PADI Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu
Are you wanting to learn to dive during your holiday in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah? Then choose the PADI Open Water Diver Course with Borneo Dream. The PADI Open Water Diver Course is the most popular course for learning to dive in the world! The full course is 3 days and involves an online pre-study session (PADI eLearning) followed by three days on our boat during which you will complete five confined water skill sessions, four open water dives, a swim and float test. Upon completing the PADI Open Water Diver Course you will be a certified PADI Open Water Diver and able to dive to 18 metres with a buddy anywhere in the world.
During your PADI Open Water Diver Course with Borneo Dream, all confined skill sessions and open water course dives are completed in the lovely tropical waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park located in front of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. During your open water dives, you can expect to see some pretty cool marine life including Clown Fish, Parrot Fish, Lion Fish, Puffer Fish, Barracuda, Yellow Snapper, Blue Spotted Rays and if you’re lucky a Hawksbill Turtle!
Learn to Dive – choose the PADI Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu
If you don’t have 3 days free during your holiday in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to learn to dive then there are other PADI Open Water Course options for you. The PADI Open Water Referral course is where you complete all the confined water training and academic study sessions in your home town with another PADI Dive Centre. Once you are on holiday in Kota Kinabalu you simply join us for 2 days of diving, completing four open water training dives.
Typical Itinerary for the full PADI Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu
Course Itinerary
With any course or training program, there is a certain amount of academic study required. However, we are always trying to help the planet as much as possible. Thus, we are introducing structured online learning rather than regular classroom-based sessions.
ONLINE LEARNING/ELEARNING – Once you have paid for your course, we will send you your PADI eLearning Assess code via email. Once you have received it and registered with PADI, you will have access to Online eBook, Certification credit, Knowledge Reviews, Quizzes and Final Exam, eTraining Logbook, Digital RDP with instructions and certifying credit. Your eLearning must be completed before attending the course. The following section needs only to be completed for a PADI Open Water Diver academic certification:
- Knowledge Review One
- Knowledge Review Two
- Knowledge Review Three
- Knowledge Review Four
- Knowledge Review Five
- Quiz One
- Quiz Two
- Quiz Three
- Quiz Four
- Open Water Diver Exam
- RDP Table and eRDPML Quiz
- RDP Table and eRDPML Exam – Metric
The online eLearning is now available in 28 languages – Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian, Bahasa Melayu (OWD, AOW & EANX), Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Hebrew, Italiano, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish & Tagalog.
DAY 1 – PADI Open Water Diver Course
Your need to meet our Dive Crew at the Red Public Telephone Booths at the entrance to Jesselton Point Jetty (in central Kota Kinabalu) at 08:45, for an 09:00 am boat departure. Please ensure you arrive on time, or early, as our boats will depart on time. You will enjoy a ~ 20 – 30 minute boat transfer to your morning dive site in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.
09:30 – Receive a full safety briefing provided by your PADI Instructor for your morning diving activities. You will then complete your 200m swim test and 10-minute float.
10:00 – You’ll be helped into your dive gear. You are now ready to start your morning scuba diving training session! During the morning training session, you will complete confined skill session 1.
11:30 till 12:00 – Back on our boat and a chance to shower. You’ll be transferred to Padang Point for a tasty lunch.
13:30 – Back on to our dive boat. Your PADI Instructor will provide a dive briefing for your first open water course dive. Put your dive gear on and go for a dive from our boat and enjoy diving along a shallow coral reef guided by your PADI Instructor. The dive can last anywhere from 30 – 50 minutes.
15:00 – Back on our boat after you finish your open water course dive. You’ll then be transferred back to Jesselton Point Jetty.
DAY 2 – PADI Open Water Diver Course
Meet our Dive Crew at Jesselton Point Jetty at 08:45 for a 09:00 boat departure. Today will be a busy dive day as we have a lot to do. In the morning, you will complete Confined Water Training Sessions 2, 3, 4 and 5, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, it is time for your PADI Open Water Dive 2. After your afternoon dive, you will be transferred back to Jesselton Point Jetty (arriving back around 15:30). By the end of today, you will have completed enough training to be a PADI Scuba Diver. Cool!
