PADI Open Water Diver Course

Would you like to share your diving experiences with someone close to you or give the gift of endless adventures? You can now easily give the gift of diving with a Gift Voucher!

You can collect a physical gift voucher from the store or simply purchase one through our online store from the comfort of your home.

The online gift voucher will be delivered via email and can be redeemed online.

Online Gift Vouchers

We have taught the youngest kids all the way up to 70 years old to dive, so don’t think you need to be superfit to participate in the course!

Being comfortable in the water, being able to carry the equipment (including a tank and weight), being able to swim 200 metres continuously (without touching the sides or the bottom of the pool) and being able to tread water for 10 minutes, are the only fitness requirements for the PADI Open Water Diver Course!

All participants need to fill out a dive medical questionnaire before the course. Simply follow the steps on the form to determine whether you will need clearance to start your PADI Open Water Diver Course. We recommend SPUMS Diving Dr Anne Sampson from Hallett Cove for dive medical (Mobile: 0418 803 250).

The minimum number of participants for us to run a course is two. About 95% of our courses run as planned, as apart from the occasional midweek course in the middle of Winter, it’s extremely unlikely we wouldn’t have 2 bookings for a course.

If we have to cancel a course because of lack of interest, you have the option to reschedule (free of charge) or get a full refund of your course fee.

The minimum age to sign up for your PADI Open Water Diver Course with Diving Adelaide is 14 years old for group courses and 12 years old for private courses. For 12 and 13 year olds, we recommend signing up for a course with a parent, sibling or (family) friend.

Did you know that a private course can be the same price as a regular course? See below for private course prices.

If you would prefer to sign up for the PADI Open Water Diver Course with your own private instructor for you or your group, you’re not alone! At Diving Adelaide we teach many private courses for those who prefer to learn to dive 1-on-1 or have a private instructor for their family or group of friends!

Did you know the course costs for a private course can be the same as those of a normal course? Please find our private course pricing below:

• $799 – Private 1-on-1 Course Price
• $639 – Private 2-on-1 Course – SAVE $170 per person!
• $499 – Private 3-on-1 Course – SAVE $300 per person!
• $449 – Private 4-on-1 Course – SAVE $350 per person!
• $399 – Private 5-on-1 Course – SAVE $400 per person!

The pricing above is based on running the pool session during our standard pool hours on Tuesday afternoon (for midweek courses) or Friday nights. If you would prefer to do the pool session at a different time, there will be an extra cost of $99.

Whether you’re sick, got COVID19, need to isolate, haven’t completed the PADI eLearning in time or can’t make the proposed course dates anymore, you can reschedule at any time before or during the course.

For each rescheduled participant, we will charge a small rescheduling fee  of $99. As soon as a course spot is booked, we reserve lanes in the pool, block a spot on the course and book an instructor in for your course. The rescheduling fee will be used to cover these costs.

Please note the theory segment of the PADI Open Water Diver Course is delivered via the PADI eLearning system. The costs for the PADI eLearning are included in the course fee.

You will normally receive your PADI eLearning voucher within 48 hours of confirming your spot on the course. To access the PADI eLearning system, it is recommend to use a tablet or computer (or a phone with a large screen).

On average, the eLearning for this course takes approximately 8-12 hours to complete.

The main thing to remember is that we are going to get wet anyway, so if it rains a little that is totally fine (you will be nice and warm in your thick wetsuit).

However, we are of course dependent on the weather, with the wind and swell being the main factors that determine whether we can go diving safely. If the weather forecast predicts large swells or high winds, we may have to transfer the course to a different weekend. We always keep an eye on the weather forecast and will notify you beforehand if we expect this to be the case!

The midweek course is run over 3 full days and the weekend course is run over 2 weekday nights and 2 full weekend days.

How long the days will be depends on whether we can dive locally (at Port Noarlunga for example) in which case the course days may be short, or if we have to go a bit further (for example to Rapid Bay or Ardrossan) to dive safely.

Always block a full day in your agenda for each diving day. Exact times and dive sites will be confirmed by your instructor on the course. 

Any dive centre around the world will recognise your PADI certification card. PADI is the largest certification agency in the world with more than 6000 dive centres worldwide.

Even if you end up diving somewhere in the world with a non-PADI dive centre, they will recognise your certification.

All dive gear will be provided by Diving Adelaide for the duration of the course, including mask, snorkel and fins!

However, to guarantee a perfect fit and the most enjoyable experience, we recommend coming in store to have a look at our masks, as the mask is the most important piece of equipment!

Once you have succesfully completed the PADI Open Water Diver Course, you will be certified to dive to a maximum depth of 18m.

You can now hire dive gear and go diving in a buddy team without the guidance of a dive professional.

You will be added to the Diving Adelaide newsletter, where we announce our (free) social shore dives for ex-students and our weekends away, interstate and international dive trips and so much more!

You can now join any of the dive clubs in Adelaide as well. Many dive clubs run boat dives for just $25 for a single dive or $35 for 2 dives!

Keen to take the next step? The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course is designed in a way that you can sign up for it straight after your PADI Open Water Diver Course and runs over a total of 5 dives! After completing the advanced course, you will be certified to 30m and will build upon the fundamental skills you have learnt!