4-Day PADI Open Water Dive Course: Exploring the Great Barrier Reef
5.0
17 Ratings
Parramatta Park
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef with a 4-day PADI Open Water Dive Course. Learn to dive and earn an internationally recognized certification while exploring the underwater wonders of Cairns. Limited class size, professional instructors, and hotel transfers included.
Duration:
4 days
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- 287 Draper St - The PADI open water course is the leading certification course for scuba divers and suitable for complete beginners. During your 4-day training course, spend the first two days learning the theory with classroom lessons and practice basic scuba diving skills, safety drills, and correct ascending and descending techniques during training sessions in a swimming pool.
Once you are fully prepared, put your skills to the test in the open waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Enjoy two full-day cruises to the outer reef, each including two guided scuba divesââ¬âfour dives in allââ¬âand experience the underwater wonders of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your instructor will be with you every step of the way to ensure that you stay safe and maximize your chances of spotting marine life, such as tropical fish, reef sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles. Both cruises include a delicious barbecue lunch served on board.
Upon completion of the course, you will receive your PADI Open Water Dive Certificate, which allows you to scuba dive up to a depth of 60 feet (18 meters), join certified dive tours, rent diving equipment, and take part in advanced PADI diving courses.
What's Included
- Use of SCUBA equipment
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Visit two exclusive outer reef locations with 5 hours reef time
- Pool sessions practicing basic diving skills, safety drills and ascending and descending techniques
- Lunch onboard Evolution days 3 and 4
- Cairns City accommodation transfers every day
- 1 x fun dive on the outer reef
- Two full day cruises onboard to the outer reef onboard the most luxurious catamaran, Evolution
- All applicable PADI training material
- Learn dive theory with classroom lessons
- 4 x Outer Great Barrier Reef Dives
What's Not Included
- Lunch on days 1 & 2
- Accommodation
Additional Information
Take the opportunity to learn to dive while you’re in Cairns! With classes limited to eight participants, led by professional and friendly instructors, you’ll learn to dive and earn an internationally recognized PADI certification on your 4-day PADI Open Water dive course. Hotel transfers are included each day, and your course is gradual and safe. Learn basic scuba skills in the classroom, a pool, and confined water dives, then explore the Great Barrier Reef on open-water dives. Once you have successfully completed your course, you’ll be a qualified PADI diver!
- In our commitment to the safety of our guests, divers over 45 years for PADI dive courses must have a medical clearance with a physician the confirms they are Fit To Dive. This can be provided by your own GP before your course start date.
- Diving within 24 hours before your flight is not permitted. All participants will be required to complete a health/medication questionnaire prior to diving. Please be aware that certain medical conditions (e.g. asthma, heart disease, diabetes) and ANY prescription medications will require a letter or email from a doctor clearing you to dive. The clearance must state your full name, the doctor’s name and practice and the clearance to dive for the specific medication/condition. If you have a certain medical condition or are taking prescription medication, please review the operators Certified Diver Medical Questionnaire prior to your course start date.
- Students must be able to complete a basic swimming and floating test to complete this course.
- Please bring sunscreen, hat, change of clothes, swimsuit and a towel and cash or credit card for on board payment/purchases (fares, soft drink, chocolates, underwater camera, T-shirts)
- Minimum age is 12 years
Location
287 Draper St
Draper Street
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(17 Ratings)
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294franziskae
May 15, 2024
Open Water Dive Course - Learning how to dive with instructor Francesco and the team at Downunder Cruise and Dive was the best choice I could have made. The first two days consist of theory and exercises in the pool, day 3 and 4 are spent on the boat diving in two different beautiful reefs. I felt very comfortable and safe. The quality of the course is very high and the value for money compared to other providers is unbeatable in my opinion. The passion of the whole team and especially of Frankie is definitely transferred to the students and gives you unforgettable moments underwater. I highly recommend doing your Open Water Diver here. I had an amazing time and would always do it again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robinso5708kz
Mar 13, 2024
Open water course with Franky and Freddie - We did our open water PADI course with down under dive. The 4 day course includes everything and more to become a great diver. Our amazing instructors Franky and Freddy did a great job teaching, finding the perfect mix of fun and engaging learning, while also maintaining a professional atmosphere. Even tough our two days out on the reef were accompanied with some very rough conditions, all the crew, Frankie and everyone else involved made the best of it and we had a lovely time.
We leave Cairns with our certificate and a bag full of new great memories.
Thanks Frankie and Freddie plus all of the crew for this unforgettable time!
