Is the PADI Open Water course difficult?

The course is made for complete beginners. You do not need to have dived before, but you do need to be comfortable in the water and willing to practise unfamiliar skills. For many new divers, the first breath underwater or clearing water from a mask feels strange. That is exactly why you learn those skills with an instructor before making your ocean dives.

How the course builds your confidence

1. Learn the essentials online. Complete PADI eLearning at your own pace before your practical training. Allow roughly 10–12 hours to understand equipment, pressure, dive planning and safety procedures, and to complete the knowledge checks.
2. Practise in the pool. Your instructor shows you how to breathe through a regulator, clear your mask, recover a regulator and control your buoyancy. Abyss limits its standard Open Water groups to four students per instructor, so there is room to ask questions and work on a skill again.
3. Make four ocean dives. You put your new skills to use in Sydney with your instructor. Abyss normally schedules the practical training over two days after eLearning; the actual ocean sites and timing depend on safe conditions and your progress.

What do beginners find challenging?

Mask clearing is an unfamiliar skill for some people. You keep breathing through your mouth using the regulator while gently breathing out through your nose to clear water from the mask. Your instructor demonstrates it in controlled water and lets you practise the technique. You do not need to feel completely at ease with it on the first attempt.

Getting used to the equipment, managing buoyancy and breathing calmly underwater can also take practice. Tell your instructor if you feel unsure or uncomfortable. You can pause, talk through the skill and try again. The aim is to become capable and comfortable, rather than to rush through a checklist.

Do I need to be a strong swimmer?

You need basic swimming ability and water confidence, but the swim is not a race. PADI requires a continuous 200-metre swim without swim aids or a 300-metre swim using a mask, fins and snorkel, plus a 10-minute float or tread-water exercise. There is no time limit for the distance swim. If you are unsure whether you can meet these requirements, speak to Abyss before booking; some swimming practice first may make the course much more enjoyable. Read PADI’s certification requirements.

Who can take the course?

Abyss’s standard group course is for people aged 13 and over. Divers aged 13–14 earn a Junior Open Water certification, which has age-based diving restrictions. Children aged 10–12 follow Abyss’s private Kids Scuba Diving Lessons pathway, subject to their readiness and the course requirements.

Every student completes a dive medical questionnaire before training. A doctor’s assessment is needed when the answers call for one; it is not automatically required for every student. Arrange any required clearance before your in-water sessions.

What if I need more time?

Learning speed varies. If a skill is proving difficult, tell your instructor so you can work through it. Completing the eLearning and turning up for two days alone does not guarantee certification: you must meet the knowledge, water-skill and dive requirements. Abyss can explain the practical options if you need more training time or weather changes the plan.

The reward is getting into the ocean and using what you have learnt. Sydney’s rocky reefs, fish and other marine life give you a reason to keep diving close to home once you are qualified. Your PADI certification is recognised around the world, while your confidence grows each time you choose a dive that suits your training and experience.

How hard was the PADI Open Water course for other students?