This blog post is to help you choose your (next) diving course. Whether you've never dived before or are an experienced diver, you'll find the right course for you here.
Our course options
We offer our courses as group, private or VIP courses. The group courses have fixed dates and you can register individually as long as there are still places available. For the VIP or private courses, you register either alone (VIP) or together with one or two other people (private course). The course dates are freely selectable.
Beginner
If you have never breathed under water before, it is best to start with the PADI Discover Scuba Diving Programme. This is a two-hour course that gives you the opportunity to get a first impression of diving in a protected environment (usually in a pool) - a real introductory dive. After that you are not yet certified and are not allowed to dive independently. The requirements are therefore not very high: good swimming skills and good health are enough. To participate in the PADI Discover Scuba Diving programme, you must be at least 10 years old. For 8-9 year olds, there is the slightly modified PADI Bubblemaker Programme (this is basically the same as PADI Discover Scuba Diving, but tailored for children).
The first course with certification is the PADI Open Water Diver. You can attend this either after the PADI Discover Scuba Diving programme or as a direct entry. In addition to good swimming skills and good health, you will need a diving fitness certificate from a doctor (this can be issued by your GP or you can make an appointment with a diving doctor or ENT). The minimum age is 10 years. Before the course you will complete the theory in self-study in the form of e-learning (of course you can also consult the theory book if you prefer - the book is available in our shop). The practical part of the course consists of 5 pool lessons (spread over 3-4 dates of approx. 3 hours each) and 4 open water dives (spread over 2 course days). It is recommended that all these dates are not too far apart. After successful completion of the course you are a certified diver and are allowed to dive independently (of course only in the buddy system) to a maximum depth of 18 metres (for under 15-year-olds there is a lower depth limit and an additional condition for the companion - you will find additional information on this at the end of the article under "Juniors").
If you don't want to do the whole PADI Open Water Diver course in Switzerland, you have the option of doing the so called Course referral: You learn the theory at home and complete the pool lessons with us. You book the open water dives at a PADI dive centre at the holiday destination of your choice - we will be happy to advise you.
Advanced
Once you've earned your PADI Open Water Diver certification, you're ready to start your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. This consists of five open water dives, so-called adventure dives. Each of these dives deals with a different theme. Two themes are prescribed: Deep diving and navigation. You can choose the other three topics yourself (for the VIP course) or together with your group (private or group course) - you will discuss this directly with the instructor on the first date. The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is designed to show you the different facets of diving. We recommend that you add this course to your PADI Open Water Diver course as soon as possible. With the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification you can dive to a maximum of 30 metres.
After the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, continue with the PADI Rescue Diver course. Here your focus will be specifically on other divers and you will learn how to help other divers. It is recommended that you only do this course when you are comfortable enough with your own diving skills to be able to dive safely. There is no minimum number of dives you need to do this - a good feel for your own diving skills is much more informative. With the PADI Rescue Diver certification, the maximum dive depth remains the same as with the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification - 30 metres. The PADI Rescue Diver course includes extensive theory, which you complete beforehand through self-study using eLearning (again, you can purchase the book). During the course, you will first practice your rescue skills in the pool or protected open water. Then it's off to the open water for practice, where you will be rescued diligently until every grip and every movement is perfect.
In order to be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver, you will need the Emergency First Response certication. This course consists of two parts: first aid, which deals with the correct handling of life-threatening situations of a patient, and second aid, which deals with the less serious injuries that still require treatment. By the way, this course is recommended for every diver - no matter how advanced your training is. You should refresh the skills every two years - there are special «Refresher» courses.
Special courses
In various special courses, so-called specialties, you can learn all kinds of diving disciplines. Here we briefly explain the - in our opinion - most relevant specialties. You can find the specialties not mentioned here in our homepage described in more detail.
Nitrox
In the Nitrox course, or also called PADI Enriched Air Diver course, you will learn about the advantages and limitations of diving with oxygen-enriched air. At many holiday destinations, diving is mainly done with Nitrox as a gas mixture - instead of air. Here it is important to know and observe some important facts. You can learn this either in a three-hour theory course or via eLearning in combination with a practical workshop. We recommend the Nitrox Brevet to every diver, as diving with Nitrox offers further advantages in addition to longer no-decompression times, especially on holiday.
Emergency oxygen
The administration of emergency oxygen is relevant for every diver, regardless of training level. In the approx. three-hour course PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider with theory and workshop you will learn about different systems and what to consider.
Signal buoys
Many an experienced diver fails to "shoot his buoy" at the end of a boat dive during his holidays. This is not without reason - the correct handling of a surface signal buoy must be learned and practised. During the PADI Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB) course, you will learn different types of buoys and shooting techniques during two open water dives so that you can confidently set the surface marker at the end of your boat dives.
Self Reliant
From the beginning you will learn to dive in a buddy system. However, as you become more experienced you may want to develop skills so that you are not dependent on a buddy. Perhaps you travel a lot with less experienced divers or are a passionate underwater photographer? Then the PADI Self Reliant Diver course provides additional safety. You will learn about the necessary equipment and how to use it. This course is especially suitable for experienced divers.
Dry suit diving
During the warmer months, diving in our waters with the wet suit is pleasant. However, from around November to May, diving in a dry suit is essential. However, this requires a separate brevet, the PADI Dry Suit Diver, necessary, because diving with a dry suit should be practised. In the course you learn the relevant dry suit diving theory and do the first exercises with the dry suit in the pool. During two open water dives you will then gain further confidence in diving with the dry suit under the guidance of the instructor. By the way: many experienced divers hop into the local waters in a dry suit throughout the year because they find it much more comfortable.
Night diving
Diving with a torch can be challenging if you are not used to using it. That's why you should try diving at night in the PADI Night Diver course with all its pitfalls. During the theory and three open water dives you will of course also learn how to signal your buddy in the dark.
Sidemount
With the bottle on your back is not the only way to dive. PADI Sidemount Diver In this course you learn to dive with two tanks, one on the left and one on the right side of your body. This type of diving gives you an excellent position in the water and is easy on your back. Those who have tried it rave about sidemount diving.
Practice, practice, practice
To gain routine or to get to know our local waters, the best thing to do is to book there.s PADI Discover Local Diving – a guided dive in the lake. You will be accompanied by a diving professional and receive many useful tips and tricks about diving in the lake. To participate in such a guided dive, you need at least the PADI Open Water Diver certification (or an equivalent certification from another organisation).
After a longer break from diving, we recommend the PADI ReActivate Programme. You will refresh your theory with the eLearning (this is possible from Open Water Diver level up to Rescue Diver) and complete a pool lesson with the dive pro to reacquire all the necessary skills. After the course, your certification will be updated to the new date. And, if you wish, you can also complete this with a dive in the lake.
Technical diving
All the courses described so far belong to recreational diving, i.e. diving within the no-decompression limit with the possibility of a direct ascent at any time. If you deliberately exceed the no-decompression limit and plan your dive accordingly, you are talking about technical diving. This usually involves diving to depths further below the recreational dive limit of 40 metres. So that you can safely learn technical diving step by step, there are three Tec courses that build on one another: PADI Tec 40, PADI Tec 45 and PADI Tec 50. You can take the Tec 40 course with your recreational diving equipment, whereas the Tec 45 and Tec 50 courses require diving with a double unit (for more information, we recommend the blog post about the different types of jackets). During these three intensive courses you will learn, among other things, how to handle stage tanks (i.e. additional tanks with different gas mixtures which you attach to the side of your jacket). The detailed theory on decompression and other topics will help you to plan and conduct your Tec dives safely. These courses are suitable for experienced divers as they do have some requirements. For more information, check out the course pages or ask us directly - we can tell you a lot more.
Pros
The first step to becoming a diving professional is the PADI Divemaster course. You can start this with 40 dives, the completed 18th year of age and the PADI Rescue Diver Brevet. In addition to extensive theory and some pool lessons, the PADI Divemaster course also includes open water practice and your assistance in real diving courses. To complete the course you will need 60 logged dives. As a PADI Divemaster, you can assist the instructor in various courses and independently conduct guided dives with certified divers. You can also teach refresher courses.
In order for you to teach Introductory Diving as a PADI Divemaster, you must have the PADI Discover Scuba Diving Leader level attained. You will do 4 real try dives and will be guided and supervised by an experienced instructor.
With your PADI Divemaster certification you can start your instructor training. To do this you attend the Instructor Development Course (IDC) and then the Instructor Examination.
All detailed information about the instructor training as well as further information about the PADI Divemaster course can be obtained at our regular "PADI Pro Nights" or directly from us - just ask us, we will be happy to give you more information.
Juniors
Those who are not yet 10 years old, but would still like to gain their first experience of diving, have the opportunity to learn in a playful way in the PADI Seal Team course to learn the basic skills. You must be 8 years old and be a good swimmer. During five so-called Aqua Missions (= 5 lessons of approx. 2-3 hours each) your instructor will teach you how to dive in the pool. This programme is a very good preparation for our young divers for the PADI Junior Open Water Diver course, which is quite demanding in terms of theory and understanding.
If you're still too young to do your first certification course after the PADI Seal Team course, you can join the PADI Seal Team course. PADI Master Seal Team course, you can learn further skills in 10 so-called Specialty Aqua Missions. These are spread over five lessons of about 2-3 hours each. For example, you can dive with a torch during a simulated night dive in the pool, or take pictures of toy fish with a digital underwater camera. Neither the PADI Seal Team nor the PADI Master Seal Team qualifies you to dive in open water - they are limited to the pool only.
As soon as you are 10 years old, you can start with the same courses as the adults. However, up to the age of 15, a "Junior" will be placed in front of your licence. So, for example, the first thing you do is get the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification. However, up to the age of 12 you can only dive to a maximum depth of 12 metres and only if accompanied by a parent, guardian or PADI professional. From the age of 12, you can dive to 18 metres with the PADI Junior Open Water Diver, but only if accompanied by an adult. With the PADI Junior Advanced Open Water Diver certification and the PADI Junior Rescue Diver certification (both available from age 12) you can dive to a maximum of 21 metres, but always accompanied by an adult.
Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions. We will be happy to answer all your questions - we look forward to hearing from you!