PADI Open Water Course in Pattaya

From beginner to certified diver

The PADI Open Water Diver course builds your knowledge and practical skills step by step. Learn how your equipment works, how to plan a dive and how to look after yourself and your buddy.

The current programme is normally completed over three days, with study and scheduling arranged around your progress. Certification follows successful completion of all requirements.

How your course works

• Knowledge development with PADI eLearning
• Confined water practice in a swimming pool
• Four open water training dives
• Skills assessment and certification processing

What is included

The THB 14,500 price includes equipment, learning materials, boat fees and certification processing. Lunch and drinking water are provided on boat days, with local hotel transfers.

Plan your course and stay

Select your preferred start date and tell us about your travel plans. Dragon House accommodation is optional and has separate check-in and check-out dates. You can book diving even if rooms are unavailable.

Your first certification, with a local base

Study, pool practice and ocean dives each have a purpose: understanding the equipment, developing skills in a controlled setting and using those skills in open water. Our Dragon House base lets you add accommodation without tying the number of room nights to the training days. Send your arrival date so study and practical arrangements can be planned.

What you actually learn on your Open Water course

Learning to dive is a progression from understanding a problem to practising a skill and using it during a real dive. Your PADI Open Water course in Pattaya introduces equipment setup, buddy checks, communication, buoyancy and the basic planning that makes a recreational dive organised. You learn why a pressure gauge, depth information and a dive computer all matter, rather than treating them as accessories.

In the pool, the instructor breaks unfamiliar tasks into manageable exercises. Breathing through a regulator, clearing a mask and maintaining a comfortable position can feel unusual at first. A controlled setting gives you time to ask questions and repeat a skill before adding the distractions of an ocean dive. Being comfortable enough to communicate matters more than trying to appear confident.

The four open water training dives bring those skills together. You practise under instructor supervision while becoming familiar with a boat dive, a descent and the environment around you. Assessment is based on completing the required knowledge and skills; paying for a course does not automatically earn certification.

Planning three training days in Pattaya

Our usual programme is organised over three days, with study arranged before or around the practical sessions. Think of that as a planning outline rather than a promise to finish regardless of progress. Tell us when you arrive, your available days and whether you have already started PADI study. Building some flexibility into your holiday is helpful if you need additional practice or conditions affect the boat schedule.

You do not need a previous scuba qualification to start Open Water. You do need to meet the programme’s age, watermanship and medical requirements. Let us know if you are booking for a child, are unsure about swimming ability or need help understanding the participant paperwork. The instructor will explain the applicable requirements before practical training.

After certification, choose dives that suit your qualification, experience and the conditions. Your first certificate is the beginning of learning, not proof that every site is appropriate. Guided fun dives are a useful way to gain familiarity; Advanced Open Water introduces further activities when you are ready.

Entry requirements and the qualification you earn

PADI’s beginner certification route starts at age ten, with junior qualifications and restrictions for younger students. Watermanship includes a ten-minute float or tread and a continuous 200-metre swim, or a 300-metre swim using mask, fins and snorkel. The instructor explains the assessment and applicable age arrangements before training.

The standard Open Water depth limit is 18 metres, with different restrictions for some junior divers. That limit is not a target that every dive must reach. Select sites and conditions compatible with your training and experience, and complete the medical participant process required for your programme.

Plan your visit

Choose your experience and dates, then continue to the full booking form for optional accommodation and secure payment. Diving deposits are THB 900 per person. Available room stays are THB 850 per night and paid in full.

The remaining diving balance is paid separately. If accommodation is unavailable, you can still book diving.

Questions about this experience

Related Copperband guides and programmes

• What to expect from Open Water training
• Compare Advanced Open Water