PADI is The Professional Association of Diving Instructors. PADI is the world's largest and most widely recognized recreational scuba diver training agency. As a PADI diver you will have earned the finest and most respected diver credentials available.
Yes, you can do a ‘try dive’ otherwise known as a Discover Scuba in the pool with one of our Divemasters. This will give you an opportunity to experience the fun of scuba diving in a safe and controlled environment. You only need to show up with swimming togs and towel and we will provide everything else. Due to the more challenging conditions here in Dublin Bay, you will need to complete one of our certification courses if you want to dive in the sea.
Learning to scuba dive is an incredible adventure! With PADI as your training organization, your path to being a certified diver is accomplished in three exciting phases:
During the first phase of your PADI course with Oceandivers; you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear and what to consider when planning dives. You briefly review what you have studied in the five knowledge sections with your instructor and take a short quiz to be sure you’re getting it. At the end of the course, you’ll take a longer quiz that makes sure you have all the key concepts and ideas down. You and your instructor will review anything that you don’t quite get until it’s clear.
This is what it’s all about - diving, You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving in a pool or body of water with pool-like conditions. Here you’ll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your mask without surfacing. You’ll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or recovering your regulator. Plus you will learn the joy of being weightless under water by achieving neutral buoyancy.
After your confined water dives, you and the new friends you’ve made will continue to learn during four open water dives with your PADI Instructor at a dive site. This is where you fully experience the underwater adventure. You may make these dives locally or on a fun weekend away.
Students have to know how to swim, and feel comfortable in the water, but expert swimming skills are not required. Typically students complete a short 200m swim and a 10-minute water tread to demonstrate basic swimming ability.
Each student must complete a Medical Statement prior to training. This document informs instructors of a student’s medical condition, if there is a YES answer to any of the medical questions then a PADI Medical form must be signed off by a doctor to pass you fit to dive. There are some conditions such as epilepsy, chronic ear infections, diabetes, active asthma, emphysema, heart disease, haemophilia that could prohibit a diver in the activity. Divers Alert Network (DAN) has a very extensive Medical FAQ Page on their website so worth checking this out for more specific details.
No, assuming you have no irregularities in your ears and sinuses. The discomfort is the normal effect of water pressure pressing in on your ears. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to adjust for pressure changes in our ears – you just need to learn how. If you have no difficulties adjusting to air pressure during flying, you'll probably experience no problem learning to adjust to water pressure while diving.
Absolutely not, if you are in reasonable good health with a basic level of fitness there is no reason why you can’t dive happily into your dotage!
This can vary and our class sizes range from 4-12 people. In the pool, the ratios we usually work to are 4 students to 1 instructor while in the sea the ratio is reduced further to 2 students to 1 instructor or 4 students to 1 instructor and 1 divemaster. We operate well under the recommended ratios in order to maintain the highest safety standards possible.
Oceandivers have a 100% safety record and in their 25 years of teaching PADI Willie and Brian have never had to deal with a serious incident. Modern dive training uses methods and techniques that have developed massively over the past four decades to make sure the educational systems produce safe recreational divers. Because of this, scuba diving is one of the safer recreational activities in which you can participate.
Oceandivers will provide all the equipment that you will need for your course free of charge. Of course you will want to ultimately buy your own but it’s probably a good idea to wait until basic certification training is completed before you start to purchase your own equipment. Although we don’t sell gear ourselves, Oceandivers will be happy to guide and advise you in selecting the best equipment for you as you begin to dive regularly and gain experience. However it is nice to own your own mask and snorkel from the beginning, since these are personal items.
Sunburn and sea sickness, both of which are preventable with over the counter preventatives. The most common injuries caused by marine life are scrapes and stings, most of which can be avoided by wearing an exposure suit, staying off the bottom and watching where you put your hands and feet.
For those who don’t like the idea of diving in Irish waters, we offer the PADI Referral programmes that easily allow you to finish your course in any other PADI Dive Center around the world. By completing two thirds of the course before your holiday it means that you don’t have to spend any days of your valuable sun holiday in a dark classroom or swimming pool!
Both courses are entry level courses and suitable for complete beginners. The Scuba Diver Course is the first three modules of the Open Water course consisting of 3 knowledge development sessions, 3 confined water (pool) sessions and 2 open water dives. A 10 min water tread and 200m swim are also requirements for completion of the course. The certified PADI Scuba Diver is qualified to dive to a max depth of 12m and must dive in the company of a PADI professional diver on every dive.
The open water course consists of 5 knowledge development sessions, 5 confined water (pool) sessions and 4 open water dives. The 10 min water tread and 200m swim are also required. The certified PADI Open Water Diver can dive to a max depth of 18m and may dive with any diver with the same certification level or higher.
