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PADI Open Water Diver Course

Davy Jones Diving are Padi Gran Canaria's Gold Palm Resort no 798745
Have fun getting your PADI card here
     

Get your PADI Open Water qualification in the subtropical waters around Gran Canaria



For many people, the PADI Open Water Diver course is the best way to learn to scuba dive. It is possible to start the week with no previous experience of scuba diving, and by the end the week you are ready to enjoy diving in open water anywhere in the world, with your world-recognised PADI Open Water Diver certification. With your PADI qualification you can float alongside beautiful coral reefs, teeming with fish, or start to explore shipwrecks or the amazing soft corals and marine life which surround the British Isles.
Along with gaining the worlds most popular diving qualification, you want to find the best place to take the course, and you are probably looking for warm waters, somewhere special to dive with lots to see, highly regarded instructors and a nice holiday destination. Learning to dive in the El Cabrón Marine Reserve with davy Jones Diving will give you all of these.
Our PADI Open Water Course is not just any PADI Open Water course, as unlike other schools, all the sea dives take place in the beautiful waters of Gran Canaria's only marine reserve, the El Cabrón. And as Gran Canaria is the most Southerly tourist destination in Europe, the sub-tropical waters around the island stay warm all year round. So you get not only a week of fun taking the course with our expert and highly rated instructors, but you also get four open water dives in one of Spain and Europe's best places to dive.
Enjoy Learning to dive in Gran Canaria
You start your PADI Open Water training in a pool
Once you master your buoyancy control you can float effortlessly like the fish around you in the open waters of the marine reserve
The open waters of the marine reserve are full of colourful creatures such as this starfish
The problem you are probably struggling with is however a common one – how do you choose where to learn to take your PADI Open Water Course when you don't really know what makes a good dive centre. When you start any activity from scratch there is always a variety of offers and options, but your own lack of knowledge can makes it more difficult to select the best path. Your concern is that if you do not know the best criteria for choosing a PADI dive centre you can easily end up not getting the very best safety information on your Open Water training course.

That's why PADI created its 5 Star category, to recognise dive centres who, like us, have mature, experienced dive educators who can make your course a lot of fun while teaching you all the vital safety elements. As you can see from the comments below, our customers think our Instructors are expert trainers, our service is top class and the diving here in the waters of the marine reserve is fantastic. So have a look at the details of the course below, then select one of the links to contact us so that we can start to arrange your PADI Open Water Diver Course and take the first step into the wonderful world of Scuba Diving.

You start in the pool and learn essential basic skills including breathing underwater, clearing your regulator and mask, buoyancy control, fining techniques and techniques for safe diving. You then build on these basic skills and practice them both in the pool, and then in open water (in the Marine Reserve), all the time under the supervision of one of our qualified and experienced PADI Instructors. All the teaching and support materials are used to ensure that you understand the simple physics behind diving and to give you the confidence and enthusiasm to continue diving after your course, and open up for the many beautiful divings spots around the world. In addition to the prescribed skills we aim to develop your confidence in the water, so that you leave us as a safe, competent and qualified Open Water Diver.
Minimum Requirements No previous diving experience is necessary before you start your PADI Open Water Diver Course. Must pass PADI Medical, and be over 10 years of age (Junior Open Water Diver).
Course Content The PADI Open Water Diver Course starts with five lessons in the pool. You then do four lessons in the sea in the Arinaga marine reserve, some reading, video sessions, knowledge reviews and tests/quizzes.
Class Size We like to keep our courses small, so we only have a maximum of four students per instructor on a course. This means you get great personal attention, and helps to keep the course timetable short and maximises the amount of 'swimming time' rather than sitting watching other students practice their skills. You will normally join other students on the same schedule, however if you want a 'private' course, this can also be arranged.
Duration and Logistics
In the El Cabrón Marine Reserve you can get close to and examine beautiful creatures underwater like these wrasse and parrotfish.
Gran Canaria has plenty of colourful creatures to discover on your open water training dives
Meet unusual species such as the cuttlefish underwater on your PADI Open Water Course
We usually schedule an Open Water Course over four days, pool sessions will be in Playa Del Ingles (possibly in your own hotel). All the open water dives will be in the beautiful waters of the El Cabron Marine Reserve, and in each dive about one quarter is spent on specific skills, and three quarters just exploring and practicing the core skills of fining, breathing, buoyancy control and enjoying your diving. In the past our students have been delighted by trumpetfish, barracuda, stingray, angelshark, octopus, cuttlefish, and many more species while developing their core skills

We usually teach in small groups, and you can come on your own; with a partner or friend; or as a group, and the parts of the course will be timetabled to suit any other holiday or partner commitments.

