PADI Open Water Diving Course Gran Canaria

Yes — the PADI Open Water Diver certification is the world’s most widely recognised scuba diving qualification, accepted at dive centres, liveaboards and dive resorts in every country on the planet. PADI certifications are issued with a unique certification number that dive centres can verify online anywhere in the world. Over 25 million PADI Open Water certifications have been issued globally, making it the standard entry-level qualification for recreational diving worldwide. Your certification never expires and you will never need to renew it.

We maintain a strict maximum of 4 students per PADI instructor throughout the entire Open Water Course — for both the confined water skills sessions and the open water dives. This is significantly smaller than the maximum ratio of 8 students per instructor specified by PADI’s own standards. Smaller groups mean more individual attention, faster skill progression and a more enjoyable learning experience. For groups larger than 4 we assign a second PADI instructor so the ratio is always maintained.

The PADI Open Water Course at Puerto Rico Diving takes 3 days to complete.

Day 1 covers confined water skills practice at one of the many beaches in Gran Canaria.

Day 2 continues with Open Water Dives 1 and 2.

Day 3 completes Open Water Dives 3 and 4 at stunning local dive sites including the volcanic reefs of Gran Canaria.

All theory is completed online before or during your stay using PADI eLearning, which you can access at your own pace from anywhere in the world — meaning you can arrive on Day 1 ready to get straight in the water.

Yes — and we strongly recommend it. All theory for the PADI Open Water Course is completed digitally using PADI eLearning, which you can access on any device from anywhere in the world. Once you have paid your deposit we send you your eLearning access code immediately. You can then complete the theory at your own pace before your holiday, meaning when you arrive in Gran Canaria you go straight into the water on Day 1 without spending time in a classroom. The eLearning consists of 5 knowledge review sections and typically takes a few hours to complete.

PADI operates a global credit transfer system meaning any progress you have made on the Open Water Course elsewhere is fully recognised by us. If you have completed the eLearning theory, your knowledge reviews and quiz results are stored in your PADI account and transfer automatically to any PADI dive centre in the world. If you have completed some confined water or open water dives with another PADI centre, bring your training record and we can pick up exactly where you left off. Contact us in advance with your progress details and we will plan your remaining dives accordingly.

No prior diving experience is required whatsoever. The PADI Open Water Course is specifically designed for complete beginners and assumes no previous knowledge of scuba diving. The only prerequisites are that you are at least 10 years old, in reasonable health and comfortable in the water. Before starting we ask all participants to complete a PADI medical self-declaration form — if this indicates a need for medical clearance we will advise you accordingly. Our instructors are experienced at teaching complete beginners and have introduced hundreds of first-time divers to scuba diving safely over the years.

The PADI Open Water Course is one of the most thoroughly developed recreational training programmes in the world, with safety standards refined over more than 50 years and millions of certifications issued globally. At Puerto Rico Diving we go beyond PADI’s minimum requirements in several ways — our instructor-to-student ratio of 4:1 is half the maximum PADI permits, all dives are conducted at carefully selected sheltered sites in the calm waters of southern Gran Canaria, and all participants are covered by included DAN diving insurance throughout the course. Our instructors hold current PADI certifications and Emergency First Response qualifications, and the centre holds PADI 5-Star Dive Centre status — the highest available rating.

Absolutely — and we actively encourage it. The moment you complete your fourth qualifying dive your PADI Open Water certification is processed digitally and available in your PADI app within hours. From that point you are a certified diver and can join our daily guided fun dives to Gran Canaria’s best dive sites including the El Cabrón Marine Reserve and Tufia reef. Many students also choose to go straight into the PADI Advanced Open Water Course, which can begin immediately after the Open Water and adds 5 adventure dives over 2 days. Ask us about combining the Open Water and Advanced courses for a complete diving education in one holiday.

Everything you need is included in our course price — PADI eLearning digital theory access, all equipment hire for the full 3 days including wetsuit, BCD, regulator, mask, fins and tanks, DAN diving insurance, your PADI certification fees and the official PADI digital certification card issued upon completion. There are no hidden extras. We also offer a free hotel pickup and drop-off service for students staying across the south of Gran Canaria and free GoPro camera rental on the final day.

Water temperature in Gran Canaria ranges from 18–20°C in winter (January to April) and 21–24°C the rest of the year. We provide 5mm wetsuits as standard, which keep you comfortable on every dive. Visibility is typically 10–20 metres, and the sheltered sites in the south rarely have strong currents, good conditions for learning.

You don’t need to be a strong swimmer, but you do need to be comfortable in the water. PADI requires you to swim 200 metres (any stroke, no time limit) and float for 10 minutes. We assess this on Day 1 in calm, shallow water. If you’re unsure, get in touch we can talk through it honestly.

Before starting the course, all participants complete a PADI Medical Statement, a self-declaration form that checks for conditions that may affect your ability to dive safely. Most people complete it with no issues. If the form indicates that you need a doctor’s signature before diving, you’ll need to obtain medical clearance prior to your first day. If you’re already in Gran Canaria and need a signature, we can point you to a local clinic. We recommend reviewing the medical questionnaire before booking so there are no surprises on the day.