Robin&Alle
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richardsd3384yz
Mar 2, 2024
Frankie is the best! - We had the most amazing time diving in the stunningly beautiful Great Barrier Reef. We were extremely lucky to get the most amazing teacher Frankie with 15+ years of experience. The theory part on the mornings of the first and the second day was extremely well structured, and he explained it all perfectly. He is also just a super fun person with great energy. During the dives he made us feel save the whole time. We practiced step by step what to do when something goes wrong to the point that I feel like we could master any problem on our own now. If you want to learn scuba diving I can't imagine a better way. Thank you so much!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samuel_s
Feb 26, 2024
Great Instructor! - Frankly is the most knowledgeable, funny, and entertaining instructor I could’ve imagined. the way he explains the open water course makes complicated topics simple, couldn’t have asked for a better instructor! the food on the boat was good but anything is good when you’re tired from a 45min dive the boat is beautiful and so is the reef. highly recommend!!!
Review provided by Viator
Tobiasneb
Feb 10, 2024
It was a good decision to get my diving licence there - Frankie was an amazing diving instructor! His expertise and teaching style made me feel perfectly prepared. The diving session with the team of five people was a great experience and we all had a lot of fun. I highly recommend Frankie and his team!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
933katharinaj
Jan 22, 2024
AMAZING!!! Best Dive Course! - The dive course was just amazing! Franci was my dive instructor and I had the best time in the course, both during my dives and during the time on the boat and school. During the dives, we practiced some skills but spent most of the time exploring the Great Barrier Reef at two different locations. We saw dolphins, turtles, sharks, and soo many beautiful fish and corals. Franki knew all the good spots and we were able to get really close to sharks which was amazing. Apart from that, the theory lessons were really fun and the time on the boat was great. We could eat as much as we wanted (for free), snorkel (for free) or lay on the sun deck when we were not diving and got wine at the end of the trips. Moreover, the crew was so nice and helpful, the energy was amazing and there was a professional photographer capturing everything on board and in the water. It was by far the best thing I‘ve done while traveling Australia! 11/10 recommended!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_o
Nov 6, 2023
Unparalleled experience - Down Under Dives provided the experience of a lifetime. Frankie was incredibly knowledgeable, professional and passionate. He was was the best instructor I could imagine and made us feel incredibly lucky to learn under his expertise. All worries and fears disappeared the minute he put us in our gear. Couldn’t have asked for a better environment or instructor.
Review provided by Viator
Rossellamz4575kd
Oct 31, 2023
Best experience ever - Best experience ever!
I completed the PADI Open water course with Down under the cruise and I couldn't have made a better choice!
In these 4 days I learned so many things about marine life and scuba diving. The course was interesting and super fun with a perfect mix of theory and practice.
I especially enjoyed the 2 days on the ship that takes you to the Great Barrier Reef where I saw 2 small sharks, a huge turtle and so much more.
I'm pretty sure there are many other good companies to get your PADI, but the reason why choosing Down under the Cruise is hands down the best choice is because of the instructor Francesco (Frankie), who really made a difference.
He was professional but super fun and will go above and beyond to make sure your experience is exceptional.
Thank you so much for this unforgettable experience!
Rossella
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Schneidi94
Oct 17, 2023
Competent diving training, great service, lots of fun - The Open Water Diver course was really great. My diving instructor Francy explained the theory well and understandably. In between we kept doing small learning progress checks. Lunch was short, as agreed by the course participants, but that was completely fine. We just wanted to save time. The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly and comfortable. Coffee and biscuits are also free. Questions were answered very well. The exercises in the pool were also great. There you were introduced to the material bit by bit according to your abilities. On days 3 and 4 we went to various beautiful diving sites on the Great Barrier Reef. The exercises required for the Open Water Diver course are done there, but you definitely have enough time to look at the reef at your leisure. The crew of the Evolution (the company's boat) knows a lot about the sea creatures and is very willing to provide in-depth information and answer questions. I did the Adventure Diver straight after the Open Water Diver. On the one hand, so that I could dive deeper, and on the other hand, I felt very well looked after by the company, which is why it was a very good decision to go diving with them for a longer period of time. Between dives, there is delicious food (steaks, fish, salads...) and you can snorkel over the reef. Helicopter flights, glass-bottom boat tours... can also be booked for an additional charge. Overall, I have had my best days in Australia so far diving here!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ena_k
Oct 11, 2023
Could not have asked for a better instructor - My friend and I completed our open water course under the guidance of Frankie, and we couldn't have asked for a more exceptional instructor. Frankie's humor, patience, extensive diving experience, and genuine passion for the sport made him a fantastic teacher. Opting for in-person lessons over relying solely on eLearning was a wise choice, as Frankie's teaching was better than PADI's instructional videos. He made sure we truly understood each concept before progressing to the next. To ensure our comfort during our initial pool dives, he provided us with high-quality masks that were not available on the boat, and once on the boat, he picked the best masks out of what was available for us to use. On top of that, he surprised us with cheesecake to celebrate my friend's birthday, which happened to fall on the final day of the course.
Initially I had some anxiety about diving, but Frankie's expertise and unwavering patience quickly helped me get over my fears. Thank you for making this an unforgettable experience Frankie!
Review provided by Viator
