Experience unparalleled adventure and see the world beneath the waves, with the PADI Open Water Diver course – the world’s most popular and widely recognized scuba diving certification course. Open Water Divers are certified to dive independently to a depth of 60ft/18m.

Course Structure:
The PADI Open Water Diver course is divided into three sections:

1.      Theory: Completed on your own via PADI’s Open Water eLearning, the theory needs to be completed prior to your course start and takes about 10h to complete.

2.      Confined Water Training: These five sessions take place in the shallow waters near Grotto Bay Resort, next to our dive shop.

3.      Open Water Dives: Four training dives are conducted over two days – one from shore and three from our boat—offering a comprehensive diving experience.

Please note that day 1 and 2 will be completed at our dove shop at Grotto Bay

Course Schedule:

·        Day 1: Confined Water Sessions 1-5 | Check-in: 8 am - 5 pm

·        Day 2: Open Water Dives 1 & 2 | Check-in: 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm

·        Day 3: Open Water Dives 3 & 4 | Check-in: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Requirements:

• Must be 12 years or older to enroll in a PADI Open Water Diver course (or Junior Open Water Diver course)

• Adequate swimming skills (be able to swim for 200m/yards and tread water for 10 minutes)

• Medically fit for diving. Please find our medical form here: Medical form

Exploration, Excitement, Experiences! That’s what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. You don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. You try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving.

Course Structure:
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is divided into two sections:

1.      Theory: Completed on your own via PADI’s Advanced Open Water eLearning, the theory needs to be completed prior to your course start and takes about 10h to complete. You can purchase the eLearning directly from PADI for $231 using this link: PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning.

2.      5 Open Water Dives: Three mandatory (Navigation, Wreck, and Deep dives) and two elective dives from the following options: Underwater Naturalist, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Fish ID, Boat Diver. We recommend Underwater Naturalist and Peak Performance Buoyancy.

Four dives from our boat, and one from the shore.

Course Schedule:

·        Day 1: Three dives, starting with an 8:30 am check-in and finishing around 5 pm.

·        Day 2: Two dives, with an 8:30 am check-in and concluding by 12:30 pm.

Prerequisites:

·        PADI Open Water Diver certification (or equivalent from another organization).

·        Minimum age: 12 years (12-15 years for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver).

·        Medically fit for diving. Please find our medical form here: Medical form

Scuba divers describe the PADI Rescue Diver course as the most challenging, yet most rewarding course they've ever taken. Why? Because you learn to prevent and manage problems in the water and become more confident in your skills as a diver, knowing that you can help others if needed. During the course, you learn to become a better buddy by practicing problem-solving skills until they become second nature. Plus, the course is just fun – it’s serious, but still allows for lots of laughter in between the focused learning.

Prerequisites:

• PADI (Junior) Advanced Open Water Divers who are at least 13 years old and have completed the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive (or hold a qualifying certification from another organization) may enroll in a Rescue Diver course.

• Medically fit for diving. Please find our medical form here: Medical form

• You also need to have Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and First Aid) training within the past 24 months. You can complete this training during the Rescue Diver course. Your instructor may also offer the PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider specialty diver course afterward.

What will you learn?

The PADI Rescue Diver course prepares you to deal with dive emergencies, minor and major, using a variety of techniques. Through knowledge development and rescue exercises, you learn what to look for and how to respond. During rescue scenarios, you put into practice your knowledge and skills. Topics include:

• Self rescue

• Recognizing and managing stress in other divers

• Emergency management and equipment

• Rescuing panicked divers

• Rescuing unresponsive divers

Course schedule:

Day 1: Rescue training sessions in the bay –  8am-4:30pm

Day 2: Open water rescue scenarios from the bay – 8am – 1pm

Please note that we can only offer the rescue course from our dive shop at Grotto Bay

Please contact us to find out about this years PADI Dive Master schedule.

Lionfish are native to the Indo‑Pacific but now thrive along the U.S. southeast coast, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Their arrival in the Atlantic is uncertain, but experts believe people released unwanted aquarium lionfish into the ocean over the past few decades.

With no natural predators in Atlantic waters, lionfish spread quickly. They are aggressive carnivores that eat small fish and crustaceans—including young commercial species like snapper and grouper—putting ecosystems and fisheries at risk.

Lionfish can grow up to 19 in (47 cm), live from the surface to 1,000 ft (300 m), and defend themselves with 18 venomous spines. The sting isn’t deadly to humans but is extremely painful.

Their rapid reproduction fuels their invasion: lionfish mature in one year, spawn year‑round, and release 12,000–15,000 eggs every four days. A single female can produce up to 2 million eggs annually.

Dense lionfish populations can consume roughly 460,000 prey fish per acre per year. In heavily invaded reefs, native fish populations—such as parrotfish and wrasse—can drop by up to 90%. Lionfish hunt mostly at dawn and dusk, stay territorial, and are unusually resistant to parasites compared to native species.

At Dive Bermuda, we operate a shoot‑on‑sight policy for lionfish. All instructors hold government‑issued culling permits, and those interested can complete our PADI Bermuda Invasive Lionfish Culler Specialty to participate in controlled lionfish hunts.

What will you learn? 

Over the course of two dives, we address how to operate a Hawaiian sling, common locations and habitats, as well as their effect here on Bermuda's waters.

