Open Water Diver

Open Water Diver is your passport to the underwater world — the world-recognised certification that never expires, letting you dive independently with a trusted buddy down to 18 metres, anywhere on the planet. We’ll take you step-by-step through clear theory, confined water skill-building, and real open-water dives, keeping classes small, prices fair, and support personal every step of the way. Whether you dream of exploring UK wrecks, swimming alongside tropical marine life, or building towards advanced training, this is where your lifelong diving adventure begins — don’t put it off another season, get in touch today and let’s get you certified.

Booking

Step one is to book your course, select a date on our bookings page or contact us to see if we can offer a different date/location. Feel free to contact us if you would like pricing/dates for a group booking. Once you have booked or we have agreed dates via email, we will send a payment link.

E-Learning

Before your course date, once you have paid, we will send a link for your e-learning and digital forms. You'll receive the Open Water Diver e-learning in an email from PADI, you will need to complete all the sections and optional modules for the Open Water Diver course. You will also find that PADI will send you a email with some digital forms attached for you to complete online. You'll also have a short in person quick review exam on your final day of the course (psst.... Don't worry it's multiple choice).

If you already have the PADI Open Water Diver e-learning or physical manual, please contact us a head of booking and we can organise a discount.

Confined Water Dives

You'll start off the practical side of your course by  doing some training sessions in the swimming pool or confined water (we have some sea/quarry based sites that fit this requirement).  In these sessions you will start to learn some of the basic skills like gear assembly, buoyancy control, regulator use and mask clearing plus more. The 5 confined sessions may be run all in one day or split over the course of 5 evenings (feel free to contact us if you have a preference - our preference is to split them over 2 days). The sessions will start with a briefing from your instructor before gear assembly and buddy checks (don't worry our team will teach you how to do these). Once all the checks are done, it's into the water to start learning the skills. Our experienced instructors will first demonstrate the skill before getting you to repeat, if the skill needs any work or improvement our patient team is there ready to help you master the skills. You'll also do a 10 minute treading water in water too deep in which to stand plus a 200m swim/400m snorkel.

Open Water Dives

Once you completed your confined dives it's onto the open water which will likely be a shore based location in the sea or in a recreational diving quarry. For the Open Water Diver course you have 4 open water dives to complete which can be done all in two days or over the course of 4 evenings. In the open water sessions each dive will start with a briefing from your instructor before gear assembly and buddy checks (progressively you'll require less and less instructor input for gear assembly and buddy checks). Once in the water you'll get to go for a swim and practice your buoyancy control among other skills whilst you take in the wondrous things around you. You'll also get the chance to repeat many of the skills from the pool but this time your instructor won't demonstrate first, although they will still help you if you're not quite there with a skill.

Prerequisites and Prices

Prerequisites

Age: 15+ (10-14 for Junior Open Water Diver)

Qualification Level: None

Swimming Ability: Able to swim or float for 10 minutes in water too deep to stand. Ability to swim 200m without a swimming aid or snorkel for 400m.


You must be able to complete the PADI medical questionnaire or have a GP/Diving Doctor sign you off as fit to dive in order to participate in this course.


Once completed you'll be able to...

Dive to the maximum depth of 18m with a qualified dive buddy.

Prices

£750 for confined & open water sessions in the sea (Class size of 2-3)

£850 for confined sessions in the pool & open water sessions in the sea (Class size of 2-3)


£1,000 for confined & open water sessions in the sea (Class size of 1)

£1,300 for confined sessions in the pool & open water sessions in the sea (Class size of 1)


Contact below for one to one dates or for dates and prices for group bookings

 FAQs

Please reach us at info@parrottfishscuba.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

"The best way to observe a fish is to become a fish."

— Jacques-Yves Cousteau