PADI Dive Certifications

For the last 40 years, PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) has been the leading diving association in the world and the number one training association.  PADI has over 5000 dive shops around the world and offers a range of scuba diving certifications.  These are mainly recognized as the official dive certifications in the world.  With PADI, you can go from never having gone under the surface of the water to being a fully-trained dive instructor, and everything in between.

Open Water Diver

Open Water Diver is the most commonly held diving title around the world – millions of people possess this certification.  It’s the first step to discovering all the magic that lies beneath the ocean’s surface.  The Open Water Diver certification comprises three phases:

1. Theory – here you will develop a basic understanding of scuba diving and underwater safety.
2. Confined dives – this is how you start putting the theory into practice, but in a safe, confined area – usually a pool – to start developing your confidence underwater and getting used to breathing.
3. Open Water Dives – put everything into practice and start actually diving!

Advanced Open Water Diver

The next step on the diving ladder is the Advanced Open Water certification.  In order to take this one, you need to have previously obtained your Open Water certificate, but that’s it – you don’t need to have logged a certain number of dives.  Advanced Open Water helps you understand the world of diving a little further and specialize in different aspects of the sport, as well as logging a few more dives.  The Advanced Open Water course includes:

1. More scuba diving theory
2. Navigation – using a compass underwater to explore further, and not get lost or disoriented.
3. Deep Water Diving – you will descend to between 18 and 30 meters and experience new sensations – possibly nitrogen narcosis.
4. 4.      Adventure Dives – you get to choose three different adventure dive specialties and explore them.  They include underwater photography, night diving, wreck diving, diving with underwater propulsion devices and perfecting your performance buoyancy.

Rescue Diver

Next on the list, it’s the Rescue Diver, and for this one, you need to have completed both Open Water and Advanced Open Water.   As a rescue diver, you’ll go through drills of emergency situations so you learn how to rescue yourself from underwater difficulties, rescue other divers who may be panicked or unresponsive and managing stressful situations.  If you don’t already have a CPR qualification from the last two years, you’ll also need to take one of those to get you up to date with first-aid techniques.

Divemaster

After Rescue Diver, there is a big jump, and a lot of dives need to be logged before obtaining the divemaster qualification.  There are also many specialty courses you can take to further your knowledge without embarking on divemaster – the most time-consuming of all the certificates.  A divemaster qualification is the first step towards a career in diving.  Once you have the divemaster, you can go on to study for Assistant Instructor and Open Water Scuba Instructor.

Divemasters become incredibly adept in the water, improve their swimming and stamina skills, as well as their underwater knowledge.  Once qualified as a divemaster, you can supervise other divers, as well as lead dives as long as the divers are certified, and many more things. 

To begin the course, you need to have completed Open Water, Advanced and Rescue Diver, and have logged 20 dives.  Upon completion, you will have at least 60 dives. Naturally, the more of PADI’s specialty courses that you have taken, the more prepared you will be, but they are not necessary.