Course overview

Earn your SSI Open Water Diver certification in Papua New Guinea, learning to dive in the warm, sheltered waters of Kimbe Bay. With flexible digital academics, confined-water practice in calm island shallows and four open-water dives on coral reefs full of anemonefish and turtles, you finish qualified to dive with a buddy to 18 m worldwide. Few places offer a richer reef environment to begin your diving.

What you’ll learn

• Set up, check and maintain scuba equipment
• Breathe and move easily underwater
• Clear your mask and recover your regulator
• Master neutral buoyancy for safe reef diving
• Plan dives with a computer and a buddy
• Respond to common minor problems underwater

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (Junior) or 15 for the full rating
• Comfortable in the water and able to swim
• 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
   Digital academics & confined water

   Work through SSI digital theory and your first confined-water skills in Kimbe Bay's calm shallows.
2. Day2
   Skills & first open-water dives

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

   Finish the remaining open-water dives, complete the assessment and certify as an SSI 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