5 Day PADI Open Water Course

The journey, in full

Day 1: It begins!! DSDD will provide a shuttle from any Cairns city accommodation; pick up is at 9:00 am. Once at Deep Sea, you will meet your PADI Instructor, who will help you complete basic paperwork and conduct a tour of our facilities. To ensure you don't need a medical certificate, we collect basic medical information and check your BMI. Usually, the rest of the morning is spent in the classroom, studying the basics of SCUBA theory. Lunch is not included; however, we do have various amenities close to our classrooms. A packed lunch is often the easiest – we have fridges and a microwave for your use. During the afternoon, the fun really begins with your SCUBA induction! We have ample time to introduce you to the sensations and skills of diving. Our purpose-built pool is ideal for slowly building up your SCUBA superpowers! Before we finish for the day, there's just enough time for a treading water test, 10 minutes, and then Day One is complete! At approximately 5:30 pm, our shuttle bus will return you to your city accommodation. Day 2: Cairns city accommodation collection, pick up is at 9:00 am. We jump straight into the pool on Day Two! If we didn't complete it in Day One, it’s time for your swim test: a continuous 200m swim. Then it’s time to don wetsuits, SCUBA tanks, and continue our skill sets underwater. Again, lunch is not included, however, we do have various amenities close to our classrooms, a packed lunch is often the easiest. After lunch we finish and review the SCUBA theory, finishing with a short multiple-choice quiz. At approximately 5:30 pm our transfer bus will return you to your city accommodation. Day 3: This morning you’ll be collected bright and early at 7:30 am to check in at the dive center. (If you have any belongings that require storage during your night at sea, Divers Den does have facilities for storage although baggage is left at your own risk, simply have them with you at pick up). Once checked-in we will shuttle you to Cairns Marina and our Day trip vessel SeaQuest. During the 90 min cruise to the Outer Reef, your instructor will fully brief the itinerary of the day. Arriving at the reef we 'gear-up', conduct our SCUBA safety procedures, and enter the water for our first two Open Water training dives. Lunch is provided, a tropical buffet with cold cut meats, salads, and pasta. Now it’s time to get comfortable, transferring to our liveaboard OceanQuest at 2:30 pm. Dinner and accommodation is provided tonight, so its sit back, chill, watch the stars, and just take it all in. If the conditions are right, at night you may get the chance to take part in our 'Sharks in the Dark’ experience. Day 4: Wake up, the Great Barrier Reef is outside your window! We promise, there’s nothing like an early morning coffee on a sun lounger with a view of the spectacular Outer Reefs to kickstart your day. Enjoy a hot, chef prepared breakfast too! For the final time we zip-up our wetsuits and get ready for two more training dives on the reef. Then, with a handshake underwater, you’re a certified PADI SCUBA Diver! With a worldwide recognized certification, all your unexplored doors have just been flung wide open. Time for lunch! Aboard OceanQuest we provide hot, chef prepared lunches. Vegetarian and vegan options can be requested. Now its time to put your new skills to practice, your first Pleasure Dive! If your feeling brave, it's now time to switch out the lights. Night Diving is a regular activity in SCUBA diving, and to be familiar with the water at this time of day is a huge benefit. It's a magnificent experience, and when conducted safely, can be even more exciting than our previous dives. The Night Dive will be guided by a member of our dive team. Hot dinners are provided onboard, a licensed bar is open till 10:30 pm, but sleep well, more to explore tomorrow! Day 5: The day really is yours today, it's nothing but Pleasure Dives for you! We get the boat rolling with an early morning dive, life on the reef behaves differently throughout the day, time to wake up with the fishes. No reason to jump out the water, but a hot breakfast awaits, all the usual trimmings. For the final time we grab our gear and get ready for two more pleasure dives on the reef. Time for lunch! Now sadly it’s time to pack up all our things, and transfer to the day trip vessel SeaQuest for our 90 min trip back to Cairns Marina. Once in Cairns, we will shuttle you to any city accommodation, if necessary going via Divers Den's facilities to collect any stored luggage. It's sad to say goodbye, but knowing Cairns, we'll see each other again soon!