PADI Confined & Open Water Skills 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During open water training, students must demonstrate a surface swim of at least how far without scuba equipment?
- 100 meters/300 feet
- 200 meters/600 feet (Correct answer)
- 300 meters/1000 feet
- 400 meters/1300 feet
Correct answer: 200 meters/600 feet
The PADI Open Water Diver course requires students to complete a 200-meter/656-foot surface swim or a 300-meter snorkel swim as a swimming prerequisite.
Question 2: What skill is a student demonstrating when they remove their BCD and scuba unit underwater and replace it?
- Ditch and recovery (Correct answer)
- Equipment exchange
- Gear stowage
- Emergency ascent preparation
Correct answer: Ditch and recovery
Ditch and recovery involves removing the scuba unit underwater and then replacing and securing it, building familiarity and confidence with equipment.
Question 3: When a student performs a controlled emergency swimming ascent (CESA), which breathing behavior is critical?
- Hold the breath tightly to preserve air
- Exhale continuously and audibly throughout the ascent (Correct answer)
- Inhale deeply every few seconds while ascending
- Breathe normally as if on the surface
Correct answer: Exhale continuously and audibly throughout the ascent
During a CESA, the diver must exhale continuously to prevent lung overexpansion injury as the surrounding pressure decreases during ascent.
Question 4: Which of the following is NOT a standard PADI Open Water confined water skill?
- Mask removal and replacement
- Regulator recovery and clearing
- Decompression stop at 5 meters (Correct answer)
- Underwater communication signals
Correct answer: Decompression stop at 5 meters
Decompression stops are not part of Open Water Diver training; OWD divers plan no-decompression dives and ascend within no-stop limits.
Question 5: A student surfaces from an open water dive and appears exhausted and barely keeping their head above water. The first action the rescuer should take is:
- Dive down to assist from below
- Establish positive buoyancy for the diver by inflating their BCD or directing them to inflate it (Correct answer)
- Begin rescue breathing immediately
- Tow the diver to the boat before assessing
Correct answer: Establish positive buoyancy for the diver by inflating their BCD or directing them to inflate it
Establishing positive buoyancy is the immediate priority for a distressed surface diver to prevent drowning while further assessment occurs.
Question 6: Why must divers make a 3-minute safety stop at 5 meters/15 feet at the end of open water dives?
- To decompress after any depth below 10 meters
- To allow additional off-gassing of nitrogen and provide a buffer against decompression sickness (Correct answer)
- To equalize one final time before surfacing
- To signal the boat that the dive is ending
Correct answer: To allow additional off-gassing of nitrogen and provide a buffer against decompression sickness
The safety stop allows extra time for dissolved nitrogen to off-gas, providing a safety margin even on no-decompression dives.
Question 7: During confined water training, a student's regulator free-flows. Which skill should they immediately apply?
- Ditch the regulator and surface
- Turn the cylinder valve off and signal the instructor
- Breathe from the free-flowing regulator by holding it at the corner of the mouth to control airflow (Correct answer)
- Switch immediately to the alternate air source
Correct answer: Breathe from the free-flowing regulator by holding it at the corner of the mouth to control airflow
A diver can breathe from a free-flowing regulator by positioning it at the corner of the mouth and allowing excess air to escape, providing time for a controlled ascent.
PADI Confined & Open Water Skills 4
During open water training, students must demonstrate a surface swim of at least how far without scuba equipment?