Deep and navigation core dives plus three electives including night and kelp diving.
6 classes scheduled this month
This is the certification that opens everything else: once you hold Open Water, you can rent gear and book dives anywhere in the world without supervision, for the rest of your life. The card does not expire.
Key Largo is one of the easiest places on earth to learn. The reef sits in 20 to 35 feet of warm, generally calm water inside a protected marine park, so your first ocean dives are spent looking at turtles rather than fighting conditions. Academic work happens online before you arrive, which means your three days here are almost entirely in the water.
Included
Not included
Phase 1
eLearning at home
Five knowledge sections you complete before arriving, at your own pace. Included in the price — no separate PADI charge.
8–12 hours, before you travel
Phase 2
Confined water sessions
Five pool sessions covering mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy, and emergency ascents in a heated on-site pool.
Day 1, about 5 hours
Phase 3
Open water dives 1 and 2
Two boat dives on shallow Key Largo reef, repeating pool skills in the ocean at 20–35 feet.
Day 2, half day
Phase 4
Open water dives 3 and 4
Final two dives with navigation and a controlled ascent, then certification paperwork submitted the same day.
Day 3, half day
Before you arrive
eLearning
Five online knowledge sections, 8–12 hours at your pace.
Day 1 · 8:00 AM
Classroom review and pool
Quick review, gear assembly, then five confined-water sessions.
Day 2 · 8:00 AM
Open water dives 1 and 2
Boat to the shallow reef, repeat skills, then explore.
Day 3 · 8:00 AM
Open water dives 3 and 4
Navigation, final skills, and your first proper fun dive.
Day 3 · 2:00 PM
Certification
Paperwork submitted, digital card issued within 48 hours.
Atlantic Dive Academy training center
MM 100 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037
Meeting point confirmed for San Diego, California.
4.8
4.8 out of 5942 verified reviews
Anna Beck
Denver, CO · 4 logged dives
My instructor let me repeat it in the pool until I stopped panicking instead of pushing me into the ocean on schedule. Four students meant she had time for that. Certified on day three with 4 logged dives.
Tom Nguyen
Seattle, WA · 9 logged dives
I finished the online portion on the plane and it made the three days almost entirely water time. Gear was newer than what I have rented since. Added nitrox at the end for a discount.
Sofia Marín
Mexico City, MX · 6 logged dives
They noticed I was more comfortable in Spanish and switched. Small thing but it changed the whole course for me. The pool being on site meant a rainy morning did not cost us a day.
A PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center that has certified divers in Key Largo since 1998. Every instructor on staff holds Master Instructor or higher and teaches full time rather than seasonally.
Yes. Open Water certification never expires. If you have not dived in a year or more, most operators recommend a refresher, but the card itself remains valid for life and is recognized worldwide.
You can complete remaining dives with us at no extra charge within 12 months, or request a referral form and finish them with any instructor in the world.
Yes — a 200-yard swim with no time limit and no specific stroke, plus a 10-minute float. It is a comfort test, not an athletic one.
Ages 10 to 14 earn Junior Open Water, which has depth limits and requires diving with a certified adult. It upgrades automatically at 15.
More than 7 days before
Full refund, including unused eLearning.
Within 7 days
Free transfer to any future course date.
Weather or illness
Reschedule at no cost, or a referral to finish elsewhere.
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