If you've always wanted to learn how to scuba dive, Oceandivers can help you discover new adventures and see the wonderous world beneath the waves. The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world's most popular scuba course, and has introduced millions of people to the adventurous diving lifestyle.
The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases:
To enroll in the PADI Open Diver course or Junior Open Water Diver course, you must be:
Your first breath underwater is something you'll never forget and you will progress through the skills from basic to more complex. The latest PADI Open Water course is split into three parts –
During Part 1 you'll get to learn about all the important principles of safe and enjoyable scubadiving, this theory section is delivered through a brilliantly designed eLearning package which you complete online.
In Part 2, you complete at least five pool training dives in the National Aquatic Centre Blanchardstown where you master all of the key skills under the helpful eye of a PADI Instructor. Once you have successfully completed all sections of Parts 1 and 2, you are ready to move on to the final part.
Part 3 requires that you complete four open water dives in the sea where you get to demonstrate your new skills in the real environment. You can choose different locations depending on your needs, Sandycove Beach just south of Dublin is really convenient but you might prefer the clearer waters off Connemara or the warmer waters of a tropical location. There is great flexibility in how Part 3 is delivered so we can help you decide what’s best for you.
In the PADI Open Water Diver course, you learn to use basic scuba gear and standard accessories. Oceandivers supply all the scuba equipment required by their students for the Open Water course, the use of our school gear is included in your course fee. All our scuba gear is regularly updated and well maintained but you might prefer to purchase your own Mask and Snorkel, and we offer a special price on a number of packages.
All the training materials you will need are included in the course fee - eLearning personal access codes - Dive Logbook and Student Record file.
PADI's Open Water Diver materials cover what you need to know about basic scuba diving skills, terminology and safety procedures. For each concept you'll read a description and watch a video demonstration followed by completing the online Quizzes and Knowledge Reviews. Then you'll head to the pool to practice these skills with your instructor.
We typically run our Open Water courses over six weeks of evening classes meeting every Tuesday at 7.00pm in the National Aquatic Centre, Blanchardstown. The first part of the evening is classroom based followed by gear selection and assembly on the pool deck before an hour long in-water session of skills and fun in the pool. Finishing time each Tuesday is about 10.15pm.
At the bottom of this page you can view dates for our upcoming courses but you will find much more detail with simple online booking options by clicking the link to our Open Water Online Store here.
As well as evening classes, we also offer the full Open Water course as a 5 day Intensive programme during the summer months. The Intensive course meets on a Monday at 9.00am and continues each day from 9.00am till 5.30pm finishing on the Friday afternoon.
If none of our normal schedule work out for you, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. Alternatively we also offer the Gold Open Water course that is tailored to your own individual schedule.
Do feel free to give us a call or drop us an email but you will also find the answers to many common questions about learning to dive on our FAQs page here.