Our Open Water Course is designed to get students comfortable with each stage of the learning before moving on to the next step. Day 1 is devoted entirely to the theory behind diving. Students have a chance to ask as many questions of their instructor as needed to development a solid theory base, as well as time to get comfortable and know their instructor before taking the step into the pool. Day 2 is devoted entirely too learning skills involved in diving safely. Your instructor will move at a slow pace, making sure that you are comfortable with one skill before moving on to the next skill. There is no rushing or pressure to perform the required skills in only a morning session, we can take all day if need be to ensure that each student is fully confident in their own abilities to perform the tasks before taking the plunge into the open ocean. OCEAN DIVES! Day 3 and 4 of the Open Water Course take place on our custom built dive boat in OPEN WATER. Our usual dive sites sit off North Stradbroke Island, where depending on what time of year you have the chance to see Whales, Turtles, Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, Bull Rays, Eels, Reef fish galore, all under careful and fun instruction from your dedicated PADI Scuba Diving Instructor!
No. Recent changes mean that only certain people need to get a Dive Medical before completing a ‘learn to dive course’. If you answer yes to any of the following you will need to get a Dive Medical before you complete your course:
• Are you over 45 years old?
• Do you have a body mass index (BMI) over 30?
• Do you have a waist circumference over 102cm for males, 88cm for females?
• Do you/ have you ever suffered from Asthma, Diabetes, Epilepsy, High Blood Pressure, Lung Conditions, Heart Conditions.
If you answer yes to any of the above, don’t panic! Have a chat to one of our instructors and we can refer you to a Dive Physician who can complete the medical with you. If you are still not sure take our comprehensive medical questionnaire here!
I've heard that scuba diving is very expensive. What about those of us on a budget? No problem. The price of certification is less than $200 per day which is less than you would spend for a night on the town for two. Once you are certified we offer Discount dive days every Friday and once a month on a Thursday. Keep an eye out on our dive calendar for free shore diving days. Coming Soon. Although owning all your equipment is ideal, we do centers rent it, allowing you to take your time investing in the sport. Even the price of dive travel varies with great diving in Brisbane and surrounding areas, to inexpensive Pacific Island vacations, to exotic getaways in far-flung corners of the globe. Take your pick.
The short answer is that it is not recommended, we would require you to do a Scuba Tune Up prior to going for a dive un supervised.
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Number of Dives |
Update required if you haven’t dived within the last |
|
4- 8 |
6 Months |
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9 - 25 |
12 Months |
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Over 25 |
2 Years |
If you haven’t dived within the last two years we require you to complete a Scuba Tune Up if you wish to dive with us.
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is the world's largest diving organization. It has succeeded largely as its programs make diving accessible to the average person, plus its gets students into the water quickly. With more than forty years experience and 5,300 dive centers and resorts worldwide, PADI training materials and services let you experience scuba diving from nearly anywhere. PADI has the largest range of programs and offers the broadest range of diving opportunities. Today PADI issues approximately 950,000 certifications a year, of which approximately 550,000 are "entry level" certifications. Over the years since its formation PADI has become a dominating force in scuba diver training; it certifies approximately 70% of divers in the United States.
Learning to scuba dive with GO DIVE BRISBANE and PADI is an incredible adventure! With PADI as your training organization, your path to breathing underwater is accomplished in three exciting phases:
During the first phase of your PADI Open Water Diver scuba certification, you develop an understanding of the basic principles of scuba diving. You learn things like how pressure affects your body, how to choose the best scuba gear and what to consider when planning dives. You briefly review what you have studied in the five knowledge sections with your instructor and take a short quiz to be sure you're getting it.
At the end of the course, you'll take a longer quiz that makes sure you have all the key concepts and ideas down. You and your GO DIVE BRISBANE Instructor will review anything that you don't quite get until it's clear.
Select the knowledge development option you prefer:
This is what it's all about – diving. You develop basic scuba skills by scuba diving in a pool or body of water with pool-like conditions. Here you'll learn everything from setting up your scuba gear to how to easily get water out of your scuba mask without surfacing. You'll also practice some emergency skills, like sharing air or replacing your scuba mask. Plus, you may play some games, make new friends and have a great time. There are five confined water dives, with each building upon the previous. Over the course of these five dives, you attain the skills you need to dive in open water.
