Course overview

Become a certified diver with the SSI Open Water Diver course on Maafushi, qualifying you to dive with a buddy to 18 metres anywhere in the world. You build skills on the island's calm house reef and complete four open-water dives across South Malé Atoll sites alive with reef fish, turtles and reef sharks in warm 27-30°C water. SSI delivers the theory through its free digital platform, so you can study at your own pace.

What you’ll learn

• Set up, use and care for scuba equipment
• Perform all essential skills in confined water
• Clear your mask and recover your regulator with confidence
• Achieve neutral buoyancy and efficient movement
• Plan and conduct dives with a buddy using a computer
• Handle common problems and dive to 18 metres

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (Junior Open Water Diver)
• No prior certification required
• Able to swim and be comfortable in open water
• Diver medical questionnaire (physician sign-off if indicated)

What's included · What's not

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Academics & first skills

   Work through SSI academics on the app and start confined-water skills on the calm house reef.
2. Day2
   Confined water completed

   Finish the confined-water sessions and complete the knowledge assessments.
3. Day3
   Open-water dives 1 & 2

   Apply your skills on the first two open-water dives at atoll sites such as Maafushi Corner.
4. Day4
   Open-water dives 3 & 4

   Complete the final two open-water dives among reef fish and turtles to certify.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Maafushi.

Frequently asked questions