Learn to Dive Start Your First Course All Beginner Courses Home / Education / Learn to Dive Scuba Diving Certification Interested in learning to scuba dive? You’ve come to the right place. Millions of underwater explorers started right here. Scuba lessons unlock the door to new adventures and amazing animal encounters. By the end of your scuba certification course, you’ll see our ocean planet through new eyes. How to get started? If you just want to try scuba diving, most PADI® Dive Shops offer a half-day experience called Discover Scuba Diving in a pool or pool-like environment, with an optional open water dive. It’s a quick and easy way to find out if you like scuba diving, but it’s not a certification course. A scuba diving certification, also known as an Open Water Diver certification, allows you to dive anywhere in the world. Similar to driving a car, scuba diving requires specific knowledge, skills and training. A PADI Open Water Diver certification allows you to seek adventure anywhere where there’s water. Get Certified 3 Certification Options 1 Learn to Dive Close to Home Complete all three parts of your scuba certification (knowledge development, pool practice, and open water training dives) near where you live Benefits: take as much time as you need and connect with your local community of divers 2 Start at Home, Finish on Vacation If you’re not ready to try diving in your local environment, you can complete everything but the open water dives near where you live Benefits: connect with your local community of divers, but enjoy the waters of your vacation destination for your open water training dives 3 Learn on Vacation Complete all elements of the course (knowledge development, pool practice, and open water dives) — while on vacation. Use PADI eLearning to finish your independent study online before or during travel to minimize classroom time Benefits: learn to scuba dive abroad, meet students from other parts of the globe find a dive shop PADI eLearning - Try It For Free Take the first step to your PADI Open Water Diver certification - free. Learn scuba diving fundamentals at your own pace using the industry’s most advanced digital learning system. TRY FOR FREE The Way the World Learns to Dive® PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the most recognized dive training organization in the world (28 million certifications and counting). PADI Instructors undergo weeks of rigorous training to ensure your scuba class is fun and safe. Dive Travel If you want to seek adventure and save the ocean, PADI Travel® can connect you with more than 500 resorts worldwide. By combining a resort stay with a PADI Open Water Diver course, you will also always get a great deal. EXPLORE NOW Scuba Lessons for Kids If your child is at least 8 years old, a fun and exciting way for them to experience scuba diving is to enroll them in a Bubblemaker or Seal Team program first. The Bubblemaker program is an experience program in a pool or confined water that is as fun as it sounds – a chance for kids to blow bubbles underwater while scuba diving! The Seal Team program is a multi-session pool program that covers basic scuba diving skills and action-packed AquaMissions. Kids 10 years or older can take the Open Water Diver course and earn a Junior Open Water Diver certification. LEARN MORE Scuba Diving Certification FAQs Your questions answered. How long does it take to earn a scuba diving certification? There are three parts to becoming a certified diver: knowledge development, confined water in a pool or pool-like environment, and open water dives. Independent study using PADI Open Water Diver digital learning program (eLearning) takes about eight hours. In-water work, including pool training and open water dives, can be completed in just a few days. The PADI Open Water Diver course is flexible and performance-based, which means you progress at your own pace. Once you and your instructor feel confident that you've mastered a skill, you’ll move on to the next one. If you want to try the new skill a few more times, that’s okay too. The goal is for you to learn how to be a safe, confident diver and feel comfortable in the water. How old do you have to be to learn to scuba dive? The minimum age is 10 years old (in most areas). Student divers who are younger than 15 earn the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification. The Junior Open Water certification comes with restrictions. Divers 10-11 years old must dive with a PADI Professional or a certified parent or guardian, and dives cannot exceed 12 meters/40 feet. Divers 12-14 years old must dive with a certified adult and dives cannot exceed 18 meters / 60 feet Children under the age of 13 require parent or guardian permission to register for PADI eLearning. Jr. Open Water Divers may upgrade to PADI Open Water Diver certification at age 15 by requesting a new certification card (no additional training is required). Learn more here: https://blog.padi.com/2014/09/16/scuba-diving-lessons-for-kids/ How much are scuba diving lessons? A scuba diving certification costs about the same as a full day of surfing lessons, three hours of private golf lessons, or one amazing night out! Learning to scuba dive is a great value because you earn a certification that allows you to dive anywhere in the world. When comparing prices for scuba lessons, be sure to ask what’s included. A very low price may be for in-water training only. A higher price may include rental gear, a boat trip and/or online training. Can people with physical challenges learn to dive? Yes. People with missing limbs, reduced mobility, or other physical challenges commonly earn the PADI Open Water Diver certification. Even individuals with more significant physical or mental challenges can still take part in scuba experiences. Talk to your PADI Instructor at your local PADI Dive Center or Resort for more information. All student divers complete a brief scuba medical questionnaire that asks about medical conditions that could be a problem while diving and will determine if you need to be evaluated by a physician before being able to scuba dive. If the doctor approves, or none of the conditions applied to you, you're ready to start! Do you need to know how to swim to scuba dive? You need basic swimming skills and the ability to comfortably maintain yourself in the water. Your PADI Instructor will ask you to: Swim 200 metres/yards (or 300 metres/yards wearing mask, fins and snorkel) without stopping. There is no time limit, and you may use any swimming strokes you want. Float and tread water for 10 minutes, using any method(s) you want. Does a PADI scuba certification expire? Your PADI certification does not expire. If you haven’t been diving in a while and wish to refresh your scuba safety knowledge and skills, ask your dive shop about the PADI ReActivate™ course. What about sharks? When you’re lucky, you get to see a shark. Although incidents with sharks occur, they are very rare and, with respect to diving, primarily involve spear fishing or feeding sharks, both of which trigger feeding behavior. Most of the time, if you see a shark it’s just passing through and a rare sight to enjoy. Do women have any special concerns regarding diving? 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. How deep do you go? With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres/60 feet. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is shallower than 12 metres/40 feet, where the water’s warmer and the colors are brighter. What if I feel claustrophobic? People find the “weightlessness” of scuba diving to be quite freeing. Modern scuba masks are available in translucent models, which you may prefer. During your scuba diving training, your instructor will give you plenty of time and assistance to ensure you are comfortable. What is a PADI certification card? Once you have completed your certification, you will receive a PADI certification card! The card has details of your certification level and date, along with you and your instructor's name and number. For questions regarding plastic or eCard (electronic version), please see our Certification Card FAQ. If you have an eCard, you can access through the free PADI App. Download the PADI App for Apple iOS devices Download the PADI App for Android OS devices Still have questions? Please contact your local PADI Dive Center or Resort. Learn More About How to Become a Scuba Diver Here are some popular articles written by PADI Divers. Top 10 Scuba Diving Myths Don’t fall for these common myths and misconceptions about scuba diving Discover Scuba Diving and Open Water: What’s the Difference? Unsure if you’ll like scuba diving? A Discover Scuba Experience can help you decide. How to Become a Scuba Diver: Everything You Need to Know A boatload of info including tips from the pros READ MORE