With sub-tropical waters around the island, we run the PADI Open Water Diver course all year round, and the temperatures in open water rarely drop below 17C. The Canary Islands have always had an excellent reputation as a 'winter sun' holiday destination.
Free use of Dive Computers!
Free use of dive computers on your PADI Course in the Canary Islands
PADI now recommend that all students on this course get to use a dive computer as part of their training. The dive computer monitors depth and duration constantly, and calculates a remaining dive time to avoid decompression illness, and helps monitor ascent rates. Using a dive computer properly contributes to increased diver safety and more enjoyable dives. At Davy Jones Diving, we include the use of the Dive Computer for part of your course Free of Charge, so you can understand how they work and how they can help you manage your dives.
Heated pools for confined water training!
The pools we use for winter diving training and PADI Courses are heated.
During winter in the Canaries (November to April), most of the private, unheated swimming pools cool down to below the sea temperatures, and this can make an extended training session a chilly affair. In winter all the pools we use are partially or fully heated, helping you to relax more as you learn your skills. We can also recommend Club Vista Serena if you want to do your pool training where you stay, as it has high quality accommodation and a heated pool for training in winter.
Full Insurance Cover for all Students When diving in Spain, the laws require that every diver is covered by both suitable medical insurance and a type of 3rd party insurance called 'responibilidad civil'. For most tourists this is not a problem, as their holiday insurance will cover both of these. However there may be some people, such as residents or backpackers, visitors on a group policy, or long term visitors, who are unaware that these are not covered entirely by their policy. To prevent anybody having a nasty shock when their insurer tries to wriggle out of any payments, we obviously work extremely hard to make sure that we have no accidents in the first place, and indeed our Open Water students have a 100% safety record over the last eight years. However, to guard against any future problem, we have taken out a group policy with a Spanish Insurer which guarantees to cover all medical and Spanish legal issues for every single Open Water Student that we teach. So rest assured, you do not need to dig out that policy and check it word for word before you learn to dive .. we've got you covered.
Distance Learning Options
Find out more about PADI eLearning Courses 		You don't have to wait until you get here to Gran Canaria to start your PADI Open Water Diver course, as you can now start to learn to dive at home before you depart using one of our distance learning options. The simplest way to start is to get the PADI Open Water course manual before you come to Gran Canaria for your diving course, and do all the reading at home. Alternatively you can register for the new PADI e-learning system, nominate Davy Jones Diving as your partner, and do much of the coursework and quizes online. In both cases we will be able to answer any questions by phone or email before you arrive to do the practical parts of the course. We work with a UK partner (Roho) to help you get the right materials. Finally you can complete the reading, tests and confined water training with one PADI school before you depart, and the rest of the PADI Open Water Diving Course in Gran Canaria when you arrive (See the Referal dive page). For more details on any of these options please use the Express course enquiry and reservation form
PADI Junior Open Water Diver Course A student who is over 10 and under 15 can follow the normal syllabus and if they complete all the requirements of the course they will be qualified as a PADI Junior Open Water Diver, which allows them to dive to 12m when accompanied by an adult. However we normally recommend that students aged ten or eleven take the (easier) PADI Scuba Diver course. Our page on PADI Junior Courses gives more details about Junior PADI Courses and diving in Gran Canaria.
Languages English - Instruction, Books and papers, Video
Deutsch - Instruction, Books and papers, Video
Español - Instruction, Books and papers, Video
Dutch - Books and papers, Video, *
Italian - Books and papers, Video, *
Exams and tests also available in French, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian *
* All verbal instruction in English, German or Spanish
What you get
When you complete the course you get a special five star PADI qualification card

Your PADI Qualification Card is sent to you at the end of the course, which qualifies you to dive to 18m (12m for Juniors) in open water.

Other students said ..
Thank you for a gret time - finaly got my long time wanted open water certificate - 4 days of Joy. Especially I would like to thank Brian and Marilyn for making this possible. You are very calm and easy both of you - and it feels safe diving with you. I hope that I'll return with Statsraaa Lehnkuhl next year so I can join you for another dive. Wishing you all the best for the future.

