PADI Open Water Course

Padi new and improved open water course

So what’s different about the Padi open water courses from previous open water course?

Padi have updated the open water course. They have added a few more skills, which I must say is a refreshing beginning. Open water students must be able to put up an SMB (Surface Marker Buoy) this allows boats on the surface to see that there are divers below and are intending to surface. On the previous courses you were not required to demonstrate this skill but it makes so much more sence to show this skill to student. when you as an open water student are certified you will eventually go diving somewhere else in the world and to be able to inflate you own SMB is differently an advantage over other divers.

Another skill is a student must be able to drop their weight belt completely. This is not really a great idea (from the perspective of a pool owner) because when you are demonstrating this skill in a pool senario. You can damage the bottom of the pool by dropping the weights on tiles, it can crack them. Most companies are providing mats for the bottom of their pool, so when the weight belt is dropped they hit the mats. problem solved.
So why teach this skill?
In the case of a divers running out of air. The Padi course teaches students to do a skill called a CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent) this enables the student diver to reach the surface in a safe manner by not holding their breath. Now Padi have introduced another way to reach the surface. The student drop their weight belt and spread or fan out their body to slow their ascent in an out of air senario. SSI also teach this form of ascent.

There are a few other skills that Padi have introduced into the new Open Water Course but we talk about them again in another Post.