What training is available?


What specific areas of diving does that training cover?



Whilst there are numerous diving agencies we shall concentrate here on those available throughout the PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) organisation.

Dive Training combines practical dive tuition coupled with classroom tuition.

Why PADI? Well first of all we have no affiliation to PADI at all and views expressed on these pages are our own. The only reason for providing the specifics about their training courses here, is that it is true to say that there are more PADI accredited diving centers around the world than the total of all the rest put together and you are therefore far more likely to come across one on your travels wherever in the world you happen to be.

Each agency has it's own approach to dive training. Some have more theory and less practical whilst others take the opposite approach. PADI rests somewhere between the two.

It may well be that once you have gained your initial qualifications (and some experience) that you decide to take a look at what the other organisations have to offer and in fact we recommend that you do just that, as you may well find something that suits you better at that particular point in time.

As the diagram clearly shows, there are plenty of courses to keep you fully engaged for a long long time.

So where is the best place to start? Well, that depends...

  • How much time do have?
    • You will need to do the practical 'diving' aspects
    • You will also need to do some reading and study, although this is not difficult at all
    • Is the course you are considering affordable at this point in time?
  • Do you want to go the whole hog right from the off or do you want to take it more slowly?
  • Have you already identified who you will do your training with?
    hint: Our ebook might prove useful here... a free bonus when you register from the home page.

Many start with the basic Open Water Course and go on from there which is in fact what I started with. This will establish you're basic diving skills and the course itself will be over before you know it!
Not because the content is in any way thin on the ground, more a case of the fact you will be having such a great time you will wonder where all the time went.

You should now have an idea of what is available to you (at least on the PADI program), so what is involved in working through the Open Water Certification?

I thought it best to deal with that question on another page and in some considerable detail so that you gain a good understanding of exactly what you will cover on the 'Open Water Course'.