Prerequisite must have a minimum of 15 dives and able to control their buoyancy.  

With over 300 wrecks, speckled across Bermuda's treacherous reef, it's easy to see why we have become the Wreck Capital of the Atlantic.  For decades, the mysterious Bermuda Triangle has intrigued the curiosity of divers across the world. This unique PADI specialty is offered exclusively through Dive Bermuda.

What will you learn? 

Over the course of two dives, we will be researching the different causes and legends surrounding shipwrecks and what unique environmental factors are at play here in Bermuda.

• Positive and negative effects of shipwrecks on Bermuda's reef

• 13 Myths and Mysteries around the Bermuda Triangle

• Learn about one of the world's most famous marine archaeologists, Teddy Tucker

Enriched air, also known as Nitrox or EANx, contains less nitrogen than regular air. Breathing less nitrogen means you can enjoy longer NDL and shorter surface intervals

What will you learn?

You'll learn how to analyze a tank, fill out an enriched air log, and set your dive computer for nitrox.

• Dive with Nitrox.

• Use an oxygen air analyzer.

• Set your dive computer.

The PADI Sidemountcourse is designed to provide divers with advanced skills in Sidemount configuration. Below, you'll find all the essential details for your course.

Prerequisites:

·       PADI Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification)

·       15years old

Course Structure:
The PADI Sidemount course is divided into three sections:

1.      Theory: Completed on your own via PADI’s Sidemount eLearning, the theory needs to be completed prior to your course start and takes about 10h to complete. You can purchase the eLearning directly from PADI for $128, to purchase it directly from PADI, use the following link: PADI Sidemount Rec Course eLearning

2.      Land drills and confined water training

3.      Open Water dives

Course Schedule:

·        Day 1: Paperwork, land drills, Dives 1 & 2 | Check-in: 8 am - 5 pm

·        Day 2: Open Water Dives 3 & 4 | Check-in: 8 am - 12:30 pm

Take the PADI Underwater Naturalist Specialty course and you’ll see new things, even on the most familiar scuba diving sites. Why? Because when know more about symbioses, underwater ecology, and aquatic plant and animal habitats, you notice behaviors and see creatures you may have previously missed. Learn more about the local ecosystem and take a closer look on your next scuba diving adventure. 

What will you learn?

Through class discussions and on two scuba dives, you’ll learn:

• Key differences between the terrestrial and aquatic worlds.

• Major aquatic life groupings, interactions and information that dispels myths.

• Responsible interactions with aquatic life.

Excellent buoyancy control is what defines skilled scuba divers. You’ve seen them underwater. They glide effortlessly, use less air and ascend, descend or hover almost as if by thought. They more easily observe aquatic life without disturbing their surroundings. You can achieve this, too. This course improves the buoyancy skills you learned as a new diver and elevates them to the next level.

What will you learn?

During two scuba dives, you’ll learn how to:

• Determine the exact weight you need, so you’re not too light or too heavy.

• Trim your weight system and scuba gear so you’re perfectly balanced in the water.

• Streamline to save energy, use air more efficiently and move more smoothly through the water.

• Hover effortlessly in any position – vertical or horizontal.

Whether purpose-sunk as an artificial reef for scuba divers, or lost as the result of an accident, wrecks are fascinating windows to the past. Ships, airplanes and even cars are fascinating to explore and usually teem with aquatic life. Each wreck dive offers a chance for discovery, potentially unlocking a mystery or spying something others have missed. 

What will you learn?

There are many different types of wrecks, some of which are protected by laws that guard their historical and cultural significance. Your training starts by reviewing guidelines for researching and respecting wrecks. During four dives you’ll learn:

• Safety considerations for navigating and exploring wrecks.

• Surveying and mapping a wreck.

• Using penetration lines and reels to guide exploration.

• Techniques to avoid kicking up silt or disturbing the wreck and its inhabitants.

Coral reefs are some of the most important ecosystems on our planet, it’s up to us as underwater ambassadors to protect them. In this course you will get an in depth understanding of how coral reefs function, the threats to corals reefs as well as what we can do as divers to help ensure their survival and raise awareness.  

After an interactive presentation with your instructor, you will have an understanding of how coral reefs function, how they support other marine life as well as how they are in serious need of our help. You will then get the opportunity to apply what you have learnt to make in person observations. 

During your course we will cover:

• The Project AWARE Foundation 

• The importance of coral reefs

• Threats to coral reefs

• Protecting the living reef

EFR courses build confidence and skills to respond effectively in medical emergencies. You’ll learn CPR, first aid, and care for children and infants through hands-on practice in a supportive, non-stressful environment, using manuals, videos, and quick-reference guides.

EFR meets the CPR and first aid requirements for PADI Rescue Diver and professional-level courses. Courses include:

• Primary Care (CPR): Life-saving techniques for breathing, cardiac, spinal, and bleeding emergencies.

• Secondary Care (First Aid): Handling non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, including bandaging and splinting.

• Care for Children & Infants: Emergency care skills tailored for youngsters.

• CPR & AED: Training for automated external defibrillator use.

• First Aid at Work: Enhanced workplace CPR and first aid training where required.

• EFR Refresher: Keep skills current every 24 months.