Open Water Diver on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Open Water Diver (OWD) is an entry-level autonomous 
The "Open Water Diver" certification name is used by the
OWD
and the Sub-Aqua Association (SAA), which is recognised by the
diver certification
A Diving certification or C-card is a document (usually a wallet sized plastic card) recognizing that an individual or organization authorized to do so, "certifies" that the bearer has completed a course of training as required by the agency issu ...
for recreational scuba diving
Recreational diving or sport diving is diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment. The term "recreational diving" may also be used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of ...
. Although different agencies use different names, similar entry-level courses are offered by all recreational diving agencies and consist of a combination of knowledge development (theory), confined water dives (practical training) and open water dives (experience) suitable to allow the diver to dive on open circuit scuba
A scuba set, originally just scuba, is any breathing apparatus that is entirely carried by an underwater diver and provides the diver with breathing gas at the ambient pressure. ''Scuba'' is an anacronym for self-contained underwater breathing ...
, in open water to a limited depth and in conditions similar to those in which the diver has been trained or later gained appropriate experience, to an acceptable level of safety.
Minimum training standard
The OWD training standard of most agencies complies with the minimum requirements of international StandardISO
ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization.
ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance
* Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007
* Iso ...
24801-2. Autonomous diver.
Agencies issuing certification named Open Water Diver
The "Open Water Diver" certification name is used by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors
The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is a recreational diving membership and diver training organization founded in 1966 by John Cronin and Ralph Erickson. Cronin was originally a NAUI instructor who decided to form his ...
(PADI), Scuba Schools International
Scuba Schools International (SSI) is a for-profit organization that teaches the skills involved in scuba diving and freediving, and supports dive businesses and resorts. SSI has over 2,500 authorized dealers, 35 regional centers, and offices all ...
(SSI), the National Academy of Scuba Educators (NASE) Worldwide, Professional Technical and Recreational Diving ProTec - Professional Technical and Recreational Diving is an international dive training agency based in Munich, Germany.
ProTec was founded in 1997. ProTec offers diving education standards and training procedures for beginners through to advance ...
(ProTeOWD
and the Sub-Aqua Association (SAA), which is recognised by the
Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques
Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scu ...
(CMAS) as a CMAS 1-star certification.
Equivalent certification issued by other agencies
TheNational Association of Underwater Instructors
The National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI Worldwide) is a non-profit association of scuba instructors. It primarily serves as a recreational dive certification and membership organization established to provide international div ...
(NAUI) entry-level course is called Scuba Diver. The British Sub-Aqua Club
The British Sub-Aqua Club or BSAC has been recognised since 1954 by UK Sport as the national governing body of recreational diving in the United Kingdom.
The club was founded in 1953 and at its peak in the mid-1990s had over 50,000 members d ...
(BSAC) calls its equivalent qualification 'Ocean Diver'.
See also
* *References
{{Authority control Diving qualifications