Are you are considering a diving certification? Or maybe you are already a diver and want to increase your certification level? You’ve probably been looking at PADI Dive Courses to take. But which of the many PADI courses offered at Gangga Divers Bali is the one for you? We’re going to help you decide with some tips for choosing the right PADI Certification.

Do you dive?

The first question of course is, do you dive already? If you don’t there are 2 courses you can start with.

The PADI Discover Scuba Diving course is a chance to learn the basics in a short period of time. During this course you will be in the pool testing out how you feel breathing underwater with a regulator for the very first time. Once you are comfortable in the pool your diving instructor will take you out for a single dive off of Bali’s east coast. This is a great way to do a trial run.

If you’re sure you definitely want to dive, the PADI Scuba Diver is your first step. Gangga Divers at Lotus Bungalows, offers this as a 2 or 3-day course including theory, basics in the pool, and 2 open water dives up to 12 metres in depth.

Some people will stop here and be happy with having tried out diving, but most are hooked for life.

The big leap

The big leap comes when you become a certified PADI Open Water Diver. This is the gateway to all the other more advanced dive courses. During this course you’ll spend 4 or 5 days learning theory in the classroom and putting it into practice in the beautiful waters around East Bali.

Without an Open Water certification you can’t go any further with your diving. You can however dive up to 18 metres anywhere in the world. If this suits you just fine you can stay certified to this level and enjoy scuba diving at shallower dive sites.

Getting deeper

If you are already a certified PADI Open Water Diver you may be looking at what course you can do next. There is only one way to go, and in this case it’s down. The Advanced Open Water Diver course will allow you to dive deeper – down to 30 metres – and also make some specialty choices.

This is the point when you start to become a more technical diver. 2 core dives, underwater navigation and deep dive, are required to complete the course but you will also choose 3 other types of dives. It’s up to you whether you want to learn to dive wrecks, dive at night, drift dive or undertake other types of dives.

Again, this is a great certification to stick with and will allow you to dive not only the gorgeous dive sites around Bali, but anywhere in the world down to 30 metres.

Still want more?

Perhaps you are one of those people that are totally hooked on diving and want to be qualified in every way possible. After your Advanced Open Water Diver course you have a few options.

You can use your dive skills to help others and become a rescue diver. For this you’ll also need an Emergency First Response certificate, which is offered in one day at Lotus Bungalows Candidasa.

The other option is to delve deeper into specifications offered by Gangga Divers like AWARE Shark Conservation Diver, Diver Propulsion Vehicle, Drift Diver, Night Diver, Sidemount Diver or Peak Performance Diver. You can also choose a PADI Enriched Air course so you can stay underwater longer.

If you get to this level, or are already here, you are certainly a passionate diver. You can dive anywhere in the world with confidence and skill.

How do I sign up?

If you’re ready to get certified at any stage of your diving you can contact us directly to book your course. If you’re still not sure, leave us a message or a question in the comments box below and we’ll help you in any way possible. Isn’t it exciting how soon you could be on your diving journey!