Is anyone PADI Certified?

I’m a PADI Open Water diver which is the most basic qualufication. I’ve been certified for a while now and can’t remember how much it cost but I’ve really enjoyed it. PADI is recognised everywhere and I’ve dived in Mauritius, Oman, the Phillipines and the Maldives with it. I’d recommend it to everyone who enjoy being in the water. 

Thank you for sharing! Yeah, the cost isn't really an issue, but I'm just trying to figure out whether it's realistic I.e is it a few hundred pound, or closer to a thousand etc. 

Probably closer to a few hundred than a thousand. When I took it I didn’t have that much money. 

Thanks for the info 👍 

No problem it’s a fun course that include some open water dives. 

When I helped teach a few Padi courses a few years back they were $550 CAD. I tell everyone to go get their open water certificate. They never expire so if you only use it once or twice every few years on vacation your ticket will still be good. Plus it is a truly international ticket. I've got friends who started their Padi learning in Canada and continued it in the Philippines, Mexico and South Africa.

My biggest recommendation is that you learn your skills in the coldest water you plan on diving in. If you can remove and replace your mask with a dry suit, two pairs of gloves and a 7mm neoprene hood. Then you will have no problems doing it in warmer water. 

Awesome advice, thank you! 

Hiya, I'm PADI open water certified, don't use it often but it's really useful when I do, it's recognised everywhere and I've taken a refresher course as part of a dive trip when I've not dived for a couple of years. I did PADI Scuba Diver - subset of open water -  in Barbados as far as I remember then completed the open water in Egypt. Was 12+ years ago now but it didn't cost a fortune. Am planning to go to Australia via Thailand later this year so will make full use of it in both, am very much a warm water diver, none of this breaking ice to go diving lark! :D Do it, you won't ever regret it.

Amazing, thanks for sharing. Well... i have a trip to Gran Canaria coming up in a few months, so I wonder if I can get it boxed off before then? Or perhap finish the course there?

Just had a check on prices for Open Water Cert and it's $599USD in Barbados and $460USD in Thailand so not extortionate IMHO.

Great, thanks again. I've just sent a few emails to dive centre to enquire :) 

Great idea, go for it. I am PADI Advanced Open Water Certified which adds a few things vs the basic one, including deep dives, navigation dives, using the diving computer, night dives…I truly loved it. I have not done so much with it, must have done 20-25 dives by now but cannot wait until next one as it has been a while. At amateurs level, you will always dive with a buddy so finding someone to go with you is great, otherwise you are always paired randomly in the group. it is actually my wife we got me into diving (she must have 50+ dives) and hence it’s a great hobby we share. She contaminated me with diving and now have done the same with watches 😍 regarding PADI, it‘s clearly the most known/present internationally but there are also a few others that are as good. hope you end up doing it, let us know :)

Thanks for the insight,  I think I'm going to go for it. I'll update as I go :) 

Definitely do it, it saves so much time when you go away not having to do the 'resort courses' in the pool for half a day then a local trip out, you can get on the boat early in the day and get a couple of dives in by evening. Winner every time.

I’m PADI Advanced Open Water certified. The dive shop you take your classes at will have access to classroom space (yes there are/were, been certified a long time, classes and tests), a pool (for pool training) and organize the certification dive trip. Ours were two dive affairs, one in a contained spring/river (Florida sites) and the other in the middle of the ocean/gulf. Good luck, you’ll love diving! 😄

PS: Remember to wear a dive watch as backup to your dive computer.

PS: Cetification does not lapse.

Im not certified but the comments here have gotten me interested again.  Family has been going on some bigger vacations as of late and id love to do some true diving at some of these places (and of course buy the dive watch to go with them) ☺️

Me, I’m certified scuba diver

Same here, dived in Jamaica before certification, dived in cancun, gonna dive in the Maldives in the summer

I too am Advanced Open Water Certified, loved the extra courses and experiences contained in that program. I got Basic Open Water courses for my wife and daughter a few years back and we need to plan a group dive soon. It is a richly rewarding endeavor! 

I completed my PADI Open Water certification this summer/fall. I would definitely recommend doing it before going on your trip. You’ll be more comfortable in the water and youll be able to look around and enjoy the surroundings more if you’re more comfortable in your gear. I was certified in Redondo Beach, near Los Angeles, CA and it was around $400 usd, which included a full day in a pool, four dives off of a boat in one day, and one Beach dive (practicing entering the water by walking through the surf). was a blast! I was lucky to have great instructors. One piece of advice is to start the process early. classes may fill up and my boat day kept being postponed due to bad conditions  because I got a cold and couldn’t dive that day. 

It is an amazing experience to be underwater like that and see all sorts of wildlife. Enjoy It!! 

I Became PADI certified back in 2001, and I dive seldom enough that I take a reminder course each time before I head out on vacation that will involve diving.

It's worthwhile and a ton of fun.

A lot of good comments on the thread, I highly recommend you get certified.  I was first certified in 1978 and continued on to divemaster in the early 1980's.

To anyone that posted here and offered advice, thank you! I've signed up and I am due to start my PADI diving course first weekend in Feb 🤿

How's the course going?

I'm set to complete it next month in Gran Canaria 👍

Niiiiiiice, hope you're having fun with it.

I am 🙂

Just found your other thread 😄

Open water here, my gf and I took a weekend trip to Miami in February. We booked it at the airport lol so we crammed all the theory and test in one day. It was an all day all nighter kind of thing that I would not recommend. I would take 3 days to get over the material and test and then it’s two days of diving. The shop we booked with was Tarpoon Lagoon on south point, and we did Pool in the mornings and two dives in the afternoon. I highly recommended it. I realise this is an old post but maybe it’s useful if you haven’t done it or another reader was wondering :)