Open Water Diver PADI/SSI

The Open Water course at Azul Diving runs over three days and follows the PADI curriculum, with eLearning or the latest PADI materials used for the theory component. The Funchal base handles the classroom and pool work, with ocean dives into the Garajau Marine Reserve area — a protected zone that puts certified fish and varied terrain in front of students from their very first real dives.

Pool sessions come before each open-water dive, so skills are practiced in a controlled environment before being applied in the sea. The approach is methodical: instructors walk through what will happen on each dive and why, which reviewers note significantly reduces anxiety for nervous beginners. Maria is one of the named Open Water instructors at the centre.

The PADI 5 Star rating means the centre operates to the top tier of PADI's quality standards, and instruction is available in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, and German, so language barriers are rarely an issue for visiting divers.

Completing the course certifies you to dive independently with a buddy to 18 metres worldwide. Azul Diving's location in Funchal means the qualifying dives happen in genuinely interesting water — the same marine reserve where the 2022 European Open Championship of Underwater Photography was held — rather than in a sheltered bay with nothing to look at.