After your confined water dives, you and the new friends you've made continue learning during four open water dives with your GO DIVE BRISBANE PADI Instructor at a dive site. This is where you fully experience the underwater adventure – at the beginner level, of course. You may make these dives around Adelaide or at a more exotic destination while on a GO DIVE BRISBANE group holiday.
Our usual dive sites sit off North Stradbroke Island, accessible only by boat. In the Summer Months (November – April) our go to destination is Manta Ray Bommie, as during this time, our resident Manta Rays are in. Through the winter Months (July – October) Flat Rock is our preferred site, as the Grey Nurse Sharks congregate here. We also dive Shag Rock and Boat Rock off North Stradbroke Island if weather permits. Occasionally we get out to Flinders Reef, Cementco and Gotham City, North of Moreton Island. Curtain Artificial Reef, The Pines, Tangalooma and Combi Drop-Off are also visited on occasion.
Everyone has a different sized and shape face, and unfortunately there is no one mask to fit every face. A proper fitting mask shouldn’t be uncomfortable or leak. A leaky mask can be extremely off-putting, especially if you are trying to learn new skills and concentrate. QLD Workplace Health and Safety also recommend that students provide their own personal items due to hygiene issues associated with sharing items. We offer a full 3 month fitting guarantee and a 10% discount for all students completing courses with us.
It's possible to complete your confined and open water dives in as few as two or three days by completing the classroom portion online via PADI eLearning or home study options offered by GO DIVE BRISBANE.
The PADI Open Water Diver course is incredibly flexible and performance based, which means that GO DIVE BRISBANE can offer a wide variety of schedules, paced according to how fast you progress.
Your instructor's interest is in your learning to scuba dive, not in how long you sit in a class. So, training is based upon demonstrating that you know what you need to know and can do what you need to do. This means that you progress at your own pace – faster or slower depending upon the time you need to become a confident scuba diver who dives regularly. You can start learning to scuba dive online right now with GO DIVE BRISBANE and PADI eLearning.
Compared with getting started in other popular adventure sports and outdoor activities, learning to scuba dive isn't expensive.
For example, you can expect to pay about the same as you would for:
Learning to scuba dive is a great value when you consider that you learn to dive under the guidance and attention of a high trained, experienced professional - your GO DIVE BRISBANE PADI Scuba Instructor. From the first day, scuba diving starts transforming your life with new experiences you share with friends. And, you can do it almost anywhere there is water. Start learning online with GO DIVE BRISBANE and get ready to take your first breath underwater!
GO DIVE BRISBANE is proud to be able to offer the PADI Open Water Course from $499 per person.
Choosing and using your scuba gear is part of the fun of diving. GO DIVE BRISBANE will help you find the right gear. Each piece of scuba equipment performs a different function so that collectively, it adapts you to the underwater world.
When you start learning to scuba dive, as a minimum, you want your own
These have a personal fit, and GO DIVE BRISBANE will help you choose ones that have the fit and features best suited to you. Included in the cost of your PADI Open Water Diver course, GO DIVE BRISBANE will provide a:
Check with GO DIVE BRISBANE to confirm sizing available for your course package. It's recommended that you invest in your own scuba equipment when you start your course because:
The kind of gear you will need depends on the conditions where you dive. You may want:
Easy. There is no best gear. But, there is the best gear for you. The professionals at GO DIVE BRISBANE are trained to help you find scuba gear that best matches your preferences, fit and budget. These professionals can get you set with the right stuff, plus they provide service and support for years of enjoyable and dependable use.
You may also want to talk to other scuba divers in PADI's online scuba community to get recommendations on particular scuba equipment brands and models.
If you have an appetite for excitement and adventure, odds are you can become an avid PADI scuba diver. You'll also want to keep in mind these requirements:
Minimum Age:
Physical: For safety, all students complete a brief scuba medical questionnaire that asks about medical conditions that could be a problem while diving. If none of these apply, you sign the form and you're ready to start. If any of these apply to you, as a safety precaution your dive physician (SPUMS) must assess the condition as it relates to diving and sign a medical form that confirms that you're fit to dive. In some areas, local laws require all scuba students to consult with a physician before entering the course.
