PADI Voodoo Open Water Class

The Voodoo Open Water class combines open water and nitrox making divers more skilled with using nitrox from the start of their diving career. A combined Scuba Open Water and Nitrox course typically blends two essential certifications in diving: the foundational Open Water Diver course and the specialty Nitrox course, which allows divers to use enriched air. By combining both courses, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge to dive confidently as a new diver and extend your bottom times with Nitrox, offering you a richer diving experience at an earlier time in your diving career.

Course Breakdown

Day 1-2: Open Water Diver Classroom and Confined Water Dives 1-3

● You’ll focus on mastering the foundational skills and concepts of diving.
● You’ll dive into your pool sessions, where you'll be introduced to the key
practical skills, like buoyancy control, mask skills, and breathing techniques.
● During this phase, you’ll also learn how to assemble and adjust your gear
properly.

Day 3: Nitrox Classroom and Confined Open Water Dives 4-5

● After reviewing your classroom knowledge, you’ll be introduced to Nitrox,
diving into its benefits, risks, and how to calculate safe depths.

● You’ll practice gas analysis and dive planning using Nitrox.

● During your open water dives (1-5 dives), you’ll apply both your Open Water skills and Nitrox training:

○ You’ll use Nitrox and dive according to its specific limits.
○ Complete the required skills in a real-world dive environment.

Duration

The combined course may take 3 days, depending on your instructor, dive shop, and how fast you progress.

Certification

Upon successful completion of both the Open Water and Nitrox components
(including theory, confined water sessions, and open water dives), you'll be certified in both and will receive a special certificate recognizing you as a “Voodoo Diver”:

● Open Water Diver: You’re a fully qualified diver, able to dive to a depth of 60 feet.
● Nitrox Diver: You’re certified to use Nitrox for recreational diving.

Prerequisites

For the Open Water course, you’ll need to be at least 10-15 years old (depending on the agency) and in good health. Nitrox has no specific prerequisites, but it’s usually recommended to complete Open Water first, since you need to be a certified diver to take the Nitrox specialty.