Learn to scuba dive
PADI® Open Water is the world's most recognised scuba certification. It enables you to dive within the limits of your training to a maximum depth of 18 m.
This course is perfect for:
those who have tried scuba diving before, including during a PADI® Discover Scuba® Diving experience.
those who would like to jump straight in to diving without any prior experience.
holidaymakers who'd like to dive during their time away. We offer a referral course, allowing you to complete much of your training at home, giving you more time to explore your destination with confidence.
anyone seeking a new adventure!
Oxford Dive Centre is Oxfordshire's only PADI® 5-Star dive centre. Our friendly team have decades of experience between them and, no matter your experience, we'll teach you to become the best Open Water diver you can be.
What you'll learn
Learn to dive to a maximum depth of 18 m.
Setting-up, dressing in and adjusting scuba gear.
Inflating and deflating buoyancy control devices (BCDs) at surface level.
Clearing your breathing equipment of water.
Clearing a flooded mask.
Using alternate air sources.
Hand signals used to communicate underwater.
Monitoring your air balance.
Pre-dive safety checks.
Breathing without wearing a mask.
How to respond if your air supply is depleted.
Many skills.
Where you can go with your qualification
You will be able to dive up to the limits of your training anywhere in the world.
How it works
eLearning
Students complete PADI® eLearning before practical sessions.
Confined water dives
Students participate in 4 pool sessions, putting their eLearning into practice and further developing their skills. We run pool sessions regularly: check out the schedule to see when.
Open water dives
Having completed their 4 pool dives, students complete 4 further dives, this time in open water.
Scheduling challenges?
If you don't have much time to complete the course as described here, we can make some adjustments to suit your schedule. Get in touch if you'd like to discuss.
Pre-requisites
Participants must be aged ≥ 10 years.
You must be medically fit to dive. Participants must have a completed Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire signed by a medical doctor ≤ 12 months ago as appropriate.
Participants must be able to swim 200 m. This is tested during the course.
Participants must be able to float in or tread water for 10 min. This is tested during the course.
Participants will be required to complete the provided at-home study.
Participants must use their own mask & snorkel. Our expert store staff can help you find equipment to suit you. Learn more about the store.
Masks
It is absolutely vital to use a correctly-fitting mask to prevent leaks. We can't stress this enough.
Our expert store staff can help you find one that perfectly fits.
Booking options
PADI® Open Water
Standard PADI® Open Water courses are completed in wetsuits, which are suitable for warmer water temperatures.
Students will complete their open water dives at Vobster Quay.
Popular
PADI® Open Water in a drysuit
Complete your Open Water course in a dry suit, which is suitable for cooler water temperatures.
Students will complete their open water dives at Vobster Quay.
After completing this course, students will not be able to hire a drysuit, because this course does not provide specific dry suit certification. Consider the PADI® Open Water + Dry Suit Specialty course, which fully certifies students to use a dry suit.
Best value
PADI® Open Water + Specialty course
Get your Open Water certification and a specialty certification at the same time.
Options
Dry Suit Specialty course: get certified as a dry suit diver and hire dry suits in the future. Students will complete an additional pool dive and open water dive.
Peak Performance Buoyancy: get perfect positioning in the water. Students will complete an additional open water dive.
PADI® Open Water Referral
Complete the eLearning and pool dives with us, then complete the open water dives with another PADI® centre (subject to additional cost).
This option is great if you'd like to complete your certification on holiday.
Upon completing the home portion of this course, you will be provided with paperwork to present to your destination dive centre.
Enrol in your PADI® Open Water course
Bookings for this course are currently being taken through our old website.