DAY 3 – PADI Open Water Diver Course
Meet our Dive Crew at Jesselton Point Jetty at 08:45, for a 09:00 boat departure. All being well, by the end of today you will be a PADI Open Water Diver and have joined the millions before you in this fantastic diver education program – The PADI Open Water Diver Course. Today will be a less busy PADI Open Water Diver Course day, but we still have a lot to do. In the morning you will complete Open Water Dive 3 followed by lunch. In the afternoon it is time for your PADI Open Water Dive 4 – your final qualifying dive :-). After high 5’s with your PADI Instructor, you’ll be transferred back to Jesselton Point Jetty (arriving back around 15:30). Congratulations on becoming a certified PADI Open water Diver!!
To join a PADI Open Water Diver Course, you must be:-
- Aged 10 years or older.
- Fit, healthy and able to swim comfortably (200 metres) in water too deep to stand up in. You will be required to self-certify that you are healthy to go diving before you start the course. If you answer YES to any question on the PADI Medical form, we will need to see a signed letter from your doctor saying you are healthy to dive. Here is a link to a typical medical form used during these courses and programmes.
- Prepared to study both before and during your PADI Open Water course.
- PADI Manual, Certification and Log Book (Depends upon the academic method provided).
- Full Diving Equipment
- Lunch on diving days (3)
- Low Instructor to Student Ratios, often lower than 1:4
- Drinking water – Please bring your own bottle to refill.
- Instruction in English, Malay or Chinese.
- Sabah Parks conservation and diving fees.
- A smile
- Collection from your hotel, guest house, airport etc.
- Anything not specifically mentioned.
- Towel
- Swimwear – Please be ready to get wet straight away 🙂
- Suntan lotion
- Any personal items
- Your PADI Manual (Depends upon the academic method provided)
- Money in case you want ice cream…
- A smile 🙂
Please note that you need to have a minimum of 18 hours free after diving before flying on a plane, or changing altitude > 300 metres, in line with PADI safety standards.
Amber (TripAdvisor) –
A truly memorable experience
We had a wonderful time on our snorkel trip! Bas is a friendly, patient & knowledgeable tour guide. Captain Sha also delivered a first-rate service! This was an unforgettable experience, and I was particularly impressed with the care & respect Bas displayed for marine life. Thank you ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sanush (TripAdvisor) –
Friendly
Very friendly and professional dive (Basir and Esther) and boat crew. We dived for two days in a row, and everything was well organized. They had all our gear waiting for us on the boat. We just had to gear up and jump in. The equipment was all well maintained. Highly recommended if you have a few days to spare in KK.
KCSH (TripAdvisor) –
Good PADI Dive Centre and OWC Instructors
5 STARs experience with Borneo Dream Travel & Tour Sdn Bhd.
Very knowledgeable & highly dedicated Diving Instructor, En Amir Tenden.
Good teaching & easy to understand.
The highly recommended diving instructor who PADI qualifies. He is strict but good at ensuring you stay alive in coming dives after you graduate.
Uneventful booking experience with Borneo Dream. Whatsapp customer care personnel is very attentive and responsive, despite off-office hours.
Well-equipped & full-fledged diving facilities. The diving boat is spacious & relatively new.
Diving cost is considered the cheapest in KK, Sabah.
Paloma (TripAdvisor) –
Great company, great instructor
My mother and I received our PADI scuba diver and open water diver certifications from Borneo Dream and could not have asked for a better experience. We needed extra attention to master the skills, and our instructor Esther was kind, patient, and warm the entire time. She helped us master the material and the required skills while keeping things fun and calm. We also appreciated the helpfulness of the boat crew and the tasty lunches at Pedang Point! We thought about doing our certifications in Thailand but ended up going for KK, which was the right choice. I recommend Borneo Dream to anyone looking for a legitimate and fun course. Thank you so much to Borneo Dream, specifically Esther!
