Licences & certifications · Global · medium
Get scuba certified (PADI Open Water Diver)
Finish PADI eLearning, five confined-water sessions and four open-water dives with a dive centre, and hold a lifetime certification to dive to 18 metres worldwide.
Open Water Diver is the certification every dive shop on earth asks for. The course is three parts — knowledge development, confined water (pool) skills, and four open-water dives — and the fastest way through it is to do the first part online before you go anywhere near a dive centre.
Check the medical and swim requirements
Choose a dive centre and course format
Complete PADI eLearning
Confined-water (pool) sessions
The four open-water dives
Get the card and keep the skills fresh
Questions
- How deep can I go afterwards?
- The Open Water certification is to 18 m (60 ft). The Advanced Open Water course extends that to 30 m.
- Does it expire?
- No. PADI certifications are for life, but most operators want you to have dived within the last 6–12 months or take a short refresher (ReActivate).
- PADI, SSI or NAUI?
- All are recognised worldwide and the skills are the same. PADI has the most dive centres; choose the centre you trust rather than the agency.
Sources
The numbers above come from these pages. If a fee or date here disagrees with the source, the source wins.
See also
Licences & certifications · US
Get a private pilot licence (US, airplane)
An FAA Private Pilot Certificate (airplane single-engine land), no expiry, with a flight review every 24 months
6–12 months at 2 lessons a week · $12,000–$20,000 all-in in 2026 · 7 steps