Looking to embark on a new adventure in 2023? Becoming a PADI certified diver is the perfect way to jump start the new year. In addition to learning an impressive new skill, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the magic of the underwater world (which covers more than 70% of the planet)!
While the past few years certainly presented many challenges, it also showed us the importance of connecting with nature – for our physical and mental wellbeing. Taking time to focus on yourself and your connection with nature, while completing an epic certification course is something we can all see value in as we begin the new year.
PADI – The Way the World Learns to Dive
As we begin the New Year, PADI is committed to providing opportunities for people around the world to seek adventure and save the ocean. PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the most recognized dive training organization in the world, with 28 million certifications and counting.
Becoming a certified scuba diver starts with the PADI Open Water Diver course – the most recognized scuba certification in the world. PADI Instructors around the world undergo rigorous training to ensure that each and every course is both fun and safe. A PADI Open Water Diver certification allows you to seek adventure anywhere there’s water, like a passport to the underwater world!
Adventure Doesn’t Have to Wait – You Can Start Your Diving Journey Now
PADI eLearning allows you to first complete the online portion of the Open Water Diver course at your own pace through our easy-to-use interactive program. Then, you can connect at any time with a PADI Dive Center or Resort to complete your in-water training. eLearning not only offers added flexibility, it also reduces the amount of time you’ll need to spend at the dive center. This is online scuba training at it’s finest!
Completing the PADI Open Water Diver Course
The PADI Open Water Diver course includes three main parts: Knowledge Development, Confined Water Dives, and Open Water Dives. Knowledge Development (which you can complete via eLearning) covers the principles, concepts, and terms you need to know for dive safety and enjoyment.
In order to complete your Confined Water Dives and Open Water Dives, you can use the PADI Dive Shop Locator or the PADI Adventures App to connect with a dive shop. Use our COVID-19 Scuba Diving Status Map for the most up-to-date status on diving in your local area.
In the pool, you’ll learn and practice scuba skills with your PADI Instructor during your Confined Water Dives – putting your knowledge to the test and breathing underwater for the first time! Then, you’ll move on to an open water dive site (ocean or lake) to complete four Open Water Dives. As a PADI Open Water Diver, you’ll be trained to a maximum depth of 60 feet (18 meters), and will be qualified to dive in conditions as good as, or better then, those in which you trained. It’s just the beginning of a lifetime filled with dive adventures.
Interested in Freediving?
If you’ve always wanted to enter the underwater world quietly, on your own terms, staying as long as your breath allows, then freediving is for you. Taking the PADI Freediver course is your first step toward discovering why freediving is such a popular way to explore beneath the waves.
The PADI Freediver course consists of three main phases: Knowledge Development, Confined Water Dives, and Open Water Dives. Knowledge Development (which you can complete via eLearning) covers the principles, concepts, and terms you need to know for freediving safety and enjoyment.
Then, you’ll connect with a PADI Dive Center or Resort to complete Confined Water Dives in a pool – learning breath hold techniques as well as static and dynamic apnea. Open Water Dives at a local dive site will allow you to practice free immersion, constant weight freedives, and proper buddy procedures with your PADI Freediving Instructor. Becoming a certified PADI Freediver will allow you to safely and enjoyably explore the underwater world on a single breath!
The Perfect New Years Resolution – Dive In!
Whether it’s scuba diving or freediving (or both) that interests you, becoming a PADI certified diver is the perfect way to start off the New Year. Earning a PADI Open Water Diver certification or a PADI Freediver certification will certainly provide you with infinite possibilities for adventure, near and far. We look forward to seeking adventure and saving the ocean with you in 2023 and beyond!
