OPEN WATER DIVER COURSE OVERVIEW

The SSI Open Water Diver course is one of the most popular entry-level scuba diving courses in the world.

More people become scuba divers in this way than any other. Once you have the Open Water Certification you can use the diving license to go diving with a buddy anywhere in the world.

At the end of the course, you will be qualified to dive with a buddy to a depth of 18m. Your first scuba diving certification card.

And what better place to learn than Kenya? From the dive base in Diani, we have sheltered dive sites that are perfect for allowing beginners to get comfortable in the water and complete the skill training as well as a chance to take in the wonders of the thousands of different marine species on the coral reefs and exciting local dive sites such as wrecks.

The course is broken down into three segments, knowledge development, confined water (in a swimming pool) training, and open water dives.

DURATION

The SSI Open Water Diver Course can be done over 3 days. This incorporates both pool training and 4 open-water dives. There is also some digital learning to be completed in your own time in the MySSI app.

WHO IS IT FOR?

The SSI Open Water Diver course is open to anyone from age 10 who has basic swimming skills and wants to get their first diving certification. This will qualify them to dive all over the world in conditions similar or better, with a buddy up to 18m deep.

INCLUDED

  • SSI Open Water Diver Digital Learning
  • All dive and snorkel equipment, including air fills and weights
  • Pool Training with an SSI Instructor
  • Fruit, water and snacks on the boat
  • 4 ocean dives with an SSI Instructor
  • Transfers within Diani

AVAILABILITY

The Open Water Diver Course is offered daily at Ocean Tribe. Live availability can be found via contacting us via WhatsApp / Phone or by checking the online booking calendar to book online.

MEDICAL INFORMATION

All dive course participants must meet medical questionnaire requirements to be able to dive on the course. Some conditions or medications may prevent you from diving. Visit the Can I Dive page to see if you meet the requirements before booking.


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SSI Open Water Card

OPEN WATER DIVER COURSE

Open Water and nitrox package

OPEN WATER/ NITROX PACKAGE

ITINERARY

DIGITAL LEARNING

Before you go in the water there is Digital Training for you to complete. This covers the knowledge briefing and gives you an introduction to scuba diving and safety concepts. This will be elaborated on by your SSI Instructor during the SSI Open Water Diver course dives.

Completing the knowledge development section starts before you begin the course and requires you to complete most of the Digital Learning for the SSI Open Water Diver Course.

SSI ’s cutting-edge digital learning leads the world in diver education and enables you to complete the knowledge development in the comfort of your own home. You can take notes in the app to discuss with your SSI Instructor any concepts that you don’t understand. Assessment of learning is done via quick reviews at the end of every section in the online learning, which you must get correct to proceed so its sure you understand

POOL TRAINING

Right now we are getting wet. This is the reason you are here. Our confined water training for the Open Water Diver course is conducted in the swimming pool at the dive base where the course is being held.

The pool session teaches you to use SCUBA safely and procedures to troubleshoot any problems you potentially might have. The swimming pool environment allows you a safe area to practice with no outside factors to worry about such as poor visibility, surge, or current.

This is about making sure you are comfortable using the scuba unit so our Instructors will make sure you have ample time to practice skills and perform them with ease before moving on to the next section of the course

OCEAN DIVES

The final 2 days of the course are when you go diving for real. We will go by boat out to a local reef which is suitable for conducting the training.

A short segment of each dive will be spent repeating some of the skills that you mastered in the swimming pool before the “tour” section of the dive when you will get to go and see the wonders of the marine life in the Indian Ocean and practicing your diving skills in this “weightless” environment.

You will have 4 dives in total after which you are a fully certified SSI Open Water Diver, assuming that you have met all of the other course performance requirements.

WHERE WILL I DIVE?

Your SSI Open Water Diver course will take place on the main coral reefs of Diani on the selected dive sites of the day.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Prerequisites and Forms
  • Minimum age 10
  • When enrolling in an entry-level recreational diving certificate you must complete the following self-assessed medical declaration form before starting your training. If you answer yes to any of the health questions, you will need to bring the completed form with you to your physician to recieve a physician’s letter/medical clearance before you start your course.
What to Bring
  • Hat
  • Swimsuit
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Towel
  • Water Bottle

Extras
  • Camera Hire
  • Snacks and Beverages
  • T Shirt and Memorabilia
Do I need to be able to swim to scuba dive?

A question that we are constantly asked at Ocean Tribe is “Do I need to be able to swim to scuba dive?”. This is a more complicated answer than a simple yes or no, as it really depends on the experience you are looking to have.

If you are after getting your Open Water Diver licence or any other scuba diving certification then the straight answer in yes. On the entry level Open Water Diver and Scuba Diver courses there are swim and floating tests that you need to be able to accomplish in order to earn the dive certification. On the Open Water courses this is a 200m swim and a 10 minute tread or float.

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