PADI Open Water course in Cape Town

Organized by
4-7 days
Occasionally sporty
From 10 years-old and up
From€442

Become a certified scuba diver in Cape Town surrounded by exquisite fauna and flora. The course normally takes between 3 to 4 days to complete.

Want to become a scuba diver? Then your underwater adventure starts in Cape Town with the PADI Open Water Diver Course. The Open Water Diver Course teaches you the fundamentals of scuba diving and sets the foundation for all the other scuba dive courses.

This course allows you to scuba dive independently with a certified buddy, to a depth of up to 18 meters.

You'll start off by learning about diving and the ocean. After this you'll be taken to a diving pool, where you'll be taught all the necessary scuba diving skills and how to use the diving equipment. When you are ready, you'll progress to the real adventure, diving in the ocean! With so many excellent scuba dive sites, Cape Town will not let you down.

Quick overview of the Open Water Diver course
Duration: 3-4 days
Day 1: DVD and theory
Day 2: Scuba diving sessions in the onsite pool in Cape Town
Day 3 and 4: Four scuba dives in the ocean around Cape Town
You have the option of watching the scuba diving DVD and doing the theory course as a self-study in the comfort of your own home, or in the on-site classroom. It’s your choice. There is also an e-learning option.
Your diving course can be constructed around your schedule. You do not need to do the course in 4 consecutive days!

Open Water Scuba Dive course outline
To do the PADI Open Water Diver course will normally take you 3 to 4 days. These days do not need to be done consecutively – the diving centre can tailor make the diving schedule to suit your schedule!

Daily dive course schedule:
On the days you scuba dive, you will meet at the Into the Blue Dive Centre at 9.15 am. It is here where you'll do the registration, theory work, and get kitted out with the scuba diving equipment that you need for the course. Divers can expect to be finished by between 3 and 6 in the afternoon, depending on where you dive in the Cape on that day.

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From€442

Practical information

The course takes 3 to 4 days to complete, these days do not need to be done consecutively – your instructor can tailor-make the diving schedule to suit your availability!

Course of events

Course day 1 – Scuba dive theory
Before you can jump into the water and start scuba diving, you need to do a bit of theory first, to understand exactly how scuba diving works. You will receive a PADI crew pack with course theory materials.

Your theory will consist out of the following:
- A DVD to watch (+- 3 hours long). You can choose to watch this DVD in the comfort of your home, or in the classroom. If you decide to watch the DVD in your home, you are able to shorten your course to 3 days.
- Some quizzes to do with the instructor, to make sure that you understand what you saw in the DVD. This is also a great opportunity to ask your instructor any questions that you might have about the scuba diving.
- Knowledge reviews – there is some course homework that need to be done in your manual.
- A course theory exam

Course day 2 – Pool sessions
By now you know the theory behind scuba diving, so on this day you'll be taken to the pool to learn how the equipment works, and to practice your scuba diving skills before you go to the ocean. The pool that is used is onsite at the scuba centre, which makes things ultra convenient!

The professional and knowledgeable instructors will make sure that you are well taught, and that you will be comfortable with your diving gear before we take you diving in the ocean.

Course day 3 and 4: Ocean scuba dives around Cape Town
This is what the course was all about! You'll now go diving in the ocean, where you get to practise your skills that you learnt in the pool. As an added bonus you'll also do some diving just for the fun of it. You'll do four dives altogether, after which you are ready to get certified!

This course is constructed in such a way, that you'll be taught diving in a safe and exciting way. You can rest assured that, as a PADI open water diver, your certification will be recognised anywhere you might go in the world.

Activity requirements

All participants need to be in good physical condition.

All participants must bring a medical certificate from their doctor dated within the last 3 months stating that they are allowed to practice this activity.
Special terms

Open Water course
Will my certification be recognised internationally?
Yes! Your diving certification is not just limited to Cape Town, but is valid worldwide. PADI is the most widely recognised diving certification agency in the world – almost 80% of all recreational divers get certified through PADI. This means that your certification will be recognised wherever you go!

How safe is it to scuba dive in the Cape?
Statistically scuba diving is one of the safest sports there is out there, with very few injuries. Part of the reason for this is that divers get trained very well, and if you stick to the rules there is very little that can go wrong.

What about sharks in Cape Town?
Sharks are a bit like dogs – there are many different types in Cape Town, and not all of them are dangerous! You get big ones, small ones, cute ones, ugly ones... some are friendly and some not so friendly. There are some shark species that divers specifically go look for at times, as they present no danger to humans and are really nice to see while diving. Seeing a Great White shark on a normal scuba dive in Cape Town is extremely rare – the instructors have thousands of dives under their belts and they are yet to see one! That said, there are no fences in the ocean, which means that there is always a chance of meeting one on a dive. Meeting a shark underwater does not mean that it will attack you however. Scientists say that shark attacks on human are normally a case of mistaken identity, for example, a surfer on the surface might look like a seal to a shark. Scuba divers however spend most of their time under the water and not on the surface and as such do not look like a Great White’s natural pray. The bubbles also tend to scare them away!

Is the water cold around Cape Town?
Cape Town’s water is not tropical, but divers wear nice wetsuits to keep warm when they go diving. Into the Blue believes there is no such thing as cold water – only divers that are incorrectly dressed!

Can you pick me up from my hotel in Cape Town?
Yes, it can arrange be arranged for accommodation in Cape Town and the surrounding areas. Contact the diving centre to arrange this after you've booked your activity.

Can I drive with you to the dive site from Into the Blue’s Scuba Centre in Cape Town?
Yes, you can. Contact the diving centre to arrange this after you've booked your activity.

Can you take pictures of me while diving?
We have an underwater camera at the centre that we can take with. Please note that booking is essential for this!

How old do I need to be to do the diving course?
You need to be at least 10 years old. Divers between ages 10 and 15 will receive a PADI junior open water certification, which is automatically upgraded to a full open water certification once you reach the age of 15.

How fit do I need to be to scuba dive?
You do not need to be very fit, but you do need to be reasonably healthy, and should able to swim.

What about my MPA scuba dive permit?
Divers who do a dive course with us automatically receive a MPA permit from us that is valid for one month. This is included in your course price.

Please note you are not allowed to fly for up to 24 hours after your last dive.
Meeting point:
Into the Blue: 88 Main Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Spoken languages:English, Afrikaans
Included
  • Rental of all your scuba diving equipment, as needed
  • PADI crew pack including Open Water Manual, Open Water DVD and electronic diving calculator
  • Certification with PADI
  • Tuition and dives
  • MPA permit
  • Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel if needed (Cape Town central area only)
Excluded
  • Meals and accommodation
Do not forget to bring
  • Towel
  • Swimming costume/shorts
  • Bottled water and snacks
  • Sunscreen with an adequate SPF factor; it can get hot in Cape Town!

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