6 Day PADI Open Water and Advance Course

The journey, in full

Day 1: It begins!! DSDD will provide a shuttle from your 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. During the afternoon the fun really begins with your SCUBA induction! We have ample time to introduce you to the sensation 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. After lunch we finish and review the SCUBA theory, finishing with a final multiple choice exam. 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 nights 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 are 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 or maybe even jump in for a snorkel. Enjoy a hot, chef prepared breakfast too! Time to Gear Up and get ready for two more training dives on the reef. Then, with a handshake underwater, you’re a certified PADI Open Water Diver! But it's not over yet. Next up, PADI Advanced Diver! First lunch! Aboard OceanQuest we provide hot, chef prepared lunches. Vegetarian and Vegan options can be requested. First dive of the Advanced Course, 'Peak Performance Buoyancy' time to fine-tune those buoyancy skills that you learned on the Open Water course and become an underwater Ninja. Next, it is 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 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: We have three dives this morning, two of which will contribute towards your PADI Advanced Course certification. These include a 'Deep Dive', 25-30m, and a 'Navigation Dive'. Again, a hot breakfast, dinner, and lunch will be included aboard OceanQuest. Now go explore and try out your new skills! two more Pleasure Dives on the Outer Reefs. We've tried our first guided 'Night Dive' on Day Three, the PADI Advanced Course 'Night Dive' will teach you everything you need to SCUBA without a guide at night. Sleep well tonight, we only have one more Advanced Course dive to complete, and then the reef is yours to explore! Day 6: Your Advanced Course will introduce you to some of PADI's extra dive activities, during your course you will choose one of these as your elective module, this will include one dive and can be chosen on-board after conversations with your PADI Instructor. This final Advanced Course dive will conclude your certificate, congratulations you are now an Advanced Open Water diver, affectionately known as AOW!! The world of advanced diving now awaits so get out there and see it! For the final time we zip-up our wetsuits and get ready for two more Pleasure Dives on the reef. A hot breakfast and lunch is included on board. 2:30 pm, sadly it’s time to pack up all our things and transfer to the day trip vessel SeaQuest for our 90min trip back to Cairns Marina. Once in Cairns, we will shuttle you to any city accommodation, via us facilities to collect any stored luggage. It's sad to say goodbye, but the dive community is a close one so we know that we'll see you again soon!