Dive Certification

AUSC helps members get certified through local dive shops

Scuba Certification in Adelaide

Take the plunge! The first step to become certified is the Open Water Course. AUSC can assist members or prospective members in any questions in getting started and discuss the options that local shops can provide. The Open Water Course will teach you to dive up to 18 meters, which is the depth the majority of the dives are with the club. You can pursue an Advanced Course after your initial training to push that limit to 30 meters, and dive some of the deeper sites around Adelaide such as the Hobart and Claris.

There are two main certifying organisations that shops train students under which are internationally recognised. The largest is PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) whom most instructors and shops in Adelaide use and SSI (Scuba Schools International) which has no presence in Adelaide as of 2023. There are many other training orginisations that also exist such as BSAC, CMAS, and TDI/SDI.

Open Water Course

Open Water courses are usually held over one or two weekends, and involve theory components, pool time and dives in the ocean. Most shops use an online learning package to assist in learning the theory. Online learning is self-paced, reduces the overall learning time and reduces the overall cost of the course.

Medical Form

Prior to starting your Open Water scuba diving course, you will be required to fill out a medical form to make sure you are fit to dive. If you, or the dive shop, have any reason to believe that you are not fit to dive, you may be required to do a dive medical with a diving doctor. Dive medicals are available at the Hyperbaric Medicine Unit, RAH, but there can be a long wait (average of six weeks). Medicals are also available through qualified doctors around the state.

Equipment Requirements

Some shops require students to buy their own mask, snorkel, boots, and fins (MSBF) for the course, although they usually have some for hire as well. If nothing else, we recommend you invest in a high-quality mask that fits your face comfortably, as this will make a huge difference in the enjoyment of your diving for years to come.

Apart from MSBF, a diver need not rush into buying a full kit. It may be some time before you work out what type of equipment you really want, and you will gather useful information as you associate with other divers.

AUSC has a full supply of scuba diving equipment so you can rent this reasonably cheaply.

Advanced Courses

The PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) is a good way to gain experience, obtain a higher-level qualification, and be certified to dive to 30m. It is completed after your Open Water Certification and unlike a single dive specialty course that focus on one skill the PADI AOW is a way of trying out five different specialties. These experience dives usually consist of a deep dive, wreck dive, night dive, buoyancy session, and underwater navigation in the one training course but can vary based on the preference of the students, experience of the instructor, and dive sites available in the local area.

While you can go for AOW straight away, don’t feel rushed at jumping AOW – Getting some experience with AUSC first is probably best before then getting best value from AOW between courses. However, shops may offer the OW and AOW courses as a package which can be cheaper.

After your AOW course you are on your way to further your training in areas of interest. This could include deeper diving, wrecks, caves or professional certification to allow training of other dives. Becoming a Dive Master is the first step towards becoming a professional or instructor in the scuba industry, whereas being a Master Scuba Diver is simply recognition that you are very experienced and have done certain courses.