Open Water Diver

The Open Water Diver is the standard SSI entry-level certification and the course most people take when they decide to go beyond a single baptism dive. At JUSTDIVE, it's offered under SSI school number #735157, and the centre is licensed by IPDJ as both a dive school (LEM nº 158) and a dive centre (LCM nº 148), meaning the training and the dives happen under the same roof and on the same boats.

JUSTDIVE describes their courses as personalised and adapted to each student's learning pace, which is more relevant at Open Water level than at any other: some students take to confined water skills quickly, others need more time with equalisation or buoyancy before moving to open water. The team works around individual rhythms rather than pushing everyone through the same schedule.

The course includes confined water sessions — likely pool-based given the facilities — followed by open water dives. Given that JUSTDIVE's primary dive site is the Berlengas Archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2011, the open water component puts students in one of Portugal's most distinctive marine environments. Digital learning is available through the centre's online platform, allowing students to complete theoretical content at their own pace before or between sessions.

SSI certification upon completion is internationally recognised. The centre also offers the Junior Open Water Diver track for younger students, with the same SSI framework but adapted for the minimum age requirements of the junior programme.