PADI Open Water Course
Learn to dive as a conservation volunteer, with more time in the water than most dive shops can give you.
- 85 USDCovers your PADI manual and certification. Nothing else to pay.
- 5-6 daysSpread out, with extra training dives built in.
- No experienceYou start in shallow, calm water.
- All includedGear, transport, marine park fees and tuition.
- Volunteers onlyMinimum stay of six weeks, with one course for each four-week period. No walk-ins.
How we teach it
The course mixes theory with dives in confined water and open water. You learn each skill in shallow, calm water first, then use it for real on the reef. Theory is broken up between dives, so you won't spend hours in a classroom. Like any physical skill, diving is learned by doing it.
Most dive shops finish Open Water in three days. We take longer and add extra dives, so your buoyancy control becomes second nature before you start any survey work. That extra time pays off on every conservation dive you do afterwards, and our instructors are proud of every diver they certify.
You train in the same gear setup we use for our survey dives, so there's nothing to relearn later. See the gear we dive with.
From your first dive to surveying reefs
A six-week stay gives you two courses: Open Water and Advanced Open Water. That's the level every one of our surveyors is trained to. Stay longer, or arrive already certified, and you can add the PADI Rescue Diver course and the Deep Diver specialty too.
- 1
Open Water
This course. Once certified, you can dive to 18 metres with a buddy.
- 2
Advanced Open Water
Five dives down to 30 metres, chosen for survey work: buoyancy, navigation and deploying a surface marker buoy.
- 3Optional
Deep Diver
A PADI specialty that takes you down to 40 metres, for divers staying longer or arriving already certified.
- 4
Survey training
Depending on which survey methodology you learn (fish, invertebrates or substrate), training typically takes 6-15 days.
- 5
Reef surveys
You join the team behind 2,000+ reef surveys a year across southern Negros, typically between 5 and 25 metres.
Before you arrive
A short swim
Most of our diving happens from boats, and every now and then someone takes an unplanned dip, so you need to be comfortable in the water. PADI asks every student to swim 200 metres, or 300 metres with mask, fins and snorkel, and to float or tread water for 10 minutes. The swim isn't timed, so go at your own pace.
A medical form
You'll fill in PADI's diver medical questionnaire (PDF). If you answer yes to any question, ask a doctor to sign it before you travel. It's much easier to sort out at home.
"I took my PADI Open Water at MCP without any previous scuba experience, but just knowing it was something I would like. And of course I loved it! Starting from scratch was a bit intimidating, but with a great instructor and being a small group of only three volunteers, I felt very safe. The course was quite flexible, so if anybody was struggling with a skill we had time to practise it several times until we were comfortable. All in all I had a great start to my scuba adventure here."
"My instructor supported me to increase my self-confidence in diving, and gave me time to go over certain things again and again until I felt safe about it. During the course, I appreciated the time and patience spent on different skills and exercises, as well as his expertise."
Questions people ask
Can I volunteer if I've never dived?
Yes. Non-divers start with this course and stay at least six weeks, which leaves room for Advanced Open Water too. On average, volunteers stay 8-10 weeks, and with 10 weeks you can add the PADI Rescue Diver course as well.
I'm a bit nervous about diving. Is that normal?
Very. You start in shallow water and only move on when you're comfortable. If a skill takes a few tries, there's time to practise it until it clicks. Our instructors are very patient and have a good sense of humour, and we all learned to dive the same way you will. Whatever you find tricky, chances are we found it tricky too.
I wear glasses. Can I still dive?
Yes, no problem. Lots of divers wear contact lenses, but prescription masks work too. If your glasses are quite strong, we recommend contacts, so you can still see clearly between dives when your mask is off.
Can I start PADI eLearning at home before I arrive?
Yes, absolutely! Once you've signed up for a stay with us, we're happy to set you up with the materials, so you can start studying at home in your own time.
Is my certification recognised elsewhere?
Yes. Your PADI card is valid for life and recognised by dive centres all over the world.
Other Courses
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Advanced Open Water
Five dives that take you to 30 metres and build your navigation skills. The deep and navigation dives are set by PADI. Where dive shops let you pick the other three, we choose them for survey work, usually peak performance buoyancy, safety and rescue, and deploying a surface marker buoy.
Learn more -
Rescue Diver
The course experienced divers most often call pivotal, and often the most fun. Your attention widens from yourself to the whole team: spotting trouble early, giving oxygen and thinking clearly in an emergency. We usually run it over four days, which leaves room for extra scenarios so the new mindset sticks.
Learn more -
PADI Specialties
Focus on one kind of diving with an instructor beside you. We teach Self-Reliant Diver, Enriched Air Nitrox and Deep Diver. Other specialties may be available when our projects call for them, or occasionally on request. Conservation dives come first here, so a specialty can stretch over a week or two, depending on how busy the schedule is.
Learn more -
Technical Diving
Decompression diving with twinsets, sidemount and stage tanks, from Tec 40 up to Tec 50. It is not a natural next step after recreational diving. We only train interns who need it for deep research, or volunteers staying at least 16 weeks, and reaching Tec 50 typically takes 24 weeks.
Learn more
Start with Open Water. Stay for the reef.
New volunteers start every other Monday. Your course and your conservation work happen side by side, on the reefs we survey and protect.