Oceandivers will provide all the equipment that you will need for your course free of charge. Of course you will want to ultimately buy your own but it’s probably a good idea to wait until basic certification training is completed before you start to purchase their own equipment. Although we don’t sell gear ourselves, Oceandivers will be happy to guide and advise you in selecting the best equipment for you as you begin to dive regularly and gain experience. However it is nice to own your own mask and snorkel from the beginning, since these are personal items.
Although we would obviously prefer if you stick to the agreed class schedule, we appreciate that there may be times when you simply can't make a session. We will do everything reasonable to re-schedule a new session for you but it really helps us if you give us as much notice as possible.
It depends, but generally speaking, you’ll receive about 30 hours of instruction to certify as a PADI Open Water Diver. We can teach these sessions in many different ways for example you can come for one evening a week for six weeks followed by two weekends to finish the sea dives or you can complete the full course over five consequetive days on one of our Intensive Open Water courses. We also offer one to one training to match your schedule with our Open Water Gold course.
Open Water scuba divers stay above 18 metres and while this is the limit some of the most interesting dives are no deeper than 15 metres where the water is warmer and the colours are brighter due to the light. With further training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres.
Your PADI scuba certification does not expire but it is highly recommended that you keep in practice by just going diving. If you become rusty you should take a refresher course called a Scuba Review with Oceandivers. Continuing with your scuba education is an excellent way to keep in practice and learn more safe diving skills.
Typical temperatures in Irish waters range from 6 degrees in the winter to 16 degrees in summer but there is no need to be cold as there is an exposure suit to deal with all degrees of water. Oceandivers use 14mm neoprene suits that offer good thermal insulation. Dry suits are popular and are worn with thermal under suits to keep the diver dry and warm.
Compared with getting started in other popular adventure sports and outdoor activities, learning to scuba dive isn't expensive.
For example, you can expect to pay about the same as you would for:
Learning to scuba dive is a great value when you consider that you learn to dive under the guidance and attention of a high trained, experienced professional - your Oceandivers PADI Scuba Instructor. From the first day, scuba diving starts transforming your life with new experiences you share with friends. And, you can do it almost anywhere there is water. Start learning online with Oceandivers and get ready to take your first breath underwater!
Oceandivers is proud to be able to offer the PADI Open Water Course from €495 per person including all the books, DVDs and Manuals that you will need. Gear rental is also included along with the International PADI Certification card that you will receive on sucessful completion of the course.
If you opt for the PADI Scuba Diver certification it will cost €325 per person
One of the many nice things about diving in Ireland is that we really don't have any marine animals that could be considered dangerous. During your training, you will learn to respect the amazing creatures that we see when we dive. We never try to touch or tease any marine animal and we are careful not to accidently damage the reef in any way. Even in the tropics where shark encounters are very common, the incidents of aggresion against divers are extremly rare.
Aside from pregnancy, no. Because physiologists know little about the effects of diving on the foetus, the recommendation is that women avoid diving while pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Menstruation is not normally a concern.
you call PADI on 0044 117 300 7300 they will be able to send out a new card to you. There will be a small fee though!
Irish waters are bursting with life which is rich and diverse, when we get good conditions, many of Irelands top dive sites are among the best in the world. We see many species of fish such as Wrasse, Lling, Pollack, Dog Fish, flat fish like Dab, Plaice, and Sole. Crustaceans and shell fish are everywhere edible crabs, lobsters, crayfish, spider crabs, shrimp, scallops razor clams and sea urchins to name but a few. Little Tompot Blennys and Gobi fish let you get in close for a look. Octopus, Cuttlefish and conger eels are always a thrill. Gardens of jewel anemone, soft corals and sponges bring a beauty and colour all of their own. We often encounter seals and on a really special day spotting dolphins or a basking shark are not out of the question. The underwater topography on the west coast is as spectacular below water as it is above. Below sea level is an exciting and wonderful world to explore. If you would like to see some great photos of the reefs and marine life that Ireland has to offer, click on our Images Gallery.
That's not likely because you have a gauge that tells you how much air you have at all times. This way, you can return to the surface with a safety reserve remaining. But to answer the question, if you run out of air, your buddy has a spare mouthpiece that allows you to share a single air supply while swimming to the surface. There are also other options you'll learn in your PADI Open Water course with Oceandivers.
People find the “weightlessness” of scuba diving to be quite freeing. Modern scuba masks are available in translucent models, which you may prefer if a mask makes you feel closed in. During your scuba diving training with Oceandivers, your instructor gives you plenty of time and coaching to become comfortable with each stage of learning. Your scuba instructor works with you at your own pace to ensure you master each skill necessary to become a capable scuba diver who dives regularly.
Oceandivers keeps classes small so that we can give you more time to get comfortable with the amazing world of diving.