Become a PADI Open Water Diver in 3 days at Drake Bay. One long pool session to build your skills, then 4 real ocean dives at Caño Island Biological Reserve. Maximum 4 students per PADI instructor. Teaching divers in these waters since 2003.
The PADI Open Water Diver is the world’s most popular scuba certification, held by millions of divers and recognised at every dive center on the planet. It is the most popular and internationally recognized scuba certification in the world.
Get certified with Drake Divers in Costa Rica, and dive into a new adventure surrounded by the marine life of Caño Island: once you pass, you can rent equipment, plan your own dives and descend with a buddy down to 18 metres on any coast, with no instructor required.
Every PADI Open Water course worldwide follows three mandatory phases: theory,
confined-water practice and open-water dives. Here is exactly how each one
looks at Drake Divers.
Complete the PADI theory online from home at your own pace, before your trip begins. Videos, interactive exercises and quick knowledge reviews cover dive physics, equipment, and safety.
Master every PADI skill in the pool on day one, in one long session at Drake Divers. Breathing, mask clearing, buoyancy, emergency ascents, air sharing and every skill in shallow water.
Apply every skill at Caño Island over two boat days, four real ocean dives in a row. Whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, sea turtles and dense schools of jack on shallow and deeper reefs.
The PADI Open Water Diver at Drake Divers runs over 3 days on-site. If you complete the PADI eLearning theory at home before arrival, the time you spend with us is focused entirely on the water: one long pool session to master every skill, then 4 real ocean dives at Cano Island spread over 2 diving days. Here is exactly what your course looks like.
The Caño Island Biological Reserve has twelve documented dive sites. During the Open Water course we use the ones between 6 and 18 metres, with gentle currents and 15 to 25 metres of visibility.
Caño Island has been a protected marine reserve since 1978, with no fishing allowed. That is why the wildlife stays calm when divers arrive. Expect whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, marbled rays, sea turtles, moray eels and dense schools of snapper and jack.
Green and hawksbill turtles feed on the reef and surface to breathe – often within metres of the group.
Resting on the sandy bottom, 3 to 8 metres below your fins. Seen on approximately 9 out of 10 snorkel tours.
Up to 3 metres across, gliding in formation directly beneath the surface.
The encounter that surprises everyone.
Wingspan up to 2 metres, crossing mid-water in pairs directly below the snorkel group. Common at both reef sites.
No fishing since 1978 – no fear of humans. Dense schools of parrotfish, snapper and barracuda move through you.
July to October only. The boat crossing to Caño Island passes directly through active humpback whale nursery grounds.
1. ✓ Minimum age 10 years Ages 10 to 14 earn the Junior Open Water Diver, with adult supervision in the water.
2. ✓ Basic swimming ability Swim 200 metres any stroke, non-stop, and float for 10 minutes. No speed required.
3. ✓ Good general health Complete the PADI Medical Statement. Answering yes on any item needs a doctor’s sign-off.
4. ✓ Three full days with us The course runs over three consecutive days in Drake Bay, with 4 real ocean dives.
The PADI Open Water is structured in 3 phases. You finish the theory online with PADI eLearning at your own pace. Then you spend one long pool session mastering every confined-water skill. Finally, 4 real ocean dives at Cano Island over 2 days, where you apply what you learned surrounded by white-tip reef sharks, turtles and rays. At the end of day 3 you are a certified diver for life.
Most divers do their Open Water in a quarry, a murky lake or a crowded Caribbean reef. With Drake Divers, your 4 ocean dives are inside the Cano Island Biological Reserve, the best dive destination in mainland Costa Rica. You learn surrounded by the exact marine life that other divers travel the country to see, visibility of 15 to 25 meters, water at 27 to 29 degrees Celsius and currents that stay gentle on training sites.
Drake Divers has been teaching the PADI Open Water at Cano Island for more than 20 years. Our ratio of 4 students per instructor is the lowest in Drake Bay, and we never change it to fit more bookings. Our instructors are locals who know every dive site, every current and every animal on the reef. The gear we use is modern and serviced constantly. And our Google rating sits at 4.9 with 180+ reviews for a reason: students finish the course certified, confident and already planning their next dive trip.
The Open Water course at Drake Divers costs $580 per person, fully inclusive: gear, boat, reserve entrance fees and lunch on every dive day. Most dive centers in Costa Rica charge between $400 and $650. The difference with Drake Bay is where your 4 ocean dives happen: inside Caño Island Biological Reserve, the most protected marine area on the Pacific coast, not in a bay or a quarry.
If sea conditions at Caño Island are unsafe, we reschedule that dive day to the next available morning at no extra cost. We recommend building one buffer day into your Drake Bay itinerary for this reason. Cancellations due to weather are rare but do happen during the wet season from May to November. Your safety always takes priority over the schedule.
Yes. You can start the Advanced Open Water course the day after you complete your Open Water certification. Both courses use Caño Island for all ocean dives, so the transition is immediate. The combined package takes 5 days total and is one of the most efficient ways to go from zero experience to 30 metre depth clearance in a single trip to Costa Rica.
Drake Bay is one of the better environments for anxious first-time divers. The training sites at Caño Island have gentle currents, 15 to 25 metres of visibility and water at 27 to 29 degrees Celsius. The wildlife is calm and non-aggressive because the reserve has been fully protected since 1978. Groups are capped at 4 students per instructor, which means your instructor stays close throughout every session.
Dive insurance is not mandatory to take the course, but it is strongly recommended. The nearest hyperbaric chamber is in San José. In the event of a decompression incident, evacuation from Drake Bay involves a boat to Sierpe or a small plane, and costs without insurance can be very significant. DAN (Divers Alert Network) offers affordable single-trip and annual dive accident cover.
Yes. Drake Bay also offers snorkeling tours, whale watching from July to October, and guided hikes into Corcovado National Park. Your Open Water course runs on 3 consecutive days, leaving the rest of your stay free. Many students book a snorkel day at Caño Island before the course starts to get comfortable in the water and familiar with the reserve.
Whitetip reef sharks are seen on approximately 9 out of 10 dive trips at Caño Island. They rest on the sandy bottom between 8 and 18 metres, which is within the depth range used for Open Water training dives. They are non-aggressive and completely relaxed around divers. For most students, seeing a shark during their first or second ocean dive is the moment the course becomes something they remember for life.
At least 2 weeks in advance during the dry season from December to April, when Drake Bay is at its busiest. In the wet season from May to November, one week is usually sufficient. Groups are capped at 4 students per instructor and course dates fill quickly, especially around Christmas, New Year and Easter. Booking early also gives you time to complete the PADI eLearning theory before you arrive.
Email, WhatsApp or fill in the form. One of our instructors replies in under an hour during office hours and we will confirm your course dates, what to bring and how to prepare.
