PADI Open Water Diver

PADI Open Water Diver

The PADI Open Water Diver course is where it all begins. Have you always wanted to learn how to scuba dive and discover new adventures? Do you want to see the wondrous world beneath the waves? Then you are in the right place! The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world's most popular scuba course. It has introduced millions of people to the adventurous diving lifestyle.

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 certification. Furthermore, if you have completed this with us here at Scuba Leeds within the last 4 weeks, we will take your Discover Scuba Diving fee off your Open Water Diver course fee.

Quick Course Overview

To certify as a PADI Open Water Diver you must:

• Complete five E-learning knowledge development sections, including quizzes and final exam.
• Complete Confined Water (pool) Dives 1-5
• Meet water skills assessment requirements
• Complete Open Water Dives 1-4

1. Knowledge Development

The Knowledge Development section consists of self-study E-learning, which you can conveniently complete in your own time. This part of your course is designed to teach you the basic principles of scuba diving, and you will cover basic dive theory, equipment, skills and dive planning. You will also practice assembling and disassembling your dive gear for the first time.

2. Confined Water Dives

You will do a total of 5 confined water dives in a pool, where you will learn basic scuba skills, get comfortable underwater and have lots of fun!

Confined water session 1 and 3 - Tong High School Pool: Saturday 12:00 - 14:00

• Have a pre-dive briefing with your instructor
• Complete a 90-minute shallow pool dive to a maximum depth of 1.8m

The Saturday sessions are an ideal starting point for all new divers, as the pool has a sloping bottom. This means your instructor will let you breathe underwater and practice a couple of safety skills in water deep enough to stand up in. Once you are comfortable, your instructor will take you for a swim to the deep end of the pool.

Once you have completed the first shallow pool dive, we will take you to our 5.5m diver training pool.

Confined water session 2, 4 and 5 - John Charles Centre for Sports Pool: Thursday 19:30 - 22:00

This pool is 5.5m deep, which means you will really get the full experience of how it feels to be weightless underwater. The sessions are around 2.5 hours long - this includes a briefing, equipment set up and a 90-minute dive, which means you will have plenty of time to practice skills and have fun!

Once in the pool, your instructor will help you to practice equalising while making a descent to 5.5m down our descent line. The line allows you to descend slowly whilst having something to hold on to. Once at the bottom of the dive pool, you will get to practice the skills necessary for the relevant session. You will have 4 confined water sessions in this pool altogether, with each session evolving your skill set to match that of an Open Water Diver.

Drysuit Orientation (DSO)

Your orientation will initially take place in confined water before you use a drysuit for the first time in Open Water. During the dive you will be taught about drysuits, how to take them on and off as well as situations you can find yourselves in with drysuits, such as a suit squeeze.

3. Open Water Dives

Once you have completed the PADI Confined Water skills and dry suit orientation, you will head to one of our two Open Water dive sites for the remainder of your course.

Open Water session 1 & 2 Capernwray/ Stoney Cove: Saturday 09:00 -16:00

Here you will do a total of 4 Open Water Dives across 2 days (as well as an additional drysuit dive if applicable), where you will practice all of the skills you learned in confined water. The sessions include briefings, equipment set up, gear down and debriefing. Once you have completed all of your Open Water Dives and Knowledge Reviews you will be asked to complete a final exam before receiving your certification.

What scuba gear will I use?

The fit and comfort of your personal equipment are key to having an enjoyable diving experience. As a minimum, we would recommend your own mask, snorkel and boots when you begin your first course. Our friendly staff will help you select gear that's right for you when you're ready to buy. Please note a mask and snorkel is included for you to keep as part of the STANDARD and DELUXE packages. Scuba Leeds will provide all your core scuba diving equipment during your course including:

• Buoyancy Device (Single Tank Wing)
• Regulator (Long Hose Style)
• Scuba Cylinder (12ltr Tall)
• Integrated Weight System & Weights (As needed)
• Scuba Diving Computer (Suunto Vyper Novo)
• Scuba Diving Fins (Strap Fins)
• Drysuit & Undersuit (Thermal Protection)

During your course, we will include FREE rental of all of the above core dive gear items only. You will be required to collect your core dive gear prior to the open water training dives from Scuba Leeds.

What are the prerequisites for this course?

To enrol in a PADI Open Water Diver (or Junior) course, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be at least 10 years of age
• You must have adequate swimming skills
• You must be in good physical health
• No prior scuba diving experience is required

You will also be required to complete:

• Medical Statement - Please ensure you are fit to dive by checking this form.
• Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding
• Statement of Risks & Liability

If you answer YES to any of the questions on the PADI Medical Statement, you will need to get a medical physician to sign the form to confirm fitness to dive prior to any in-water activities.

Please note: you will not be able to participate in any pool or open water sessions without confirming your fitness to dive. 

How do I start?

Enrol onto the course by making your purchase online through our website. You will then receive an email asking for some more details to get you registered and also offering some help to get you started with your online materials. After that, we will send you more details on logistics of your course, such where to be and when.

If you already know which of our upcoming course dates suits you best, please add this to the comment section when making your purchase online, or simply give us a call to discuss this further..

Unsure if the full PADI Open Water Diver Course is for you? Check out our PADI Discover Scuba Diving page to get more information on experiencing diving for the first time.

What's the difference between the PADI Open Water Diver options?

At Scuba Leeds we offer three-course options for the PADI Open Water Diver Course. All the options include the same level of training, the same course materials, and the same certification at the end. The Basic, Standard, and Deluxe are related to your choice of equipment bundle that comes with your course. The bundles are as follows:

The Basic:

This Basic PADI Open Water Diver option is only for students who already own their own scuba diving mask and snorkel. If you do not already own these items you will need to select the Standard or Deluxe course options.

The Standard:

The Standard PADI Open Water Diver course option is ideal for divers only planning to dive in warm water only after certification and includes:

• PADI Open Water Diver course & digital materials
• Aqua Lung Favola mask
• Aqua Lung Zephyr snorkel

The Deluxe:

The Deluxe PADI Open Water Diver course option is ideal for divers only planning to dive in warm water only after certification and includes:

• PADI Open Water Diver Course & Digital Materials
• Aqua Lung Favola mask
• Aqua Lung Zephyr snorkel
• Aqua Lung Phazer fin
• Aqua Lung 5mm boots

Why should I choose the PADI Drysuit Specialty upgrade?

If you plan to scuba dive in temperate or colder water environments such as the UK, northern Europe or the Mediterranean in winter, then you will require a drysuit to keep you warm. The UK & Abroad option includes the PADI Open Water Course and the PADI Drysuit Specialty certification. A drysuit seals you off from the water you are diving in and keeps you warm and comfortable, even in surprisingly cold waters. Drysuit certification is required by dive centres worldwide as part of their drysuit rental procedures. It’s kind of like upgrading your car driving licence to include a motorbike license. Becoming a dry suit diver allows you to expand your boundaries and dive more places, more often.

The PADI Open Water Diver Course can be completed in conjunction with the PADI Drysuit Diver and PADI Nitrox Diver courses. We offer both of these courses at discounted prices if you choose to purchase and complete these alongside your PADI Open Water Diver course.