Dive Centre (Xlendi Bay), Gozo

2 tank boat divers per day, including tanks, weights & air only. This will normally be guided as part of a small group of up to 6 divers per dive guide. 

Can’t decide whether to get your scuba certification while on holiday or at home before you travel? With a PADI Open Water referral, you don’t have to choose. A PADI referral allows you to complete most of your scuba training at home and finish your certification dives anywhere in the world. Avoid studying during your vacation and support your local dive shop at the same time. 

Becoming a certified diver has three phases: Phase one: knowledge development, Phase two: confined water, Phase three: open water. With an open water referral, you’ll complete some or all of the two phases (knowledge development and confined water) before leaving home. You can finish the final part of your scuba course, the open water dives, anywhere in the world. The final portion of the course typically takes a day and a half to complete. 

To put it another way, instead of spending 4-5 days on your holiday studying and practicing skills in a pool, you’ll arrive with the majority of your open water course done. Once certified, you can spend the rest of your time exploring with your dive buddy and gaining additional dive experience.

An open water referral is valid for up to 12 months, but it’s better to complete your training as soon as possible (while your knowledge and skills are still fresh). Your local PADI Instructor will fill out an official student referral form and check off which skills you’ve completed and the date. You can give this form to any PADI Instructor worldwide and pick up where you left off. PADI eLearning allows you to start your knowledge development online, whether you plan to do a referral or complete your course from start to finish in the same place. PADI eLearning is the most popular option for knowledge development, but you can also study with a book and DVD and attend classroom sessions instead. The instructor at the receiving dive shop will have you gear up and review scuba skills in a pool (or pool-like environment) before taking you to open water. If you have any questions or aren’t feeling comfortable, let the instructor know.

With a PADI referral course, you can take as much time as you need to complete your knowledge development and pool work. You won’t feel rushed or like you’re “cramming” for a test. You’ll also support the nice people at your local dive shop and become part of your local diving community.

What are the disadvantages of an open water referral? Sometimes students allow too much time to pass before finishing their course. You can take up to a year to complete your certification, but it’s better to complete your knowledge development and pool training as close to your holiday as possible. Also, you’ll probably end up using different brands of diving gear. If you’ve gotten comfortable with a certain gear configuration, using different gear can be an adjustment – just like riding someone else’s bike or borrowing someone’s car. It’s basically the same, but the handling and placement of certain things will be unfamiliar at first.

SSI Advanced Open Water Diver is the next recognition rating on the path to becoming an SSI Master Diver, and includes four SSI Specialty program Digital Kits. After completing the four SSI Specialty programs that interest you, as well as 24 logged dives, you will automatically receive the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver recognition rating, along with your SSI Specialty program certifications.

The Junior Open Water certification course is a course that allows children between 10 and 14 years of age to enter the diving world. Children can start studying theory at home with the online courses, or if they want, they can follow the lessons in the centre.  The course aims to pass the Junior Open Water Diver certification. After the theoretical part, a certain number of dives will be made. 

• Completed Open Water course

• First aid training including heart and lung resuscitation (course within the last 12 months)

After completing your chosen course - this is the charge to have your achievement certified with SSI

• Full dive equipment will include BCD, regular set with all gauges, wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins. 
• Tanks, weights & air are included as standard in all daily diving as standard. A dive computer is generally at an additional fee per day, and paid locally. 

In many dive resorts the best dive site are close to the shore so there is no need for boat diving, shore entry dives are used. Normally this will mean walking into the sea from the beach, from a jetty, or sometimes walking over rocks. It is best not to do shore diving if you have any back problems as it can be stressful on your body when entering and exiting the water. From day to day the dive centre may offer the option to join a boat dive, or do a trip to a further away dive site, which will require a supplement to be paid locally. 

This dive service is guided by a divemaster, instructor or similar. It includes tanks, weights and air only. If you need to rent diving equipment this can be done onsite and paid locally. As a rough guide a full days equipment rental is normally USD 30-50.

Personal Guided Diving supplement - payable in addition to dive package