PADI Dive Courses in Melbourne
Worldwide 18 Metre PADI Open Water Certification
Learn to Dive in Melbourne
Your PADI Open Water certification begins here. You’ll start with PADI’s online eLearning course before spending a few hours in our local swimming pool to can practice your new skills.
You’ll then experience four open water dives (three shore dives, and one boat dive).
What You Need to Know About the PADI Open Water Course:
- Our PADI Open Water Diver course is a full certification that allows you to dive with a buddy to 18 metres
- You will need to have transport to and from the dive sites
- A Scuba Diving Medical is required from an authorised dive doctor
- The minimum age to become a PADI Open Water Diver is 15 years old. For the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course, the minimum age is 12 years old
- PADI online theory – eLearning is to be completed before course commencement
The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of four main phases.
What the Course Involves
Complete the PADI Open Water course eLearning Knowledge Development component (online, independent study) to understand the basic principles of scuba diving before you learn to dive.
After booking, you’ll need to come and visit us at the shop at least 2 weeks before your diving open water course commencement date so you can be fitted for a wetsuit and scuba diving gear.
The First Day – You’ll meet at the dive shop at 8am for orientation.
You’ll learn about the scuba diving equipment you’ll be using to dive with, as well as how to set up your dive gear.
Next, we’ll make our way to the swimming pools where the fun Begins, starting with a 200-metre swim and then practising confined water dives to learn the necessary basic scuba diving skills that you’ll have forever.
After the pool session, we’ll make our way back to the dive shop and wash and refill the dive tanks so that you’re for another fantastic day of diving. The finishing time of the first day is usually around 3-4 pm.
Your PADI diving open water course instructor will let you know where to meet the next day (normally down at the Mornington Peninsula, about an hour and 20 minutes from Dive Gear Australia, but destinations can vary depending on the weather).
You’ll meet at one of our great piers for some shore diving at around 8-9 am, where you’ll practise using the skills you’ve just learnt and go exploring the underwater world.
You should be finished and back at the DGA shop at about 3-4 pm after gear washing, debriefing and learning how to record (log) your first open water dives.
On the third day, we’ll go scuba diving at Portsea Pier for a shore dive followed by a fantastic boat dive, diving up to 18 metres and exploring Melbourne’s beautiful reefs and their fish life. You may even get to snorkel or dive with the seals!
Before we start the last day of your PADI diving open water course, you’ll need to come into the DGA dive shop to pick up your dive equipment a day or two before.
Please allow all day, as time will vary depending on the boat dives. The usual starting time for this day is from 7 am-9 am, meeting at Portsea Pier.
AFTER THE DIVES
We’ll make our way back to the DGA shop for gear washing, debriefing, filling out of logbooks and completion of your new certification as a PADI Open Water Diver.
- Be over 12 years of age.
- Be a competent swimmer and be able to 200 meters. (It’s only 4 laps of a pool)
A Diving Medical is required regardless of age in Victoria and many other states of Australia.
To find authorised Diving Doctors close to you, Click Here
We also have our own Local Dive Doctor, Dr Graeme Downe, based at Joseph Banks Medical Centre.
Address: 3 Joseph Banks Crescent, Endeavour Hills Ph: (03) 9700 2281
Like most sports, you’ll need to purchase your own personal items for the diving open water course; this includes a mask, snorkel, gloves, boots and fins. As dive professionals, we’ll fit you out with the right gear suited for you to maximise your comfort. Wetsuit and scuba hardware are provided.
Once you’re PADI Certified as an open water diver, you can take the next step to enhance your skills by scuba diving deeper, going night diving, wreck diving or drift diving, and perfecting your skills with the Advanced Open Water Diver course.
Learn More Today
Dive Gear Australia offers the very best PADI courses in Melbourne. Call us today on (03) 9702 3694 or contact us online to book a PADI open water course that’s right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does PADI® stand for?
The acronym PADI stands for Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
How long does PADI open water learning take?
Our PADI diving course in Melbourne spans across three days, in addition to an online eLearning component.
Why PADI?
A PADI open water certification is one of the most highly regarded scuba diving credentials worldwide. Dive Gear Australia’s PADI courses in Melbourne are recognised by educational training authorities throughout the world, meaning you can participate in scuba diving activity in Australia and beyond.
How do you learn to scuba dive in the PADI® open water diver course?
There are three phases that every student will need to complete when participating in our PADI open water diving course in Melbourne:
- Knowledge development: Students learn the basics of scuba diving, including dive preparation, knowing what scuba gear to use, and understanding all underwater diving signals and practices.
- Confined water diving lessons: Students will learn basic scuba diving skills and how to use diving equipment in the swimming pool at our facility.
- Open water dives: Students will dive in open water with their instructor over a period of two days, putting into practice the skills learned during the previous phases.
What is included in the price for the PADI® open water diver course?
The course price covers the cost of being taught scuba diving skills by a PADI certified instructor. You’ll also earn a PADI open water certification that will allow you to go scuba diving anywhere in the world.
How many student divers will be in the PADI® open water diver course?
Our PADI diving course in Melbourne can teach up to four students at a time. One-on-one lessons are also available upon request.