Open Water Diver Course

Take the next step in your diving journey with a course designed to build confidence, sharpen your skills, and open the door to new underwater adventures. The Advanced Open Water Diver Course helps you progress beyond the basics, giving you structured experience in deeper diving, navigation, and the types of diving that interest you most.Your Mandatory Adventure DivesYou’ll complete five adventure dives in total, including two core dives:Deep Diving — plan and complete dives beyond 18 metres, understand depth‑related effects, and manage buoyancy, gas use, and awareness at depth.Underwater Navigation — build reliable compass skills, natural navigation techniques, and the confidence to move with purpose underwater.Plus Three Additional Adventure DivesChoose three elective dives based on your interests and goals, such as:Peak Performance BuoyancyWreckSearch & RecoveryNightComputer DivingDry Suit (with certification) …and more.These dives help you refine your technique, expand your comfort zone, and explore new environments safely.Recommended UpgradesTo get the most out of your Advanced training — especially for UK diving — we strongly recommend upgrading to the full specialties for:Enriched Air Nitrox — the elective within Advanced does not qualify you to hire or dive on Nitrox. The full specialty gives you the certification you need, plus deeper understanding of oxygen exposure, gas planning, and computer settings.Dry Suit Diver — essential for UK diving. The full specialty includes digital learning, a pool orientation, and two open water training dives, giving you the skills and confidence to dive dry safely and comfortably.These upgrades ensure you’re fully certified, not just introduced to the skills.What’s IncludedDigital learning materials you can start anytimeFive open water adventure dives (Deep + Navigation + three electives)All required scuba equipment for the training divesInstructor coaching focused on confidence, control, and progressionCertification upon successful completionCertificationOnce certified, you’ll be qualified to dive to 30 metres, opening up a wider range of UK and overseas dive sites. It’s a meaningful step toward specialties like Deep Diver, Wreck Diver, Search & Recovery, and more.

It is easy for dive skills to get rusty and to lose confidence when you have not dived for a while. With the SSI Scuba Skills Update, we will get you back in the water and diving with ease in no time. This scuba refresher course allows you to review and practice scuba skills you learned in your Open Water Diver program, under the guidance of an SSI Professional. This is a great course to take just before a dive holiday, so you spend less time worrying about your skills and more time admiring the marine life. If you are a non-certified Open Water Diver student, a Scuba Skills Update is ideal for practicing your dive skills before your open water training dives. With no fixed course duration, you can take your time and focus on the skills you need help with.

The SSI Perfect Buoyancy specialty is the best way to improve your buoyancy and get the most from every dive. Buoyancy is an essential dive skill, but any diver will tell you it takes time to perfect. The Perfect Buoyancy specialty will teach you advanced buoyancy skills and techniques, so you can master your buoyancy more quickly and enjoy more relaxed dive adventures. In this fascinating program, you will also learn new skills that protect the environment and work in every diving situation. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Perfect Buoyancy Specialty certification. With better buoyancy skills, you will soon be able to hover with ease and take the underwater photographs you dream of!

The SSI Snorkel Diver program is your first step towards discovering a passion for the underwater world. It is the best way to learn how to snorkel and develop your confidence in the water, so you can go snorkeling and explore the mesmerizing landscapes and wildlife of the aquatic world. You do not need to be a proficient swimmer to participate in the Snorkel Diver program, and there is no minimum age to join. You just need to be comfortable in the water, able to maintain your buoyancy, and ready to begin the adventure of a lifetime! In this program, you will be introduced to the equipment and skills you need to go snorkeling safely. Begin your snorkeling training and earn your SSI Snorkel Diver recognition card today!

The SSI Diver Stress and Rescue specialty program teaches you the skills you need to protect yourself and other divers. You will learn how to identify stress, how to prevent accidents and be taught practical techniques to conduct rescues and provide emergency care. With a combination of pool and open water practice sessions, you will become well prepared and confident at handling emergency and rescue situations. Upon completion, you will earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification.

The SSI Enriched Air Nitrox (40%) course teaches you how to safely plan and dive with nitrox mixtures up to 40% oxygen. This specialty is one of the most valuable upgrades for any diver — giving you longer no‑decompression limits, shorter surface intervals, and more efficient dive planning.You’ll learn how to analyse nitrox cylinders, set your dive computer correctly, understand oxygen exposure, and make informed decisions that enhance both safety and enjoyment underwater. This course is classroom‑based with practical skills, making it ideal for divers who want to extend their bottom time without adding complexity to their diving.

The SSI Dry Suit Diving course teaches you how to dive comfortably, safely, and confidently in colder water conditions. A dry suit opens the door to year‑round UK diving, longer dive times, and access to sites where dry suits are required or strongly recommended.You’ll learn how to select and use a dry suit, control buoyancy using both your BCD and suit, manage ascents and descents, and handle emergency procedures specific to dry‑suit diving. This course is ideal for divers who want to stay warm, extend their season, and explore more UK dive sites with confidence.

The SSI Freediver course introduces you to the fundamentals of breath‑hold diving. You’ll learn how to relax, breathe efficiently, improve your breath‑hold, and perform safe, controlled dives using only your body and your breath.This course is ideal for anyone wanting to explore the underwater world without scuba equipment, develop strong water confidence, and build a foundation for deeper freediving progression.

With no heavy equipment, freediving lets you move underwater with ease. It is the purest form of diving and gives you an incomparable feeling of oneness with the water. The SSI Try Freediving program allows you to go freediving in confined water and discover why freedivers genuinely love their sport. Join us today and discover your inner freediver!

Step into your professional diving career with the SSI Instructor Training Course, delivered by the North’s SSI Instructor Academy. Led by our in‑house SSI Instructor Trainer, this programme develops confident, capable, and career‑ready instructors who can teach safely, effectively, and with real-world professionalism.Across academic workshops, confined water sessions, and open water evaluations, you’ll refine your personal diving skills, master SSI’s teaching system, and learn how to create exceptional diver experiences. Whether you’re aiming for a full-time career, expanding your qualifications, or transitioning from another agency, this course gives you the knowledge, mentorship, and hands-on practice to succeed

The SSI Basic Freediver course is your introduction to the world of breath‑hold diving. Designed for beginners, this program teaches you the essential skills, techniques, and safety principles needed to freedive confidently and comfortably.You’ll learn how to relax, breathe efficiently, improve your breath‑hold, and perform safe, controlled dives under the guidance of an SSI Freediving Instructor. This course is ideal for anyone wanting to explore the underwater world without scuba equipment, build confidence in the water, and develop strong foundational freediving skills.