Open Water
Advanced
Menjangan Island
SSICertifying
agencies
A dive course in Pemuteran, certified inside a national park
Most people learn to dive in a quarry or a crowded bay. A dive course in Pemuteran finishes at Menjangan Island, on a coral wall inside West Bali National Park, which is a considerably better place to log your first open water dives.
Both dive course options are taught by a PADI or SSI instructor in a relaxed, unhurried setting. The certification you earn is recognised worldwide and does not expire, so it works anywhere you dive afterwards.
Theory
How pressure affects your body and your air, how the gear works, how to plan a dive safely. Delivered in sessions rather than a lecture.
Pool
Confined water, where you learn the skills without anything else going on. Mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy, and getting used to breathing underwater.
Pemuteran Beach
Your first dives in the ocean, on the sheltered reef in front of the village. Shallow, calm and the right place to repeat the skills for real.
Menjangan Island
The final day, on two sites at Menjangan inside the national park. This is where the course stops being training and starts being diving.
Which dive course to take
The Open Water dive course is the first certification and assumes nothing. Advanced builds on it and needs you to be certified already.
Open Water
3 days- Day 1Theory sessions, then a dive in the pool
- Day 2Into the ocean at Pemuteran Beach
- Day 3Menjangan Island, two different sites
- You needNo experience at all
- You getYour first scuba certification, valid worldwide
The entry level course, and the one that opens everything else. Never dived and not ready to commit to three days? Start with try scuba diving instead.
Ask about this courseAdvanced Open Water
2 days- Day 1Two dives in the ocean at Pemuteran
- Day 2Two dives at Menjangan, plus a night dive at Pemuteran
- CoversNavigation, buoyancy, a deep dive and three specialty dives you choose
- You needAn existing Open Water certification
- You getFive logged dives and the Advanced rating
Five dives across two days, including a night dive. The specialty choices are yours, so tell us what you want to work on when you book.
Ask about this courseIn the rate
Both courses- TransportReturn land transport within the Pemuteran area
- BoatBoat transport to Menjangan Island, on a shared boat
- InstructorPADI or SSI instructor throughout
- MaterialsDive book included
- GearFull set of dive equipment
- PermitEntrance fee included
- FoodLunch box and mineral water each day
Bring a swimsuit, a towel and your own mask if you have one you like. If you already hold a certification, bring the card and your logbook.
Where the dive course actually happens
The progression is deliberate. Each stage adds one thing to what you already did the day before.
The pool
Confined water skills
Day 1, Open Water
Pemuteran Beach
First dives in the ocean
Day 2
Menjangan Island
Two sites inside the national park
Final day
Leave a clear day between your last dive and your flight
An Open Water dive course runs three consecutive days and an Advanced course two. Both finish with diving, and the standard guidance is to wait at least 18 hours after your final dive before flying.
That matters more than people expect, because a course booked for the last three days of a Bali trip leaves no margin at all. Book it early in your stay. You then have a certification and several days left to use it, on the Pemuteran dive sites or the wall at Menjangan.
Before you sign up
- MedicalTell us about asthma, heart or lung conditions, ear or sinus trouble, recent surgery, epilepsy, diabetes or pregnancy. Some of these need a doctor’s clearance before a course can start.
- SwimmingBoth PADI and SSI require a basic watermanship check: a swim and a period of floating. It is not timed against a stopwatch, but you do need to be comfortable in water.
- Consecutive daysOpen Water needs three days in a row and Advanced two. Block them out before booking anything else.
- FlyingAt least 18 hours between your last dive and your flight.
- EarsIf you have a cold on day one, say so. You cannot equalise through a blocked nose and pushing it causes real injury.
- BringSwimsuit, towel, and your certification card and logbook if you are doing Advanced.
What the dive course covers
The days on each course, and the core skills you will be signed off on. Use it to keep track of where you are.
Nothing matches that search.
Open Water course
3 daysAdvanced course
2 daysCore skills
8 to masterCertified already and just want to dive? Skip the course and look at diving at Pemuteran, which covers eight sites in the bay including the Biorock reef project.
Common questions
None. The Open Water dive course assumes you have never dived. It starts with theory and a pool session precisely so that nothing on day one happens in the ocean.
Either, taught by a qualified instructor in that agency. Both are recognised worldwide and neither certification expires, so it makes little practical difference which one you hold. Tell us if you have a preference.
You need to be comfortable in water. Both agencies require a basic watermanship check, a swim and a period of floating, which is not a race. Tell us in advance if you are unsure.
Not the same day. Wait at least 18 hours after your final dive before flying. Book the course early in your trip rather than at the end, so you also have days left to dive on your new certification.
Tell us before you book. Asthma, heart and lung conditions, ear and sinus problems, recent surgery, epilepsy, diabetes and pregnancy all need to be raised in advance, and some require a doctor’s clearance before a course can begin.
Normally yes. The Open Water dive course runs over three days and Advanced over two, and the progression builds day on day. Message us if your travel dates make that difficult and we will see what is possible.