Waterskills: Before completing the PADI Open Water Diver course, your instructor will have you demonstrate basic waterskill comfort by having you:
About Physical Challenges: Any individual who can meet the performance requirements of the course qualifies for certification. There are many adaptive techniques that allow individuals with physical challenges to meet these requirements. Individuals with paraplegia, amputations and other challenges commonly earn the PADI Open Water Diver certification. Even individuals with more significant physical challenges participate in diving. Talk to your PADI Instructor at your local PADI Dive Shop or Resort for more information.
Learning Materials : Unless you choose PADI eLearning, you'll need and use the following training materials during the PADI Open Water Diver course, and for your review and reference after the course:
You can dive practically anywhere there's water – from a swimming pool to the ocean and all points in between, including quarries, lakes, rivers and springs. Where you can scuba dive is determined by your:
For example, if you've just finished your PADI Open Water Diver course, you probably won't be diving under the Antarctic ice on your next dive. But, don't limit your thinking to the warm, clear water you see in travel magazines. Some of the best diving is closer than you think.
Your local dive site can be anything from a special pool built just for divers like one found in Brussels, Belgium, or more typically natural sites like Belize's Great Blue Hole, Australia's Great Barrier Reef or Japan's Yonaguni Monument. It may be a manmade reservoir or a fossil-filled river. It's not always about great visibility because what you see is more important than how far you see.
The only truly important thing about where you dive is that you have the scuba diving training and experience appropriate for diving there, and that you have a dive buddy to go with you. GO DIVE BRISBANE can help you organize great local diving or a dive vacation. Visit today to get started.
No, assuming you have no irregularities in your ears and sinuses. The discomfort is the normal effect of water pressure pressing in on your ears. Fortunately, our bodies are designed to adjust for pressure changes in our ears – you just need to learn how. If you have no difficulties adjusting to air pressure during flying, you'll probably experience no problem learning to adjust to water pressure while diving.
Not necessarily. Any condition that affects the ears, sinuses, respiratory function or heart function or may alter consciousness is a concern, but only a physician can assess a person's individual risk. Physicians can consult with the Divers Alert Network (DAN) as necessary when assessing a scuba candidate.
DAN has information available online if you wish to do some research.
Sun burn and seasickness, both of which are preventable with over the counter preventatives. The most common injuries caused by marine life are scrapes and stings, most of which can be avoided by wearing gloves and an exposure suit, staying off the bottom and watching where you put your hands and feet.
Contact GO DIVE BRISBANE for information about exposure protection needed for any of your diving.
When you're lucky, you'll get to see a shark. Join us on our South West Rocks dive trip.
Although incidents with sharks occur, they are very, very rare. Most commonly shark encounters primarily involve spear fishing or feeding sharks, both of which trigger eractic feeding behavior. Sharks main food source is fish and if they can get a free feed they will.
Most of the time, if you see a shark it's passing through and a relatively rare sight to enjoy.
Some myths, about sharks, that you have heard may be dispelled by checking out Australian Geographic.
Aside from pregnancy, no. Because physiologists know little about the effects of diving on the fetus, the recommendation is that women avoid diving while pregnant or trying to become pregnant. Menstruation is not normally a concern.
With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres unless you are a Junior Scuba Diver then it is 12 metres. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is no deeper than 12 metres/40 feet where the water's warmer and the colors are brighter.
That's not likely because you have a gauge that tells you how much air you have at all times. This way, you can return to the surface with a safety reserve remaining. But to answer the question, if you run out of air, your buddy has a spare mouthpiece that allows you to share a single air supply while swimming to the surface. There are also other options you'll learn in your PADI Open Water course with GO DIVE BRISBANE.
People find the “weightlessness” of scuba diving to be quite freeing. Modern scuba masks are available in translucent models, which you may prefer if a mask makes you feel closed in. During your scuba diving training with GO DIVE BRISBANE, your instructor gives you plenty of time and coaching to become comfortable with each stage of learning. Your scuba instructor works with you at your own pace to ensure you master each skill necessary to become a capable scuba diver who dives regularly.
GO DIVE BRISBANE keeps classes small so that we can give you more time to get comfortable with the amazing world of diving.