Trash-Free Thursday
Dive with a purpose
Every Thursday our team heads out and clears whatever rubbish we can find on the reef and in the water.
Want to help? Ask us about joining a cleanup dive.
Ask about cleanup dives
SDI Open Water Scuba Diver is a full scuba licence. Once you finish, you can dive with a certified buddy, no professional needed, to 18 metres at dive centres all over the world.
The course combines theory (SDI eLearning or the manual), pool training and 4 open water dives in the Arabian Sea at Grande Island. You do not need any diving experience. Most students finish in 3 to 4 days.
SDI was the first agency to train every student on a personal dive computer, so you learn to dive the way divers actually dive today: with a computer on your wrist from the first dive.
Three phases build your knowledge and skills step by step before you dive in open water.
You practise every skill in the pool before the ocean: buoyancy control, mask clearing and removal, regulator recovery, sharing air with a buddy, controlled emergency swimming ascent, and entries and exits.
Four dives at Grande Island, at 18m or shallower, no more than 3 dives a day. You repeat the pool skills in the sea and finish with a guided dive where you plan and lead with your buddy.
No diving experience needed. You need:
All four certification dives are at Grandé Island, 30 minutes by speedboat from Novotel Candolim. We pick the site on the day based on conditions and how you're progressing.
Coral gardens, moray eels, snappers, parrotfish. Our main training reef, with gentle conditions and plenty of fish.
British-era wreck covered in soft coral, with resident groupers, blue-spotted stingrays and moray eels.
Rocky pinnacle with currents and open-water fish. Eagle rays and drift diving.
Protected bay, very gentle. Nudibranchs, pipefish, seahorses. A good place to practise skills away from the current.
Shallow reef for long bottom times. Small life such as nudibranchs and ornate ghost pipefish. Good for photography and hover practice.
Your SDI Open Water Scuba Diver card never expires. It lets you:
Here's what is different about diving with us.
Pro-grade gear serviced every 100 dives or 6 months, not when it fails. MK25/S620 regulator, Hydros Pro BCD, Aladin Sport dive computer. You train on the same kit our working instructors use.
Your instructor always knows where you are underwater. No crowded groups. If a skill needs more practice, you get the time, not whatever's left over after 8 other students.
We teach all three agencies at the same location, so you can pick the certification that fits your future dive plans. You get honest advice, not a push toward whichever we sell more of.
Proper briefing rooms, clean rinsing stations, a structured course schedule. The difference between a real dive school and a beach shack matters when you're doing a multi-day certification course.
Water at 27–30°C means no thermal stress while you learn. Goa's sandy-bottom training sites keep visibility high, so you focus on the skills instead of staying warm or fighting currents. Learning to dive here is a lot more comfortable than cold-water training.
All three are full scuba licences to 18 m, accepted at dive centres worldwide. Here is how they differ at FlyingFish.
| At FlyingFish, Goa | SDI Open Water Scuba Diver You are here | SSI Open Water Diver | PADI Open Water Diver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price at FlyingFish | |||
| Course price | ₹21,780+ GST ₹1,980 less than SSI · ₹13,692 less than PADI | ₹23,760+ GST | ₹35,472+ GST |
| Pay online to book | ₹5,000, rest at the centre | ₹5,000, rest at the centre | ₹10,000, rest at the centre |
| The course | |||
| Ocean dives | 4, no more than 3 a day | 4 | 4 |
| Pool training | Advantage: As many sessions as you need | 5 sessions on our schedule | 5 confined water sessions |
| Max depth | 18 m | 18 m | 18 m |
| Days | 3 to 4 Days | 3 to 4 Days | 3 to 4 Days |
| Minimum age | 10, with parent consent | 10 | 10 |
| Ages 10 to 14 | Advantage: Junior card to 18 m, with a parent, guardian or dive pro | Junior card; ages 10 and 11 stay within 12 m | Junior card; ages 10 and 11 stay within 12 m |
| How you learn | |||
| Theory | SDI eLearning or the manual | SSI eLearning in the MySSI app | PADI eLearning |
| Course materials | Included in our price | Included in our price | Included in our price |
| Dive computer | Advantage: On every dive from day one, an SDI rule | Used on our courses | Computer or dive tables |
| Your card | |||
| Certified to | 18 m with a certified buddy | 18 m with a certified buddy | 18 m with a certified buddy |
| Accepted worldwide | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Expires | Never | Never | Never |
| Next step | SDI Advanced Adventure Diver | SSI Advanced Open Water | PADI Advanced Open Water |
| Book SDI | Book SSI View course | Book PADI View course | |
Facts from each agency's published standards, checked November 2026. Prices per person, GST extra.
Species our divers see on these sites, from the FlyingFish marine life guide.
Every Thursday our team heads out and clears whatever rubbish we can find on the reef and in the water.
Want to help? Ask us about joining a cleanup dive.
Ask about cleanup divesCertified divers get 12 months of unlimited dives at Grande Island for ₹19,800 + GST.
See Dive ClubDon't just take our word for it. Here's what our guests say on Google and TripAdvisor.
Secure your spot today. Our team will confirm availability and arrange everything for you.
