PADI Open Water Diver Course – Your First Step Into the Underwater World

The PADI Open Water Diver course is the world’s most popular entry-level scuba certification and the gateway to exploring oceans, lakes, springs, and wrecks with confidence. Designed for brand-new divers, this course teaches the essential skills, safety procedures, and knowledge needed to dive independently with a buddy to depths of up to 60 feet (18 meters). Whether you're preparing for tropical travel, local diving, or a new lifelong hobby, this training provides the foundation for safe, enjoyable underwater adventures.

Training combines flexible online learning with hands-on, instructor-guided sessions in confined water and open water. Students develop buoyancy control, equipment use, underwater communication, emergency procedures, and real-world problem-solving—skills that build comfort and confidence in a variety of dive environments. The certification earned at the end of this course is internationally recognized, allowing you to dive almost anywhere in the world.

Key Benefits

• Learn the core skills of scuba diving in a structured, beginner-friendly course
• Online knowledge development you can complete at your own pace
• Confined-water training to build comfort and mastery before open-water dives
• Certification valid worldwide with no expiration
• Perfect foundation for continuing education courses like Advanced Open Water or Drysuit Diver
• Ideal for travelers, new hobbyists, and anyone wanting to explore underwater safely

What You’ll Learn

• Essential dive theory: pressure, buoyancy, environment, and equipment
• How to assemble, adjust, and use scuba gear correctly
• Underwater communication and buddy-team procedures
• Mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, and emergency skills
• Safe entry and exit techniques for various dive conditions
• Navigation basics and dive-planning fundamentals

Course Structure

• Knowledge Development: Self-paced PADI eLearning
• Confined Water Sessions: Skill practice and comfort-building
• Open Water Training Dives: Four dives in natural conditions to complete certification

What’s Included

• PADI Open Water Diver eLearning access

What’s NOT Included

• In person instruction from certified dive professionals
• Confined-water training sessions
• Four open-water certification dives
• PADI certification card upon successful completion

See THIS LINK to learn about the entire process and how you can save money by signing up for the entire course at the same time. 

Enroll today with Southern Maryland Divers and begin your journey into the underwater world with trusted instructors, high-quality training, and a community dedicated to safe, enjoyable diving.