Morten Haagh-Jensen - From: Frederiksberg, Denmark


Thank you for the lovely couple of days. Really enjoyed my first dive, absolutely fantastic, told my Instructor I had 5 bar instead of 50! Second dive with Brian was great especially doing headstands! My third dive was incredible, went down to nearly 20 metres! and swam under arch! My last dive was again superb, seen two octopuses, one swam past me! I'd like to thank everyone for the fantastic days and I would love to come back and read this comment soon (hopefully as a higher-qualified diver). All the best everyone (sad to leave, will miss everyone I met..

Stefan Williams - From: Neath, West Glamorgan


Passed my OPEN WATER DIVER COURSE! Happy as Larry! Graham helped and pushed me all the way through it. Would recommend it to anyone. Thanks to all at Davy Jones Diving - see you next year.

Philip L Cowley - From: Manchester, England

I write to thank you for the excellent experience I had diving with you. I am glad I did the four day course though I just made it through that little PADI quiz at the end. The teaching and service I thought was very professional and all the instructors had shown a lot of patience with me. Especially thank Brian for his time and pool sessions and his patience. Hope to dive in the red sea after this war is over, though I might be back to Gran Canaria before then. Once again thankyou for the experience, the water on the last day was crystal clear. Hope to bring my digital camera next time.

Arif Shukralla - From: Dublin Ireland


See more Guestbook entries.
Keeping you safe Safety is part of our culture, and is part of everything we do. By assessing all the risks carefully we have planned safety into each step of your course, and a large part of the course is teaching you how to be safe when you dive. There are many aspects to keeping you safe, from the equipment we use, through the low ratios of instructor to students, to the use of a very safe area for the training which has plenty of marine life to thrill any beginner, and you will recognise these as you progress through the course. If you have any concerns about safety then please do not hesitate to voice them, and we will be delighted to explain how we keep our accident rate so minimal.
What Next ?

Do a few more dives to build you skill and confidence and then consider taking the PADI Advanced Open Water course and broaden your knowledge, increase your confidence, and take part in some really good adventure dives. Or you could go to a 'specialist' area such as Digital Underwater Photography, or try diving with Nitrox. The main thing however is to have fun, enjoy yourself and learn more about the waters that cover two thirds of earths surface. Here are some of the things you can see if you dive around the world:

Get close to turtles while diving or snorkelling, this one is a hawksbill turtle in the Red Sea
This Unicornfish was just below the surface and photographed while snorkeling!
Can you find Nemo? This pair were found in the Red Sea
Dive on colourful reefs or wrecks covered in sponges, anemones and corals
How much will it cost?
  • The price of obtaining your PADI Open Water Qualification in the marine reserve at El Cabrón is €375 per person for two or more people making a web bookings made 7 days in advance, which includes your on-line registration with PADI, your PADI Divers Card and all the services listed below. The normal in-resort price is €395 euros per person. A single person supplement of €20 may be charged if you want to do your course on your own.
  • Special Offers Spring 2012 We are offering various special prices and discounts for pre-booked diving and courses for selected dates in Spring 2012. Other offers will be available for selected dates later in 2012 as well. Use our Contact form to see if any offers are available for this course during your visit to Gran Canaria.
  • If you answer 'YES' to any of the questions on the PADI medical form, you must have a medical examination. This can be done before you get here, or in Gran Canaria where the cost is about €30-€40 per person.
  • If for any reason you do not complete the course a pro-rata price will be charged.
What is included This is an 'all inclusive' course, and includes all transfers to and from your hotel, use of full equipment for all dives (including mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit and boots, and experience of using a dive computer), free tea, coffee in the dive centre, all tuition, tests and final certification. It also includes the PADI Registration fee.
We Recommend
  • If possible you complete your reading of the PADI Open Water manual and watch the PADI video/DVD before you come to Gran Canaria.
  • All students on all courses should have a log-book in which to record their dives. We have several different log books from €8 to €25.
  • That by the end of the course you should have tried and found a comfortable mask and snorkel.
Referrals If you have completed part of the course already, (eg confined water training, PADI Scuba Diver) we can accept the PADI referral providing you present us with the signed PADI training/referral form. Pricing will depend upon content already completed. If you have started your training with another organisation (eg CMAS) it may be possible to 'credit' this towards your PADI course.
How to reserve your place on a PADI Open Water Diver course You can fill in the Express course enquiry and reservation form or use the information on our contact page to email or call us to enquire about or reserve a place on your Open Water course. Don't miss me! I may be camouflaged but one of your instructors will probably find me!
Any Questions? Check the frequently asked questions about training courses page, but if you still have some questions then don't hesitate to contact us by email at webinfo@DavyJonesDiving.com.
Other pages which may be useful include: