Open Water Diver

The SSI Open Water Diver course runs over three days at Diver's Club Crete, in Agia Pelagia. Six theory sessions of about 40 minutes each, six confined water sessions (usually consolidated into two pool dives), and four open water dives — at least one or two of which are from the boat, out to actual reef sites along the north coast.

All training days run from 09:30 to 15:30–16:00. The price includes full equipment rental, transport to dive sites by boat, and the certification card. The boats — Petros-Iro, Nereida, and Iro — take trainees out to the same sites used for fun dives, so Open Water students get a genuine introduction to Cretan reef diving rather than staying confined to the beach the whole course.

A Junior Open Water Diver version is available for ages 10 to 14. Water temperatures during the main training season (May through September) range from 20°C to 27°C, and visibility regularly exceeds 15 meters, which means good conditions for the underwater skills sessions.

The certification is recognized worldwide and allows independent buddy diving to 18 meters. Diver's Club Crete has been running this course since 1995 under SSI, with equipment maintained to current standards using Aqualung and Cressi gear.