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234 Orakei Rd Remuera Auckland New Zealand Ph (649) 524 2117 fax (649) 524-6268 email training@orakeidive.co.nz

Below is our traditional PADI openwater course however for people in a hurry or short of time

see here for our PADI E-learning

PADI open water course for beginners

At Orakei Dive we believe in giving value for money. If price is the main concern for where you do your course then we may not be for you, however if you want New Zealand's top value dive course look no further. The reason we rate our course so highly is we do our openwater dives at the Poor Knight Islands. This dive site was rated by Jacque Cousteau as one of his to ten dive sites in the world and was recently voted in an international dive magazine as the top subtropical location in the world. To get there we use charter boats, not oversized dinghy's, and the charter fees are included in the course price.

Course structure: The first step is to go to your local doctor or better still one on this list (they are trained in dive medicine) for a medical check up. You will need a medical form which can be obtained from our shop or you can download as a PDF file here. One word of warning here I've heard of some doctors charging up to $120 for a medical. $55 seems to be standard-ask first. The doctors are interested in such things as heart and breathing problems or epilepsy. After you get the medical book on for the course you desire either email, phone or better still come and see us. If you come on in we can give you all the manuals etc. and discuss your requirements for mask, fins etc. Courses start in the classroom at 6pm on the first Friday night of weekend courses. All you require is your manuals and a pen. Expect to finish between 8:30 and 9:30pm.Saturdays and Sundays of the first weekend start at 9:00 am and finish about 4pm. Saturdays and Sundays of the second weekend for the Goat Island/Pupuke option start at 9:00 am (meeting at Goat Islandor Lake Pupuke) and finish about 4pm at the shop. For Poor Knight weekends most people drive up to Tutukaka Friday night. We get back to Auckland between 4pm and 7pm Sunday depending on which charter boat we use

Classroom: Initially, your course will commence in the classroom, your instructor will familiarizes you with the training schedule and what you can expect from your course. In each classroom session you will be shown training videos which will be further elaborated by your instructor, you can also expect to complete small quizzes at the end of each module. There are five modules in total, which will be spread over the duration of your course.

Pool: Half of your course time will be spent in the pool. We have our own on site heated training pool. This allows for a lot less traveling to and from polls during the course of the evenings. Our pool complex comes complete with hot showers and hair dryers. Our pool has a good range of depths which will cover you throughout your enclosed water training where you will progress from the shallows to the deep end as your confidence and skills develop; and most importantly it has ample room so you need never feel crowded while practicing your newly acquired skills. You will also need to complete a 200 meter swim. There is no time limit so it should not be to difficult for most people. Also required is the ability to float for ten minutes.

Open Water weekend Here we have two different options Option 1) Our premium Poor Knights option for $599. Usually driving to Tutukaka on Friday evening (some people opt for a early drive up Saturday morning) we stay both Friday and Saturday in 'The Barn' just down the road from the marina. There is no extra cost for this but you will need bedding. On Saturday and Sunday we cruise on a charter boat to the world-renowned Poor Knights Islands for two training dives each day. The Poor Knights are regarded as one of the worlds top dive sites which means you are learning to dive in one of the best classrooms in the world! In the event of the weather turning bad there are several options open to us, which we will discuss on the first day of the course or feel free to contact us earlier if you wish to know more. See also our Poor Knights Gallery. Option 2) A less pricey $399 course.This is cheaper due to the fact there are no boat fees to be paid. On the Friday before the weekend you will pick up your scuba equipment from the shop then on Saturday morning head up to the Goat Island marine reserve at Leigh. The weekends of these courses are picked so as to coincide with high tides that suit us (this means less swimming to obtain adequate depth). Here you will do two dives, the first being purely a scenic dive with no skills to do. The second dive will be mostly 'Tiki Tour' as well but with a few skills to complete during the dive. After debriefing we will pack the cars and head back to the shop to collect 2 new full tanks then head home. On Sunday we will meet at Lake Pupuke for two dives where the rest of the dive skills will be done during two dives. After that there is a little paper work to do then its off home with the course completed. As Lake Pupuke is close to central Auckland this will be a short day.

Lake Pupuke is an extinct Volcano that was made about 50,000 years ago, this lake was also north shores water supplied in the early days, There's lots to see, Brown trout, rainbow trout, perch and fresh water jelly fish there are also lots of goodies that divers have lost such as torches and masks.

Your course includes: Classroom tuition; enclosed water training, full set of scuba equipment for the duration of the course (excluding mask snorkel, fins, boots and gloves); open water manual, PADI dive tables and log book, PADI Gold Open Water certification card. Your course does not include: Transport (we usually car pool). Your own mask, fins and snorkel (you may want booties and gloves too) Any extra tuition you may require. You will need: A medical form (available from our shop or download as a PDF file here.) signed by your doctor , we require this at the time you book. Do not leave it till the last minute or you may loose all you deposit.

Other bits: You will need to pay a $200 deposit to hold your place. If you wish to cancel this will only be refunded if we find someone to take your place on the course. If you drop by and see us we can give you more details or just ring us on (09) 524-2117 and we’ll be happy to post you a full information package including the medical form. Click here for course dates.

Two last things: Please do not be late for your classes. We cannot start without the whole course present. If you are late and the course has started without you then you will have to return for a catch up lesson and this will cost you more! Also attending the weekend booked is important as in the Poor Knights option a charter boat has been booked for you and we will be charged whether you are there or not. Failing to attend the weekend booked may cost you extra fees.