Course overview

Become a certified diver with the PADI Open Water Diver course in Papua New Guinea, training in the warm, sheltered waters of Kimbe Bay. From confined-water skills in calm island shallows to four open-water dives on biodiverse reefs alive with anemonefish and turtles, you finish licensed to dive independently with a buddy to 18 m anywhere in the world. It is a great place to learn, surrounded by reefs that hold over half the world's coral species.

What you’ll learn

• Assemble, check and care for scuba equipment
• Breathe and move comfortably underwater
• Clear your mask and recover your regulator
• Control buoyancy for safe, reef-friendly diving
• Plan dives with tables or a computer and a buddy
• Handle common situations such as cramps and low air

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (Junior Open Water Diver) or 15 for the full rating
• Able to swim and be comfortable in the water
• No prior diving experience required
• Complete a medical questionnaire (physician sign-off if needed)

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

   Knowledge development and your first confined-water skills in the calm shallows of Kimbe Bay.
2. Day2
   Skills & first open-water dives

   Complete confined-water skills, then your first two open-water training dives on a bay reef.
3. Day3
   Final dives & certification

   Finish the remaining open-water dives, pass the final exam and certify as a PADI Open Water Diver.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Papua New Guinea.

Frequently asked questions