Maxime S (TripAdvisor) –
Amazing amazing!!
Had the best experience!! Our instructor Basir was so nice and helpful. We learned a lot and saw so many cool fishes and turtles. We felt really safe during all the diving exercises and learned a lot. Basir has a really good eye for spotting wildlife which made the experience even better than it already was. So happy we got our padi certificate with Borneo Dream! I 100% recommend it.
Esther Pang –
BEST company in providing Diving Courses in KK
I am local in Sabah and plan to learn diving a while ago. Friends recommended Borneo Dream and it turned out to be the best choice. They are very good in terms of instructor experience, well-structured course and reasonable price. Fast and prompt in providing diving slots, flexible in diving schedule. Most important, instructors always make sure we learn the right skills to be safe in diving. I did both Discover Scuba Dive and Open Water Diving courses with them. Very happy with both instructors Sabri and Amir. Strongly recommend anyone who wants to do diving courses and fun dives with Borneo Dream.
Elda –
AWESOME!!!
We were glad we chose Borneo Dream as our diving instructor. IT WAS AWESOMEEEEEE!!!! BEST INSTRUCTORS FOR KIDS!!!! It was an unforgettable moment for our family. Thanks for the incredible experience, knowledge and skills.
WE WILL BE BACK FOR MORE!!!!!
Glodie Lai –
Excellent diving experience with Borneo Dream
I enrolled in the PADI Open Water Diver Course with Borneo Dream on January 2022. Borneo Dream has excellent service! The equipment provided is clean and new. The trip to and from the Jetty was smooth. Lunch provided has big portions. Esther, my instructor, is energetic and always ready to help when I was too nervous in the ocean! She is super fun to be with. Overall, I had wonderful learning and diving experience with Borneo Dream! I will certainly dive with Borneo Dream again!
Ahmad Afiq –
My favourite moment basically everything while doing the course. it is very recommended. The instructor was very patient and friendly too!
Ahmad Muqri –
A great diving lesson with Borneo Dream Tours! The instructor Esther is really friendly and know how to explain to students the correct and safe way to dive. Transportation to the dive site is nice. Really recommend having a dive or vacation with Borneo Dream tours!
Shaiful –
3 Days PADI OWDC – High & fully recommended. Your learning experience exp & diving skills will be greatly improved.
Signed up for PADI Open Water Dive with my younger son for 3dy; 2-4 Dec21. An awesome experience to be a first-time diver (totally zero knowledge as a diver). Grateful to be taught by the instructor, Mr Amirrudin Tenden. Well structured both theories & practical courses provided to students.
Mary S –
PADI OPEN WATER COURSE
My kids LOVE the experience they gained from Padi Open Water Course. Thanks to their awesome instructor Esther. All the crews were Helpful n friendly. Definitely will be back again…Thank u Borneo Dream! – June 2021
Kevin Noel –
Highly recommended !!
Review of: Learn to Dive with a PADI Open Water Diver Course (3 Days) in Kota Kinabalu
The best diving course experience by our instructor Esther. Every lesson is loud and clear and the experience underwater is superb! Very recommended – April 2021
Audrey Lim –
Wonderful experience!
Review of: Learn to Dive with a PADI Open Water Diver Course (3 Days) in Kota Kinabalu
We had our 3 days course instructed by Esther Koh. She made learning fun and was very patient with her students. A fun, happy go lucky and full of knowledge. She knows how to cope with her students. She’s definitely an asset to the company! Well done and good job! Not forgetting our boatman Shah & Zul. Very helpful and friendly. Thank you for the experience. 3 days full of the wonderful experience we had. Recommended! – April 2021
Melania Michael –
Customer: Melania Michael
Date: 29th till 31st March 2021
Comment: Thank you so much. It was such a beautiful experience. Amir was great, so as the rest of the crew, Ian, Esther & the boatman too!! I truly enjoyed every moment spent throughout the 3-day course, I couldn’t ask for more. I’m looking forward to the PADI Advanced course soon.
