Course overview

The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world's most recognised entry-level certification, and Baa Atoll in the Maldives is a fine place to earn it. Over confined-water sessions and four open-water training dives on the reefs around Dharavandhoo, you become an independent certified diver qualified to dive to 18 metres anywhere in the world.

What you’ll learn

• Assemble, check and use all basic scuba equipment
• Breathe, equalise and move comfortably underwater
• Clear your mask and recover and share a regulator
• Control buoyancy and ascend and descend safely
• Plan dives using tables or a computer
• Respond to common problems and manage air supply

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (Junior Open Water Diver)
• No prior experience or swimming certification required
• Able to swim and float comfortably
• Reasonable health - a diver medical questionnaire applies

What's included · What's not

Not included? Sort the rest of your trip

Flights and accommodation aren’t part of the course price, here’s how to book them around your dates.

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Theory & confined water

   Complete the knowledge sections and practise core skills in shallow, confined water.
2. Day2
   Open-water dives 1 & 2

   Apply your skills on the first two training dives on a house reef near Dharavandhoo.
3. Day3
   Open-water dives 3 & 4 & exam

   Finish the final two training dives to 18 m, complete the exam and certify.

Verified through iDive

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Frequently asked questions