It is a usual thing to hear people say, “I’m a scuba diver,” or “I’m a PADI Diver,” but the term PADI Open Water Diver isn’t common. Actually, you will only know this term when searching for information about learning scuba diving or speaking to a scuba diver friend.

Scuba diver vs Open Water diver, that is what we will talk about in this article, from the course requirements to the Open Water Diver depth limit.

What Does It Mean to Be an Open Water Diver?

PADI Open Water Diver is considered the first autonomous level of scuba certification. With this certification, a diver is granted the following rights:

• Get tanks refilled.
• Rent scuba gear.
• Dive with a dive buddy (either another Open Water Diver and does NOT have to be a diving professional) up to a maximum depth of 18 meters/60 feet.
• Book boat dives.
• Enroll in extra courses like underwater photography and videography.
• Progress to a higher level, such as the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver.
• Create unforgettable epic memories with family and friends.
• Explore global dive adventures.

PADI Open Water Diver: Your Gateway to Global Diving

PADI Open Water is the world’s top scuba certification, chosen by over 900,000 divers annually. So what does the PADI Scuba Diver course talk about? The PADI Scuba Diver course is considered a subset of the PADI Open Water Diver course.

Finishing the PADI Scuba Diver course is like getting a diving learner’s permit when learning to dive. It’s a stepping stone to full scuba certification for future divers who:

• Don’t have the sufficient time to finish the entire Open Water Diver course.
• Unable to complete Open Water training due to special situations.
• Prefer diving only with a PADI Pro, not a buddy.

Scuba Diver vs. Open Water Diver: What are the Main Differences?

So, what is the main differences between the Scuba Diver vs. Open Water Diver courses, let’s see:

• The time needed for completing each course is different.
• The allowed maximum depth you can dive to.
• Who you can dive with after each certification.

Let’s closely compare the similarities and differences between the two PADI courses.

PADI Scuba Diver vs. Open Water Diver: Prerequisites

The prerequisites to enroll in a PADI Open Water Diver course or the PADI Scuba Diver course, are to be:

• 10 years old at least
• Able to swim.
• Have the perfect fit for scuba diving (There i no need to be an Olympic athlete, just a reasonable fitness level (in some countries, a medical certificate from a physician is required).

PADI Scuba Diver Vs. Open Water Diver: Maximum Depth

The two main differences between a PADI Scuba Diver and a PADI Open Water Diver are the maximum depth that the divers can dive to besides with who they are qualified to dive with. The overview of each certification are:

• Scuba divers with PADI Open Water certification can plan and execute dives with a dive buddy or dive professional to 18 meters/60 feet as a maximum depth.
• PADI Scuba Divers can only dive under the direct supervision of a PADI pro to 12 meters/40 feet as a maximum depth.

What is the Benefit of Diving Deeper?

Diving deeper isn’t mandatory to be a better thing. Thousands of fascinating dive spots around the world can be dived to 12 meters/40 feet or less! However, the ability to dive deeper, to 18 meters/60 feet with your PADI open water certification, enabled you to explore more dive sites.

In addition to that, some marine creatures live in deeper waters, so when you dive deeper, you have a better chance to see them. You can also try wreck diving, with different topographies, and different reef that you can find between 12 meters/40 feet and 18 meters/60 feet deep.

PADI Scuba Diver vs. Open Water Diver: Course Requirements

The availability of time is considered another factor that affect your choice even to become a PADI Scuba Diver or a PADI Open Water Diver. Let’s discuss together the requires time to complete each course and the key elements.

Open Water Diver (4-7 days)

• Develop your instructions by learning fundamental concepts about scuba even by PADI eLearning or classroom instruction.
• Complete five confined water sessions about skill practice.
• Complete four open water dives in the ocean or a lake.
• Complete a test of 10-minute swim/float while being comfort in water too deep to stand and 200 meter/yard of continuous surface swim or keep swimming for 300 meter/yard with the help of a mask, fins and snorkel.

Scuba Diver (2-3 days)

• Develop your instructions by learning fundamental concepts about scuba even by PADI eLearning or classroom instruction.
• Complete three confined water sessions of skill practice.
• Complete two open water dives in the ocean or a lake.
• Keep swimming or floating for 10 minute while being comfort in water too deep to stand.

The PADI Scuba Diver course is considered the first half of the PADI Open Water Diver course – this means you can become a PADI Scuba diver at first, then upgrade your certification later.

However, there are some more challenging skills that aren’t included in the PADI Scuba Diver course which you will learn in the full Open Water Diver course if you upgrade later.

So, from the previous information, we can say that the PADI Scuba Diver course is a good choice for

• Aspiring scuba divers who don’t have unsufficient time for a full Open Water Diver course, or are not sure they want to commit to it yet.
• Children (older than 10 years).

How to Upgrade from PADI Scuba Diver to PADI Open Water Diver

To upgrade from PADI Scuba Diver to PADI Open Water Diver, you must complete the following requirements:

• The remaining 2 out of 5 confined water (pool) sessions of skill practice.
• The remaining 2 out of 4 open water dives.
• The two additional modules of knowledge development, in addition to a quiz, and a final exam.
• A surface swim.

Still Unsure if Scuba Diving is the Right Choice for You?

If you still have doubt about choosing scuba diving as a hobby, a Discover Scuba® Diving (DSD) is the recommended experience for you?

It it is considered an ideal short experience for newcomers to see what scuba diving is all about without having to waste many days. This fun taster session include:

• Learning basic scuba gear related skills.
• How to take your first breaths underwater.
• Learning and understanding the fundamentals of scuba diving.
• Learn to communicate underwater by using hand signals.
• Having a PADI Pro on hand to answer your divd questions.

The great thing about the Discover Scuba Diver program is that when deciding to become a scuba certified, the information and skills you have learned will be a very good base when enrolling in a PADI Open Water Diver course.

Ready to Get Scuba Certified?

After reading this post, you now know the main differences between the PADI Scuba Diver vs. Open Water Diver courses. If you’re feeling ready to delve with us in water adventured, What are you waiting for? Contact us in DRAR Diving center and become PADI certified.