Open Water Diver course in India: how long it takes, what it costs, where to do it

The short version

The PADI Open Water Diver course is the first full scuba certificate. It has three parts: knowledge development, confined water dives and open water dives. PADI says you can learn in as little as 2 to 4 days, and that if you do the theory at home first, the pool and sea dives can fit into three or four days.

Prices vary by shop and by place. The only course figures in Coral Circuit's own guides are general ranges from January 2024, covered below. Compare courses on the listing and ask each shop what its price includes. SSI's equivalent course is also called Open Water Diver.

The three parts

Knowledge development. This is the theory: how pressure affects your body, how your kit works, how to plan a dive. PADI says you can learn it from its manual or through PADI eLearning, with chapter questions and a final exam. PADI's blog says eLearning takes about eight hours on average.

Confined water dives. You practise the basic skills in a pool or in calm, pool-like water: clearing your mask, getting your regulator back, controlling your buoyancy.

Open water dives. PADI describes four dives, usually over two days, at an open water site such as the sea. The instructor watches you repeat the skills and then you dive and look around.

SSI describes its Open Water Diver programme as 6 academic, 6 pool and 4 open water sessions, with a suggested 16 to 32 hours.

How long it takes

PADI calls the course flexible and performance based. Some students finish in as little as four days, and others spread it over weeks or months. Weather can stop open water dives, so if you are travelling, leave a spare day before your flight home.

Who can do it

Age. PADI says the minimum age is 10. PADI says that is the minimum in most areas. Students under 15 earn the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certificate, and juniors become Open Water Divers automatically at 15.

The swim and float test. PADI asks for a 200 metre swim without stopping, or 300 metres in mask, fins and snorkel. Any stroke is allowed and there is no time limit. You also float or tread water for 10 minutes, by any method. If you are unsure you can do this, tell the shop before you book.

Medical statement. Every student fills in a short scuba medical questionnaire. PADI says that if any item on it applies to you, a doctor must assess it and sign a form confirming you are fit to dive. Some places require a physician check regardless. Coral Circuit cannot give medical advice. If you have asthma, ear trouble, heart conditions or take regular medication, see a doctor and tell the shop. SSI also says a medical statement or physician approval may be required.

What you can do once certified

PADI gives the limit for an adult Open Water Diver as 18 metres (60 feet), and says beginning divers should stay shallower than about 18 metres. Juniors have tighter limits: ages 10 to 11 are capped at 12 metres and must dive with a PADI Professional or a certified parent or guardian. Ages 12 to 14 can go to 18 metres with a certified adult. SSI also gives 18 metres as the maximum training depth for its Open Water Diver programme.

PADI says the certificate and card never expire. Dive within your training, and read is scuba diving safe in India before you pick a shop.

What it costs

We have no current listed course prices to quote. The figures below come from Coral Circuit's scuba diving cost guide, published January 2024. They are general ranges for the Open Water Diver course, not prices a shop has listed, and they are nearly three years old:

• Goa: ₹18,000 to ₹28,000
• Andaman: ₹25,000 to ₹35,000
• Other locations: ₹15,000 to ₹25,000

That guide says the range includes theory, confined water, open water dives and certification. Treat it as a rough sense of which places cost more, not a quote. PADI gives no course prices and says they vary by location, class size and other factors.

Where people do it in India

These are the places Coral Circuit's destination guides describe as suitable for beginners. Check the listing for the course itself.

• Goa: PADI and SSI centres, with shallow dive sites of 5 to 15 metres. The Goa city record lists seven dive shops and a season of October to May.
• Andaman and Havelock: year-round listings and twelve operators in Havelock. The guide names Elephant Beach as a shallow reef for beginners and notes that some sites have strong currents. It is the most expensive of the places above.
• Pondicherry: the guide describes Temple Reef, an artificial reef at 8 to 12 metres, as suitable for beginners.
• Netrani and Murdeshwar: thirteen shops are listed for Murudeshwar, the most of any Indian city on the site. The guides describe a shallow reef at Netrani of 5 to 15 metres and a boat ride of about 10 km.
• Kovalam: the guide calls it a comfortable place for a PADI or SSI course, with calm training bays and short boat rides.
• Kochi: good transport links and sheltered shallow areas that operators use for Open Water training.

The guides give slightly different season windows. Most say October to May, with the calmest water from December to March. Confirm the dates with the shop.

E-learning at home or everything on site

Doing the theory before you travel means more of your trip is in the water. PADI says it can bring the dives down to three or four days. Its dive centres help you buy eLearning, and PADI says an instructor can explain how to be referred to another PADI instructor at a different location to finish your training.

Doing everything on site is simpler to book but uses more days. Before you buy eLearning anywhere, ask the shop whether it accepts it, whether it will do the referral, and whether it charges for that. PADI does not say how long eLearning access lasts, so ask about that too.

What to ask the shop

• Is the price per person, and does it include GST?
• Are course materials or eLearning, rental gear, boat trips and the certificate fee included?
• How many days, and how many open water dives, will it take?
• Is the pool session in a pool or in the sea?
• What happens if the weather cancels a dive?
• Is the instructor PADI or SSI certified, and which shop actually runs the dive?

PADI says you need your own mask, snorkel and fins, plus a logbook and a dive-planning device such as a dive computer. It does not say whether these are included, so ask. Not ready to commit? Read our first scuba dive guide.

Next step

Open courses or dive shops, pick a shop, and tap Check availability. Tell the shop your date and group size. They reply by phone or email. Nothing is paid now.