PADI Open Water Diver Course

Want to become a scuba diver? Your underwater adventure starts here with the PADI Open Water Diver course at Gold Coast Scuba in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, next to Fort Lauderdale. PADI Open Water Diver is the first scuba certification level. This personal 1:1 course includes eLearning, all equipment, a pool session and your ocean dives, by shore or boat. There's no need to buy gear first, and you get 15% off gear while you take the course.

How the course works

Step 1: PADI eLearning

Learn scuba principles and terminology online or offline, on a computer or mobile device, whenever it suits you. It takes about 5-10 hours, and you complete the videos, knowledge reviews, quizzes and final exam before your start date. The manual is yours to keep.

Step 2: Pool training

Day 1: meet at the shop at 8:00 am to hand in your eLearning completion form. We go straight to the pool to practice every skill you need before the ocean, usually until about 4:00 pm or until everyone is comfortable.

Step 3: Four open water dives

Days 2 and 3: make four ocean dives with your instructor, on Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's reefs or one of the more than 70 shipwrecks off the Fort Lauderdale coast. Each dive lasts about 45-60 minutes. When you pass, we process your certification online so you get a temporary card right away, and your permanent card arrives in as little as 7 days, anywhere in the world.

Course details

• Duration: 3 days, on dates that work for you
• Minimum age: 10
• Requirements: able to swim and medically fit for diving. Return the completed Medical Statement, with physician approval if needed, before any water session. No prior scuba experience needed.
• Depth: training dives are usually around 12 m / 40 ft; the maximum for Open Water Divers is 18 m / 60 ft
• Group size: maximum 4 students per instructor
• Certification: PADI Open Water Diver, recognized worldwide

What's included

• Full tuition by a PADI Instructor, with personalized 1:1 instruction solo or with your group
• Pool (confined water) sessions
• 4 qualifying open water dives, by shore or boat
• PADI eLearning and eTraining dive log
• eCard in the PADI App
• All equipment: mask, wetsuit, tanks, fins and more

Not included

• Transportation
• Snacks and drinks

What to bring

• Towel
• Swimsuit
• Snack and drink for the day
• Sunscreen

Why get certified at Gold Coast Scuba

Gold Coast Scuba is a PADI 5-Star Dive Center just blocks from the beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida. Living coral reefs start right off the sand, and wrecks like the historic SS Copenhagen are close by, so you train in real South Florida conditions with an experienced PADI Instructor. Book online or call (954) 616-5909 to pick your dates.

Please complete your eLearning and medical paperwork before your first session, or you may not be able to dive. And please don't forget to tip your guide.