PADI Open Water Diver.

Get your PADI Open Water Certification.

Discover the underwater world with Sussex Diving's PADI Open Water Course — the world’s most popular scuba diving certification.
Perfect for beginners, this comprehensive course combines expert instruction, hands-on training, and unforgettable open water dives.
Whether you're preparing for a tropical holiday or starting a lifelong diving adventure, our experienced, award winning team of friendly PADI professionals will guide and support you every step of the way.
Learn essential scuba skills, gain internationally recognised certification, and build confidence in a safe, friendly, and professional environment.
Start your underwater journey today with PADI Open Water training in Sussex & Hampshire — your gateway to exploring the ocean.

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The PADI Open Water Course is designed to make learning to scuba dive easy and enjoyable.

The course is typically split into three key sections:

Knoledge Development

During the knowledge development phase, you’ll learn the fundamentals of scuba diving — including equipment, safety procedures, and dive planning — through engaging theory sessions and interactive learning materials.

Confined Water Training

Next, you’ll move to confined water sessions, held in one of our heated pools, where you’ll practise essential skills such as buoyancy control, mask clearing, and regulator recovery under the close supervision of our PADI instructors.

Open Water Dives

Finally, you’ll complete four exhilarating open water dives in the controlled enviroment of a lake and weather dependant the sea, where you’ll apply what you’ve learned and experience real-world diving conditions.

This step-by-step structure ensures you build confidence and competence at your own pace, setting you up to become a certified PADI Open Water Diver.
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PADI Open Water Course Prerequisites.

Before starting the PADI Open Water Course with Sussex Diving & Leisure, there are a few simple prerequisites to ensure your safety and enjoyment.

✅ Participants must be at least 10 years old to enrol (students aged 10–14 will receive a Junior Open Water certification).

✅ You should be comfortable in the water and able to swim 200 metres (or 300 metres with mask, fins, and snorkel) without stopping, as well as float or tread water for 10 minutes.

✅ A basic level of fitness is required, and all students must complete a standard PADI medical questionnaire; if any health concerns are identified, clearance from a medical professional may be needed.

✅ No previous scuba diving experience is necessary — just enthusiasm, a sense of adventure, and a willingness to listen & learn!

Ways to pay.

At Sussex Diving, we make it easy and flexible for you to pay for your PADI Open Water Course with a range of convenient payment options to suit your needs. You can choose to pay in full at the time of booking for a quick and simple process, or spread the cost using .

👍£ - Klarna, allowing you to pay in instalments

👍£ - Pay As You Go option, where you can pay for each section of the course as you begin it

We accept a variety of payment methods, including bank transfer, secure card payment via link, and of course cash or card in person at our dive centre.
Whatever option you choose, our goal is to make booking your diving adventure as smooth and stress-free as possible.

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Diffrent formats to suit diffrent learning Styles

At SDL we understand the everybody learns in diffrent ways and at diffrent speeds thats why we run our courses several formats

PADI Open Water Referral

The PADI Open Water Referral Course is perfect for students who want to complete their theory and pool training at home and finish their open water dives while traveling. You’ll complete knowledge development and confined water sessions with one of our PADI instructors, then we will give you a PADI Open Water referal pack that you can to any PADI dive center worldwide to complete the four open water dives. It’s a flexible & convenient way to earn your certification while making the most of your vacation time.

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PADI Open Water Standard

With our standard PADI Open Water course you’ll learn essential dive theory, practice key skills in our 25m heated swimming pool, and complete four open water dives under the guidance of one of the SDL team.
Over four days (2 at the pool & 2 at a open water location) the course builds your confidence, safety awareness, and buoyancy control step by step. Once certified, you’ll be qualified to dive worldwide to a maximum depth of 18 metres/60 feet, opening the door to a lifetime of underwater adventure.

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PADI Open Water Relaxed Learning

Our relaxed learning option gives you extra time to build confidence and truly enjoy the process. The course is spread over four separate pool sessions, allowing you to master each skill at a comfortable pace with plenty of practice and personal guidance from our award winning team. Once you feel fully prepared, you’ll complete your two open water training days at a dive site, where you’ll apply everything you’ve learned in real conditions. It’s the ideal choice for students who prefer a steady, supportive approach to earning their certification.

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Our relaxed learning experience began as a winter option, spreading the Open Water confined sessions over a longer period until the water warmed up. But it has quickly became a firm favourite with our students, so much so that we now offer it all year round.
This approach gives you more time to fully understand the theory and enjoy additional pool practice, helping you build confidence and refine your skills before progressing to open water dives.