

Kids, who are eight years old or more than that, can try scuba diving in a swimming pool or a similar environment. They can ask the dive shop about a Bubblemaker experience. If you are comfortable in the water, then you can participate in the PADI Seal Team program, which is a multi-day pool diving experience. 

The world’s most popular and globally-recognised scuba diving certification is PADI Open Water Diver Course. By taking this course, one can become a certified diver in around four days or over a period of a year. After getting certified, you can do the following:

• Call yourself a certified diver
• Get air fills at local dive shops
• Rent or purchase scuba diving gear
• Book excursions with dive boats and resorts
• Scuba dive with a partner (without supervision)

A lot more than just learning how to explore the marine world safely, the PADI Open Water Diver Course lets you reconnect with the natural underwater world. With the help of this course, you will start looking at our ocean planet in a new way. Becoming a certified diver is definitely a great skill addition! 

Why you should take PADI Open Water Diver course?

If you are always ready for an adventure and excited to explore what our wonderful planet has to offer, then scuba diving sounds like a perfect activity for you. While discovering the incredible marine life, you will challenge yourself at so many levels you wouldn’t have even imagined- both physically and mentally. Your underwater experience will boost all your senses and open your eyes to a whole new magical world! That’s why, we would suggest you to get yourself scuba dive certification and go for your first dive as soon as you can.

If you are still doubtful whether this is something for which you should spend your time, efforts, and money, then we present here five reasons why you should take that leap of faith in your next voyage.

#1 Take your beach holiday to a new level

If you are already on a beach holiday, then scuba diving can add some extra adventure to your vacation. You can discover new underwater sceneries, species, and maybe even wrecks. Whether you are travelling alone, with a partner or entire family, scuba diving is something that most people would agree to do. This adventurous activity stands out from the rest owing to the magic and ecstasy it offers to the divers throughout. 

#2 It’s a whole new world out there

Just dive under the waves and in no time, you will be transported to a miraculous colourful world. Scuba diving is an extremely peaceful experience wherever you are doing it- tropical coral reef or in a cenote. Forget the law of gravity here! You can move freely in all directions without any limitations. For those who want to experience something close to flying, scuba diving is what you should be doing. 

#3 More exciting travel plans

You will start to plan your vacations in a completely different way once you have discovered the amazing feeling of diving. You will begin searching for new adventurous places to dive. You may even get engaged in creating your own scuba bucket list. When you start spending time under the water, you will begin loving and respecting marvellous oceans. As much as 70 per cent of the Earth is covered by oceans. So, if you are willing to see the world, scuba diving lets you see the two-third part, which a tiny number of people dare to explore.

#4 Opportunity to meet unique marine animals

The most diverse of marine ecosystems are coral reefs and that’s why, they are also known as the rainforest of the sea. Of course, you must have seen marine animals captured in an aquarium, but nothing compares to watching them in their own habitat. Imagine looking at dolphins, whales, sharks, manta rays, and turtles among so many other lovely underwater creatures in their home sweet home! That would definitely be a life-changing experience for you.

#5 You get to explore this awesome world even more

This might be the best reason to scuba dive. In order to fulfil your diving desires, you will start making plans to travel to exotic places. It may change your life altogether. Scuba diving is an addiction; it’s like meditation. To fulfil this dream, you will travel to stunning destinations, spend your days at the beach, sometimes on a boat or underwater- all this to share your passion for the underwater world. Your lifestyle will get changed completely as you would be changing destinations every time you want to go on vacation. 

Along with being enthralling, scuba diving is also very relaxing as you glide through the water hearing nothing but your breath. This contact with underwater nature will make you learn more about oceans and respect them even more. Your entire mindset will get changed. Your life would be a whole new adventure.

Our planet is 70 per cent water, but still, we cannot survive in that medium unassisted for a long time. But with scuba diving, this is absolutely possible. You can spend your time comfortably under the water for extended periods. And thus, you can discover marine life you never knew existed before. Even just knowing that because of engineering advancements, you are able to breathe under the water, makes you appreciate your life so much more. Who thought doing this with ease would be possible someday!

If you have made up your mind to go for your first dive, then Havelock Island (now known as Swaraj Dweep) in Andaman Island has the best diving spots in India. Diving here will take you far away from all the noise, the traffic and the troubles in the world. Descending into the waters will let you hear nothing but your own breathing. No phones ringing and no talking- only hand signals can be used for communicating underwater. When you are in the mysterious blue world, you completely forget what is happening back on land and what keeps you busy. During your diving time, it’s only you and your thoughts. Nothing else is there to distract or trouble you. ‘Underwater’ is the most peaceful place on earth!

For an extraordinary first dive…

Your first scuba diving experience has to be extra-special. There should not be any compromise made on that. Therefore, we will suggest you to book your diving slot with Dive Andaman, which is a 5-star PADI centre. Its certified experienced trainers will make sure that you have a memorable time under the water. Before actually going down the water, all the basic education regarding scuba diving will be imparted to you so that you can make the most of your experience. We can guarantee you that after your first dive, you are sure to think that just one dive is not enough; you would want to explore this natural wonder even more.

Happy Diving!!