IDC Confined Water & Open Water Training 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does PADI require an instructor to do if a student fails to meet performance requirements during a confined water session?
- Automatically fail the student from the course
- Document the failure and move on
- Provide additional practice and remediation before progressing (Correct answer)
- Reduce the performance requirement for that student
Correct answer: Provide additional practice and remediation before progressing
PADI standards require instructors to provide additional practice and remediation to help students meet performance requirements before they can progress.
PADI standards are non-negotiable minimums that all students must achieve. When a student doesn't meet performance requirements, the instructor must provide additional instruction, demonstration, and practice opportunities. This may require additional confined water time. The instructor should identify the root cause of difficulty—fear, misunderstanding, physical challenge—and tailor the remediation accordingly. Only after the student demonstrates the skill to standard can they progress. Lowering standards compromises diver safety and violates PADI policies.
Question 2: In PADI's Open Water Diver course, how many confined water dives (CWDs) are required?
- 2
- 3
- 5 (Correct answer)
- 7
Correct answer: 5
The PADI Open Water Diver course requires 5 confined water dives (or sessions) to complete all required skills before open water training.
PADI's Open Water Diver course requires 5 confined water dives (CWD 1-5), each building on the previous. CWD 1 covers basic equipment use and fundamental skills; subsequent sessions add more complex skills including neutral buoyancy, navigation basics, and emergency procedures. All 5 must be completed to standard before open water training begins. Instructors may schedule these across multiple pool sessions depending on facility booking and student progress.
Question 3: What is the minimum open water training dives required for the PADI Open Water Diver certification?
- 2 dives
- 3 dives
- 4 dives (Correct answer)
- 5 dives
Correct answer: 4 dives
PADI requires a minimum of 4 open water training dives for the Open Water Diver certification.
The PADI Open Water Diver course mandates a minimum of 4 open water dives (OWD 1–4), conducted across at least 2 different days. These dives consolidate skills in real underwater environments, with OWD 1 and 2 focusing on skill review and adaptation to open water conditions, and OWD 3 and 4 applying skills with greater independence. The 4-dive minimum cannot be reduced, and each dive has specific skill performance requirements that must be met.
Question 4: During open water training dives, what is the maximum depth for students in the PADI Open Water Diver course?
- 12 metres / 40 feet
- 18 metres / 60 feet (Correct answer)
- 21 metres / 70 feet
- 30 metres / 100 feet
Correct answer: 18 metres / 60 feet
The maximum depth for PADI Open Water Diver students during training is 18 metres / 60 feet.
PADI limits Open Water Diver course training dives to a maximum of 18 metres/60 feet. This is also the certified depth limit for OWD-certified divers. The depth limit reflects the balance between exploring meaningful dive environments while managing decompression risk and nitrogen narcosis exposure for newly certified divers. Instructors must ensure dive profiles stay within this limit throughout all training dives.
Question 5: What pre-dive safety check must PADI instructors ensure students perform before every open water training dive?
- SORTED
- BWRAF (Begin With Review And Friend) (Correct answer)
- ABCDE
- SEEDS
Correct answer: BWRAF (Begin With Review And Friend)
PADI's pre-dive safety check is BWRAF: BCD, Weights, Releases, Air, Final OK — ensuring all equipment is properly configured.
BWRAF (BCD, Weights, Releases, Air, Final OK) is the PADI pre-dive safety check. BCD: inflation/deflation works, low-pressure inflator connected; Weights: proper amount, correctly positioned, quick-release accessible; Releases: all buckles secured; Air: tank valve open, SPG reads full, regulator breathing correctly; Final OK: overall equipment check and buddy confirmation. Instructors must ensure this check is performed before every dive. The mnemonic helps students remember the sequence ('Bruce Willis Ruins All Films' is commonly used).
Question 6: What is the primary teaching objective of Open Water Dive 3 and 4 in the PADI OWD course?
- Learning emergency ascents for the first time
- Applying and demonstrating skills with increasing independence (Correct answer)
- Completing all confined water skill reviews
- Achieving navigation certification
Correct answer: Applying and demonstrating skills with increasing independence
OWD 3 and 4 focus on applying skills with increasing independence, demonstrating that students can dive safely without constant instructor intervention.
By OWD 3 and 4, students should be transitioning from guided skill practice to independent application. Instructors observe and supervise rather than actively guiding every action. Students demonstrate buoyancy control, navigation, equipment management, and buddy procedures with minimal prompting. This progressive independence is intentional—it prepares students for post-certification diving where they will dive without instructor supervision. If students still require constant guidance by OWD 4, additional training may be needed before certification.
IDC Confined Water & Open Water Training 2
What does PADI require an instructor to do if a student fails to meet performance requirements during a confined water session?