Lauren B (TripAdvisor) –
Great open water course! – Did our 3 day open water course with Basir. He was very patient and professional, we left feeling very confident in or ability and looking forward to our next dives! The team are great fun. Thank you all! Jamie & Lauren
Alex B (TripAdvisor) –
PADI Open Water Diving Course – My wife and I have just finished the PADI open water diving course with Borneo Dreams. Our instructor, Basir, was amazing, very calm and helpful. My wife was quite apprehensive about the course but he enabled all of us to complete it. We had a great time, learnt loads and saw a huge amount of different fish and sea life. All the equipment provided was top notch. Would thoroughly recommend Borneo Dream! A great experience!
Celin Y (TripAdvisor) –
PADI Open Water Diving Course
First time diving underwater and it was a great experience under the guidance of our instructor – Esther Koh! I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the course but Esther was very dedicated and patient in teaching all the skills over and over again. I know I will be safe under her guidance. Unfortunately, it was not a good weather during the diving course but Esther managed to show us some interesting marine creatures such as reef shark, lionfish, black scorpion and etc! Thank you Esther and the crews for the wonderful and enjoyable 3 days of dives.
대규 최 (TripAdvisor) –
You’ll never regret choosing this diving shop! – I came to KK alone only for diving. I’ve never dived in my life so it was the first time. The instructors are really nice and pro. The sea is enough warm to swim and clean to see many fishes. I could see beautiful corals, turtles, squids, yellow snappers and eagle ray. You can see more beautiful creatures. I got the Open Water course here and did fun dive for 2 days.
Thank you Bas, Amir, Yoojin, Esther and Zull. You gave me great presents. I’ll never forget all of you. I wanna come back here, see you and get the advanced license.
Take Care and Good Luck with your life!!
Thank you!!
Christoph F Greater London, United Kingdom (TripAdvisor) –
Excellent diving experience – My first time diving after passing my PADI course and it was an amazing experience. Amir and Esther took great care me. I did six dives with them and saw amazing wildlife while improving my diving skills. Safe, professional and really fun people. From sales staff at Gaya to managers Billy and Bob an absolute top team.
Chenming Z Osaka, Japan (TripAdvisor) –
Utmost professional (Open Water diving course) – My friend and I are most satisfied with our experience with Borneo Dream.
I first made my enquiry for open water course 1 week prior to our holiday, which was very last-minute. I approached all top 5 agents on TripAdvisor, and Borneo Dream had the fastest response(even after the closing hour), and arranged new spots for us that work with our schedule.
For the OW course, Borneo Dream is not the cheapest, but the communication was very sincere. There was no aggressive up-selling as I experienced with some other highly rated agents. We were told that dive computer rental is advised but not mandatory for the OW course, too. Which saved us a bit extra.
The teacher-student ratio was 1:2, only Amir(certainly the most assuring and professional mentor in the water) and us. The course takes 3.5days, unlike 3days at other agents in Kota Kinabalu, or 1day in Phuket…Which is the most attention you can ask for in the water. This was especially helpful as I personally had a lot of fear of ocean due to inexperience(I could only do breaststroke). Yet with this course, I learnt finning, floating, skin dive, water-clearing in mask and snorkel and all other diving basics. Water entry was the most dreadful thing, but as strict as Amir is, I had to do everything multiple times until I built up enough confidence to perform properly.
The rest of the Borneo team was also very professional. The dive boat was well maintained. Briefing on all kinds of on-boat and in-water rules was succinct and on point.
Knowing my friend’s liveaboard experience in Thailand, I am truly glad that I booked with Borneo Dream, which is, by all means, safer, cleaner and more fun(blessed by Sabah’s amazing marine life).
