SSI Open Water Diver

The SSI Open Water Diver course at Onderwaterwereld runs in two configurations. The full course — six pool sessions and six open water dives, all done in the Netherlands — leads to a complete certification. Pool sessions take place on Sunday evenings at Sportplaza Groenendaal in Heemstede, watertijd from 18:00 to 19:00. Open water training moves to Groenendaal and Vinkeveen, both Dutch inland sites, during the outdoor season from May through September.

The referral option splits the training differently: pool sessions and digital theory in Haarlem, then the open water dives at your holiday destination. Onderwaterwereld handles the SSI certification paperwork. That means you can start the theory at any point in the year, work through the pool component during the winter months, and complete the open water dives on a dive holiday when conditions suit you. Advanced courses then continue back in Haarlem.

Learning to dive in the Netherlands means learning in cold water with limited visibility — conditions that are demanding compared to the tropics. The centre's position is that this makes for a more capable diver. If you can manage buoyancy and equipment in Dutch inland sites, the adjustment to warm, clear water on holiday is an easy one.

Buying a complete set of dive equipment from the shop comes with the Open Water training free. The argument is straightforward: divers who learn in gear they own — mask, wetsuit, BCD, regulator — know how everything fits and functions, maintain it properly, and build experience more consistently. The shop stocks Mares, Aqualung, Scubapro, Suunto, Dragonsub, Oceanic, Sealife, and EMS across a range of configurations from lightweight travel setups to heavier wreck-diving gear.