We explain how to get your Open Water Diver title in a true diving paradise, the Maldives.
Suppose you like water sports and discover the underwater world. In that case, there are few places more interesting than the Maldives, an ideal destination for anyone who wants to start scuba certification by taking their first course, Open Water.
Obtaining this diving title in the Maldives is perhaps the vacation dream of many, and it can be the perfect excuse you have been waiting for to dare to visit this country.
Today we talk about how to get that diving degree in an authentic paradise, the Maldives Islands, and we tell you everything you need to achieve it.
What is the Open Water Diver course?
Internationally, the scuba diving course is the most popular.
You could say that this is the first level of certification in scuba diving and once achieved, it will allow you to operate underwater and dive almost anywhere on the planet and dive at depths up to 18 m.
Why choose Maldives for the Open Water course?
Undoubtedly, there are many places where you can start diving, but the Maldives is one of the most special of them all.
Hundreds of paradise islands and water full of plankton and nutrients attract a wide variety of marine life to the Maldives, making it one of the places with incredible underwater richness.
If you choose the Maldives to dive, you will not regret it because under its waters hide colorful coral gardens, manta rays, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, Napoleon fish, and much other pelagic fish such as giant trevally or barracuda. As if all this seems minor to you, the largest fish on the planet lives in its waters, the incredible whale shark.
But not only the richness of its underwater life makes it a perfect place for diving, but also the clarity of its waters, with up to 40 meters in many areas, provides ideal visibility for any diver, both beginners and advanced, making these islands a paradise for diving, no matter what level you have because here you will find places suitable for all of them.
Main diving schools to take the Open Water course in Maldives
In the Maldives and the rest of the world, you find two primary diving schools with which you can take your Open Water course: PADI and SSI.
The main differences between the two schools are in the standards that they mainly require of their instructors to carry out the courses, things such as the maximum number of students or the exercises that are carried out, SSI being a little more flexible and used by a standard general.
The good news is that it doesn’t matter which one you choose at the level of the first certifications, since not only are both recognized, but you can start by doing the Open Water course with one of them and continue your route. as a diver with the other being compatible teachings between the two.
How to obtain the Open Water Certificate in Maldives
The open water course generally consists of two parts: theoretical and practical, and you must pass both to obtain the Open Water certificate and become a certified diver.
As for the theoretical part, the ideal is that you do it before arriving in the Maldives; thus, once on the islands, you can dedicate yourself to the practical part or consult the most technical doubts with your instructor.
This theoretical part generally consists of several courses in which you will obtain the basic knowledge for the practice of scuba diving. Once completed, you must pass a multiple-choice exam.
As for the practical part, it usually includes initial dives in confined waters or pools to learn basic diving techniques and more advanced dives as we learn to use our skills and explore. About 8 or 10 dives are usually made, always accompanied by an instructor.
Once you have passed all the parts, you will obtain the Open Water Diver certification, which will allow you to dive practically anywhere in the world and continue to improve your skills with more advanced courses or different diving specialties.
Requirements to do the Open Water course in Maldives
Diving is a sport that generally involves certain risks, so to take the course, you will need to take into account some considerations before diving underwater, among others:
- You must consider your physical condition; carrying out a medical check-up before diving is an excellent idea to check that everything is as it should be.
- If you have any lung or coronary disease, diving is not a highly recommended practice, so consult your doctor if this is your case.
- To take the course, the minimum age is usually 15 years.
- Have notions of swimming.
How many days do I need to do the Open Water course in Maldives?
You can do the course in a minimum of 3 days, although in general, we recommend that if you have time, you dedicate some more to it to take it more calmly and not be overwhelmed. If you plan the duration of your trip to the Maldives and intend to take the Open Water diving course, you have at least 4 days to do so.
Most dive centers teach the course in 3 or 4 days, although you can choose more extended options of up to a week.
Once the course is over, it is recommended that you do some extra immersion to continue complementing and improving all the skills acquired during the course.
How much does it cost to do the Open Water course in Maldives
Generally, the cost of obtaining the title of Open Water Diver in the Maldives depends on the diving school or the area you have chosen. This price usually includes the materials and everything needed to obtain the title.
Likewise, it would be helpful for you to consider other expenses such as accommodation, food, and other activities you do while in the Maldives.
For accommodation, you can choose to do it in resorts or on local islands, and the price difference, as you can imagine, is quite significant.
Diving baptism in the Maldives, an alternative to the Open Water
If you are planning a trip to the Maldives but are not sure whether to take the Open Water course, you can try a baptism dive first before deciding.
A baptism of diving allows your first contact with the underwater world and the details of this sport to evaluate if it is something you like and with which you feel comfortable, or simply diving is not for you.
During a diving baptism in the Maldives, you will be able to see a multitude of fish and, if you are lucky, also manta rays and even some reef sharks because, although these dives are done at very shallow depths, the enormous biodiversity of the Maldives makes the experience something unique.
As you can imagine, the Maldives is made up of different islands, and a potential dive destination is needed to get the certificate and spend your vacation.