Other highlights include the diligent hidden photoshop talent on their Facebook page, free cookies every day after the dive, and Amir’s jokes.
Will certainly come back to hang out with the crew.
Henrik H (TripAdvisor) –
Open water course with Dreamboy Jason – Not much to be said. We did a four-day course to become open water divers. Jason really did a good job helping us out and cracking a few jokes in between.
Physically we are done but it was all worth it.
Everitt family –
Borneo Dream did an excellent job accommodating our family. Our 12 yo daughter completed her Open Water certification and Basir, our guide, was wonderful with her- encouraging her and sharing his enthusiasm for diving. It was great that my husband (a certified diver) was able to accompany her on all her dives and be a part of this with her. Myself and our younger daughter were able to accompany them on the boat for the 3rd day and enjoyed the wonderful snorkeling. The boat, equipment and dive/snorkel sites were all great and the Borneo Dream staff made our trip top notch. Highly recommend!
Chris Ackermann –
My Padi OWD Course with Borneo Dream was absolutely amazing. You guys really did a perfect job! I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but our instructor Eugene was extremely professional, patient, welcoming and funny! I felt very safe all the time and had lots of fun at very nice dive spots! I’m already looking forward to dive with you guys soon 😉 Eugene and Team, thank you so much for opening the marine world!
Nic –
Absolutely amazing course, really from the start the guys are professional but also fun too. We were a little nervous in the water at first and all the group felt a little unsure and also overwhelmed by the theory. But they really made everything so easy, step by step, and in the end the exam was nothing and we were so comfortable and confident in the water! We also saw some really stunning places out here, great place to do your PADI.
Alexander Biliy –
PADI OWD opened for me now!
All because of these guys!
Thank you so much for such a professional, funny and safe course!
Special thanx to Basir, my instructor!
The best of the Best!
Amber Wilmshurst –
Our Padi Open Water Diver course, was an incredible experience. Our instructor, Basir, made it even more wonderful. He was such a lovely instructor and gave us time if we couldn’t do something and helped us to retry. He was hilarious and made the whole trip more enjoyable. We saw 3 green turtles on one of our dives which was amazing! Would truly recommend Borneo Dream, and ask for Basir if you can:)
Amber and Jess.
Kristine –
In connection with our recent stay in Gaya Island Resort we went diving 2 of the days with Borneo Dream. Since it had been 5 years since my last dive I was a bit rusty on my skills. Luckily that was not a problem at all since both we had very experienced, friendly and patient diving instructors in Basir and Amir. They took the time to brush up on all the safety exercies etc which made me feel very safe and comfortable during our 5 dives. If we come back to this area we would not hesitate to go diving with these guys again – can highly recommend. Thank you for some very good, safe and comfortable dives 🙂
Sasha –
A Labour Day weekend well spent getting my OWD certification. Special thanks to Basir, our PADI instructor for being infinitely patient, informative and teaching us to ‘fall with style’. Thanks to the entire crew for the entertainment and warmth shown to us throughout the trip!
Johanna –
The team of Borneo Dream did a splendid job they way they organised the PADI open water course. The instructors are very kind and with a touch of humour they teach you all you need to know. They take you to different places for the diving, so you see a different reef each time.
The staff in the office is likewise kind and helpful with any kind of questions you have (I asked about a spa and they could recommend me a great one). The team is very professional and personal at the same time. For me it was absolutely value for money.
Lady Of Misrule, UK (TripAdvisor) –
Open Water Certification & 4D 3N Jungle Adventure
We took our Open Water Certification with Borneo Dream after doing some research of dive schools in the local area. We settled on them as they had good reviews and good prices. We were not disappointed! Our instructors were really knowledgeable with decades of diving experience between them and doing the course was so much fun! Our confined water dives we did just off Sapi Island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, which I was really pleased with, we had tropical fish swimming all around us as we learned the basics, & it felt like a more comfortable transition from learning to actual diving than maybe doing the confined dives in the pool would have been. The dives themselves were really fun, we did 2 on the House Reef and the other 2 in the Coral Garden, different sections each time. Saw a bunch of pufferfish, lionfish, barracuda, stingrays, mantis shrimp, a moray eel and loads of other fish.
