Water Diver Course

PADI Open Water Diver course is not only the world’s most popular course for scuba diving, but also something that has introduced millions of people to the adventurous lifestyle of diving. This PADI Open Water Diver course is a 3-day course, or four if you choose, and is conducted in Koh Samui. Anyone over the age of 10 can enroll in this course.   About the PADI Open Water Diver Course   The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three phases:  

1. Knowledge Development to understand the basic principles of scuba diving

In this course, you begin with a day of theory and pool practice to get familiar with the scuba diving basics. In the theory session, you get to study the literature of scuba diving, watch some videos, have some fun quizzes, and conclude with an exam to test what you learnt. In the class you will go over the procedures of entering the water with scuba gear on, what to do during an emergency situation, and learn the skills of moving underwater.   This phase completes in half to one day. During the knowledge phase, you read 5 chapters of the PADI Open Water Diver book and watch the PADI Open Water Diver DVD that corresponds to chapters in the book. The knowledge review at the end of each section helps you memorize and learn the important points covered in the section. After completing the review, you will take a short quiz with ten questions to test how much you have learnt and to ensure that you remember all the essential points. The pattern remains the same for all 5 chapters, except that at the end of the 5^th chapter, you will have an exam with 50 questions that includes all topics covered from chapter 1-5, both in the book and the DVD.  

2. Confined water dives to learn basic scuba skills

The second phase of the PADI Open Water Scuba Diver training is about getting used to the water. This phase is carried out in a dive pool, and is essential for new and nervous divers. The dive pool provides a safe and controlled environment where you can test your new skills, learn, and get used to the equipment underwater, like using breathing equipment. You get to practice the different skills you learned during phase one from the study material.   The confined water dives are usually conducted in a swimming pool and will cover some of the following basic skills in a swimming pool:  

• Equipment assembly, adjustment, and preparation
• Deep water entry
• Proper weighting
• Snorkel regulator exchange
• Regulator recovery and clearing
• Air depletion
• Alternate air source
• Partial and full mask flooding and clearing
• Mask removal and replacement
• Breathing from a regulator without a mask (60 seconds)
• No mask swim
• Scuba unit removal and replacement at the surface
• Weight belt removal and replacement at the surface
• Cramp removal
• Tired diver tow
• Descents
• Scuba unit removal and replacement underwater
• Weight belt removal and replacement underwater
• Fin pivot (oral and low pressure inflator)
• Neutral buoyancy (hovering)
• Ascents
• Free flowing regulator breathing (30 seconds)
• Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent
• Exiting the water
• Equipment disassembly & maintenance

 

3. Open water dives to review your skills and explore!

  The remaining two days of the PADI Open Water Diver course are conducted in the ocean. You are picked up from your hotel and taken to the pier in Koh Samui. You board a speedboat from there and head to Koh Tao, a 90-minute journey, to experience the best of the diving in Thailand. Speedboats have many advantages, and one of the main ones is its speed. It not only saves time but is also more versatile than other boats, so you can go to quieter and the best diving sites in Koh Tao. Another advantage is that there are snorkelers onboard who get off at Koh Tao, so when they leave you have the entire boat to yourself.   Buoyancy is all that the first dive is about, so you don’t have to worry about anything aside from the basic diving skills that you have recently learned. A highly qualified instructor will be with you all along to make sure that you stay safe, know everything you need to know, and to answer any questions you may have. When you get in the water, you will readily get used to buoyance control and moving underwater, and start your journey toward becoming a fully qualified diver.   PADI Open Water Scuba Diver course also includes lunch at a restaurant in Hin Wong bay or Sairee beach (the location depends on the weather conditions). Although most programs offer lunch on boat, this program makes sure you get to set your feet on the ground for a while, relax, and also snorkel after lunch if you want. The traditional Thai buffet lunch that is serves is delectable and mouthwatering.   After lunch, you will go back for your second dive in which you will show the safety skills you have learned to your instructor, for instance, clearing your mask with a little water in it or recovering your regulator. The same routine will be followed on the next day as well, where you will repeat a few more skills. The duration of each dive depends on your air consumption, although they usually last for about 25-45 minutes. Once the course is complete, you will then be qualified to dive with a buddy.   Note: If you’ve tried diving through a PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience, the skills you learned may be credited towards a portion of the full PADI Open Water Diver course certification.   After your fourth dive, provided you have completed all aspects of your course to the satisfaction of your PADI scuba instructor, you will become qualified to dive to a maximum of 18 meters with a buddy and a fully qualified PADI Open Water Diver!