Open Water Course
Whatever your reasons for wanting to dive, this is where your adventure begins for real. Become a Open Water Diver qualified to dive independently with your buddy. 
Discover for yourselves the mysteries around our shores, or exotic destinations and sample the different cultures and stunning marine life of the coral reefs. Become an Open Water Diver and begin to live your dreams.
As a Open Water Diver you will be certified to dive to a maximum depth of 18 metres/40 feet), in conditions equal to or better than those in which you qualified, as a recreational sport diver on compressed air.
The full course runs for 3 days,we try to be flexible! The course itself is divided into 3 areas..
Upon signing up for your course and paying your deposit you will be issued with your crew pack, this includes your student record file, which you must complete, including the medical statement and your personal details. The main item is the open water manual; once you get this home you should begin your own independent study by reading through the manual and completing all the short quizzes and the five main knowledge reviews, one at the end of each chapter! The knowledge reviews will be required by your instructor on the first day of your course, so this independent study section of the course is very important.
Day 1:
You should aim to arrive at the scuba shop about 09:15 am. Upon arrival you will meet your instructor and complete any outstanding course registration paperwork and a short talk about dive site,health and safety.
In module one you will learn the principles of buoyancy, pressure and its relationship to volume, density at depth. You will begin to look at dive equipment and the buddy system.
In module two you will look at the effects of being underwater on sight, sound, heat loss, movement and respiration. You will take a more detailed look at certain items of equipment and exposure suits. You will learn about communication signals and pre-dive safety checks, (BWRAF). You will also look at some of the water skills you will be learning, and why they are so important.
Dependant upon the pool start time for day one you will at some point leave the classroom and go to the kit room where you will be shown how to assemble your own equipment, this will be followed by a detailed briefing on what is expected in the first pool session.
During each pool session on the course your instructor will explain each water skill to you and demonstrate them clearly, before asking you to perform them. You will soon see that the skills you practice build up your confidence in the water and in the equipment.
E.g. In pool session one you will practice kit assembly, buddy check, surface inflation of your BCD, shallow water entry, breathing underwater, regulator clearing, regulator recovery, mask clearing, buoyancy control, fin pivots and equalisation of your ears, breathing from an Alternate air source. You will put into practice some of the signals youve learnt plus correct ascent procedures and shallow water exits. Time permitting there are other skills you will be shown and learn, each one building upon those that you have already completed. The exact number of skills covered per pool session will depend upon how well everyone is progressing. Once the pool session is finished its load up and back to the centre to debrief the pool session and continue the days activities.
Day 2:
Begins with your arrival for 09:30 at the centre, unless otherwise stated, where after a brief review of the events of day 1, you will move onto academic modules 3 and 4, hopefully completing both of these including the quick quizzes by the end of the day. Again at some point during the day, dependent upon available pool times, you will break off from the classroom and go to the pool for confined water skills training, again building upon the skills from pool session one.
In module three you will learn about the dive environment, dive planning, aspects of boat diving, problem management and basic general open water skills. You will look at some of the confined water skills youve completed and some that you will be doing in pool session two.
In module four you learn more about various dive equipment accessories etc. You will look at health and fitness for diving, the effects of breathing air at depth, Nitrogen Narcosis and Decompression Sickness; you will be introduced to the recreational dive planner/ tables and dive computers and special considerations when planning repetitive dives.
In pool session two you will develop your skills, building upon those you learnt in session one and learning new ones such as, deep water entry, No mask breathing and swim, disconnecting the low pressure inflator hose, inflating your BCD orally. You will practice air depletion exercises and various types of safe ascent procedures, tired diver tow, cramp removal techniques, weight removal at the surface and a deep water exit. The day ends with a review of day 2 and a briefing
Day 3:
Begins at the time specified by your instructor, and this will in great part depend upon the progress made by the course participants in days 1 and 2. The aim is that on this the last day of the academic and confined water sections of your course, you will have only module five academics, including quick Quiz, to complete before moving onto the final exam, which is a multiple choice answer paper with a pass mark requirement of 75%. Again at some point during the day you will once again be going to the swimming pool to complete your confined water training and perform your swim tests, (200 meter swim and 10 minute float).
Module five covers special dive table and computer procedures, using a dive computer, basic compass navigation and additional study of the recreational dive planner, dive safety practices and a section on continuing your diving education.
Pool session 3 covers the remaining water skills including, weight belt removal and replacement both underwater and on the surface, Scuba unit removal and replacement both on the surface and underwater, CESA, and various flexible dive skills, plus time for you to practice independently or have another go at any of the skills you found difficult first time round. Once the session has ended its pack the van and back to the centre for your final debriefing of this section of the course, signing of your individual training records and to discuss the next section, going to open water!!!
Day 4:
Begins with your arrival at the centre at the pre-arranged time agreed by your instructor, depending upon which dive site is going to be used that day, some sites require an earlier start. You will select your gear with the assistance of the instructors and staff and help load the van, the more you handle the equipment the more familiar you will become with it!
Upon arrival at the dive site you will have a site safety briefing to familiarise you with that specific site and any potential hazards appertaining to it. This is followed by unloading the equipment ready for the days diving to commence. Prior to each dive over these two days a dive briefing will take place explaining exactly who is doing what, where and when and the emergency procedures that are in place.
Dive, 1, This is a straight forward orientation dive, to help you get accustomed to the practicalities of open water diving and its procedures, plus a general look at that specific dive site. Duration is normally about 30 minutes dependent upon conditions. Upon completion of this dive you will exit the water, de-kit and have a de-briefing during your surface interval…
Dive, 2, during this dive you will descend underwater to a specified training area or platform, you will then be asked to demonstrate certain of the practical skills that you learn during the confined water section, to the dive instructor leading the dive. Dive time and conditions permitting this will be followed by a swim around the dive site lead by the instructional team at all times. Then its exit the water, de-kit, dive de-briefing, disassemble the gear and load the van before returning to the dive centre, where you will assist in off loading and cleaning the equipment prior to returning it to the kit room.
Dives 3 & 4, Both these dives follow the same structure as dive 2, You will enter the water and then proceed to a specified training area where you will demonstrate certain skills as requested by the dive instructor, upon completion of this, each dive will end with a swim around dependent upon dive time remaining and water conditions. Each dive will last around 30 minutes. The particular requirements for each dive will be given in the dive briefing before each dive. Upon successful completion of all four open water dives you will return to the centre and once everything is washed down and stored away you will return to the classroom for a final course de-briefing and the signing up of your log books and temporary certification card, WELL DONE!!!
