I'm Already Certified as an Open Water Diver. What's Next?
Take a look at the entire system of PADI scuba diving education below. Beyond your newly acquired Open Water Diver certification, there are various paths you can take to continue your diving education, to improve your diving skills, to try new activities underwater or to become a PADI Professional (Divemaster, Instructor, etc.)
Most people choose to continue their diving education by signing up for the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. Many of our students who have more time to spend on the island, choose to start their Advanced course right after finishing their Open Water dives (i.e. during the island trip, they do 4 dives for their Open Water certification, then continue with 5 more "adventure" dives to earn their Advanced certification).
By taking two PADI courses back-to-back, students not only save time and a little bit of money off the island trip price, but they also get a discount off the course fees!
After the Advanced certification and once the students have done a few dives and most likely, have joined a few dive trips and met other divers, they naturally feel the need to not only be able to take care of themselves whilst diving but also to help other divers in need. This is where the PADI Rescue Diver and Emergency First Response (EFR) courses come in. The Rescue course also provides the foundation for divers who are planning to take the PADI Divemaster course and become a PADI Professional.
In addition to the above "core" courses, there are various PADI Specialty Diving courses which gives students the chance to learn new skills or do new things underwater. The specialty courses include the following:
- Digital Underwater Photography Specialty
- Enriched Air Nitrox Specialty
- Coral Reef Conservation Specialty
What do you call a diver who is a certified PADI Rescue Diver, has logged at least 50 dives and has taken 5 specialty diving courses? A PADI Master Scuba Diver, the highest non-professional diver rating!