We also chose to book with Borneo Dream for a 4D3N tour, which took in a Turtle Sanctuary, where we got to see a Turtle give birth and then some baby turtles released into the wild, which was magical. We initially thought this might be a if you’re lucky kind of situation but it happens every night. And it’s great. Second day we visited the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary and the Sun Bear Sanctuary in the morning, both of which were awesome, and then went to the Kinabatangan Lodge in the jungle, where we stayed a further 2 nights. During this time we took two sunrise river cruises, two sunset river cruises, 2 night hikes through the jungle and one trek to an Oxbow Lake. This entire experience has been incredible. In the wild we saw Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, Silver Langurs, Saltwater Crocodiles, all kinds of birds and spiders and scorpions and generally just had an amazing time. Falling asleep in our bamboo hut listening to the sounds of the rainforest was truly magical. On the last day we visited the Gomantong Caves and we saw a mother and baby Orangutan and some red leaf monkeys as an added bonus to the cave itself, which was immense and really cool.
Big shout out to our Jungle Guide James, who was with us for the whole four days and was an all around great guy. He was really knowledgeable and really friendly and approachable – an amaing guide, we couldn’t have hoped for better.
Really enjoyed both of our experiences – thanks Borneo Dream! 🙂
Visited February 2016
Imke Rian Schoppink –
PADI Open Water Diver Course, Kota Kinabalu – After all the learning and practising (safety) exercises, it’s really cool to finally do a fun dive and use some of the things you learned. I loved the lessons but the fun dives were my favourite. And loved our instructor Basir! He stayed really calm, friendly and funny while explaining everything.
Ammar Rafidah Binti Saptu, MY –
Borneo Dream is always the best team I must Choose for diving needs in Kota Kinabalu. I look forward to diving again soon. Richard help, guide, support & always be patient with both of us & made us feel confident,relaxed especially me who was nervous to complete open water module. All crew in boat looked after us very well.
Xavier Drion, HK –
PADI Open Water Diver Course Kota Kinabalu, Sabah – Professional and securing team and fun in addition.
Anna Frackiewicz & Xavier Drion –
PADI Open Water Diver Course, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah – People 🙂 Our instructor as well as the rest of the team were very patient helpful and professional.
Chung Yuk Ka, HK –
PADI Open Water Diver Course, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah – Safe and smooth arrangement on everything. All staffs are very nice. The coaching was professional. We did learn a lot about diving.
Chung Yuk Ka, HK –
Safe and smooth arrangement on everything. All staffs are very nice. The coaching was professional. We did learn a lot about diving.
Siobhan Collie, Australia –
The whole experience was such a fabulous way to start diving and complete my first course! I had an awesome instructor (Ian) who ensured we always knew what we were doing above/underwater and made room for fun at the same time. I loved my diving experience with Borneo Dream and am very grateful. Thank you.
Zoe Nackman, Australia –
Phil and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kota Kinabalu, learning to dive. We found Eugene to be wonderful and his calm personality is certainly the right fit for the diving industry. He was very patient with us, and gave instructions and directions very clearly. All in all, five out of five for Eugene.
I also found the customer service leading up to our trip to be fantastic. You always managed to respond to me emails within a few days. I was a little confused when I arrived at the resort, as was under the impression that we were going to get our manuals on check in. This was probably just my confusion.
The only suggestion I would make is that as the stay and dive is sold as a package, it would have been good to have transport included to and from the resort to the dive centre/jetty (and charge a little extra). Overall, taxi service was easy enough so no big deal.
Thank you to you and the whole team at Borneo Dream. It was truly an amazing experience.
Hopefully we will return next year to dive Sipadan.