PADI Open Water Diver
Get Certified for Life.
This certification is your first key into the underwater world, and trust us: a whole new world is about to open up to you (or, in Hawaii, a honu world). A PADI Open Water certification lasts for life! It allows you to rent equipment from any dive shop in the world, book dive charters and epic live-a-board trips, and dive anywhere around the globe so long as you have a buddy and you dive within your limits! Our team fondly remembers our first experiences as Open Water Divers: the adrenaline we got navigating Makena Landing for the first time without a guide, finding the caves all on our own; the awe of motorbiking up the Bali coastline, renting tanks off a beach for a couple bucks and wading into new waters just to explore; the excitement of making our own dive plan then giant-striding our way off live-a-boards in Australia to navigate the famous Great Barrier Reef. There's nothing quite like it. As an Open Water Diver, you humble yourself to the powerful ocean as well as acquire the confidence to explore it. Convinced? Get PADI Open Water certified, and the underwater world will wow you in a myriad of unexpected, mind-blowing ways.
Course Components
The PADI Open Water course has three main components to it:
Knowledge Development, Confined Water, and Open Water.
Knowledge Development
This portion of the course is self-paced online. The PADI elearning costs around $200 and goes directly to PADI. You can find a link to the online course below.
5 Sections + Exam
Confined Water
5 Confined Water Dives
We do all our confined water dives from the beautiful Maui coastline, so no swimming pool! This makes for a great course, as we're outdoors and enjoying the ocean every step of the way. You may even have a turtle join you as you make your way through the skills! Each confined water dive has a series of skills that your instructor will guide you through, from mask-clearing, to regulator recovery, to simulated emergency procedures. These skills equip you to be a confident and capable diver.
Open Water
4 Open Water Dives
You have the option of doing all four open water dives from shore, or doing final two dives from our boat, the Kilikina. These four open water dives will apply some of the skills you learned in confined water to the open ocean. The rest of the dive is for you to practice your buoyancy control and get a hang of breathing underwater and seeing all there is to see! These dives are generally believed to be the best part of the course. It's when you really start to feel like a true scuba diver.
Course Schedule
Day 1:
7am: Meet your instructor at the B&B Shop
7:30am: Leave for Makena Landing Beach Park.
8am-10am: Confined Water Skills 1-2
10am-10:30am: Break
10:30am-12pm: Open Water Dive 1
Day 2:
7am: Meet at Makena Landing Beach Park
7:30am-10am: Confined Water Skills 3-5
10am-10:30am: Break
10:30am-12pm: Open Water Dive 2
Day 3
7am: Meet at Makena Landing Beach Park
7:30am-10am: Open Water Dive 3
10am-10:30am: Break
10:30am-12pm: Open Water Dive 4
FAQ
When is the course offered?
We offer multiple sessions each month. Please check our booking calendar for availability.
How much is the course?
Our PADI Open Water Course costs $449, plus the $206 PADI eLearning price. If you opt to do all your knowledge development with us from the book, the cost of the course is $655. You can view our whole pricing list here.
Do you do Open Water Referrals?
Yes! If you began your Open Water course with another PADI dive shop, we will happily finish your course work and sign you off. Please be sure to bring your Student Record File with you. Open Water Referral costs $349.00.
Open Water Referral students join the other Open Water students for just part of the course: Open Water Dive 1 on Day 1, Open Water Dive 2 on Day 2, and Open Water Dives 3 and 4 off the boat on Day 3. You can refer to the course schedule above. If you have any questions about Open Water Referral, please give us a call!
Where does the course take place?
We generally operate out of Makena Landing Beach Park in Kihei for the first two days of the course. It is a beautiful and peaceful location with clean restrooms, a small beach, grass and parking. The course is always dependent on oceanic conditions, and we may have to relocate to other sites which is up to the instructor. If you chose to upgrade your last day, then the final day of the course takes place on our boat so that all students can experience what it's like to dive off a boat.
How many students are in the course?
For an optimal experience, we won't book more than six divers per open water course. You can request a private course for an additional cost. Call for details.
How long is the course?
Our course takes place over 3 half-days, though it is always based around the individual students' progression. If you aren't able to complete the skills and pass the course in those three days, there is an opportunity to join another Open Water course or book a private session with your instructor at an additional cost and based on availability.