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PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course | Kota Kinabalu

(2 customer reviews)

From: $170

The PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course is a two-day course for completing your four open water dives with Borneo Dream in the tropical waters of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. In advance of your holiday, you will need to have completed all your academics and confined skill sessions with another PADI Dive Centre in your home town. This course is ideal if you live where the waters are a bit cooler and you’d like your open-water course dives to be in warmer waters over tropical coral reefs.

Please note – The above price is per person and is based upon joining a scheduled course or a 2-person booking. Price excludes Sabah Parks Conservation fees added below when selecting either Malaysian or Non-Malaysian.

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Dive computer rental

Monitor your dives with a dive computer rental. We offer Mares Puck Pro dive computers for rental. They are very simple to use and are also Nitrox/Enriched Air capeable. The replacement cost should you lose or damage it is RM 1000.00/unit.

U/Water Digiatal Camera Rental

Why not capture a few underwater memories with an underwater camera rental? We offer a Nikon W300 rated to 30m or GoPro Hero 11 with an underwater housing and float handle rated to 40m. Your images will be uploaded to a Google Drive, and a link will be shared with you. Photos will be available for download for approximately ten days. Please be aware that there will be a charge for loss or damage to the camera and housing RM 2500.00

PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

The PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, is an ideal choice if you only have two (2) days free and want to become a certified PADI Open Water Diver. The PADI Referral Open Water is easy – simply find a local PADI Dive Centre where you live and complete your five (5) confined skills, academics (5 knowledge reviews, four quizzes and a final exam) and swimming and float test before you come on holiday. Then come on holiday to complete the four open water dives with Borneo Dream across two days. Upon completing the PADI Referral Open Water course, you will be a qualified PADI Open Water Diver certified to dive to 18m with a buddy.

During your PADI Referral Course option with Borneo Dream in Kota Kinabalu, you will have two days of ‘wet activities’ and an academic refresher. All course dives are completed in the toasty tropical waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, located in front of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Become a certified diver in two days with the PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu!

It is always a good idea to inform your first dive centre who you will be completing the second part of your referral open water with so that nothing is missed. On leaving your first dive centre, you must have a copy or original of ALL your dive paperwork (especially your partially completed PADI Course Referral Form).

There are also other PADI Open Water Diver options open to you for learning to dive with Borneo Dream. If you have three (3) days free, why not consider the full PADI eLearning Open Water diver course? If you decide you’d like to complete the full course in Kota Kinabalu, then the PADI Open Water Diver Course is your best choice.

Are you ready to book your PADI Open Water Referral Course and learn to dive during your holiday in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah? Just contact the Borneo Dream Travel Centre Team so that they can check availability for you. You can also easily buy your PADI Open Water Referral Course online via our website – just ‘sign in’ above and click on ‘add to cart!

Typical Itinerary for the PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Course Itinerary

Day 1

You 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 boat departure. Please ensure you arrive on time, or early, as our boats will depart on time.

Today you will complete a skills refresher as it might have been a few weeks since you completed your first part. This will be followed by two dives, one before and one after lunch.

Day 2

Today will be a relaxed day as we only have a few skills and a couple of dives to complete. We will do one dive before and one dive after lunch. After that, you have completed your referral open water and will be certified as an open water diver. Isn’t the PADI Referral Open Water just great for fast results?

Course Pre-requisites

To join a PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course, you must be:-

  • Provide a partially completed PADI Course Referral form. Your first PADI Instructor should have signed off all your academics, confined skill sessions, and swim and float tests.
  • You must have completed the first part of your open water course less than 12 months from completing the referral part of the course.
  • 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. A copy of the latest medical form can be found here.

What’s included?

  • Four (4) open-water dives over two days
  • Free use of our rental Diving Equipment
  • Lunch on diving days
  • Low Instructor to Student Ratios, often lower than 1:4
  • Free flow water on our boats
  • Sabah Parks Conservation Fees
  • A smile!

What’s not included?

  • Transfers from your hotel
  • Final PADI Certification – This would be provided by the first dive centre either as a paper PIC or as an electronic eLearning eCode.
  • Anything not specifically mentioned.

What do I need to bring on my diving days?

  • Your partially completed PADI Course Referral Form
  • Towel
  • Swimwear – Please be ready to get wet straight away 🙂
  • Suntan lotion
  • Dry bag
  • Money in case you want ice cream…
  • A smile

Notes – PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Please note that you must 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. Your last dive should finish around 15:30 on the last day of your course.

2 reviews for PADI Referral Open Water Diver Course | Kota Kinabalu

  1. BenT_10 Sydney, Australia (TripAdvisor)

    Open water dive course – Just finished my Open Water dive course with Borneo Dream. I could not have picked a better dive school to do it with! My instructors Jason and Esther were amazing, really talented, confident and great people. The course was great fun and I saw some amazing wild life including some turtles and lionfish. I couldn’t recommend this company highly enough! If you’ve been thinking about trying scuba, just do it!

  2. Andrea porter

    Myself and my husband booked a open water referral course August 2016. I would recommend borneo dreams. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I was nervous about doing my mask removal but the instructor was patient and supportive. We had lunch on sapi island and then did our second dive. A great experience. We were so impressed we have booked 4 more dives with them.

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PADI Open Water

  • Can I fly after diving or climb a mountain?

    Flying after diving or going to Mount Kinabalu Park can be risky, and you need to know and understand this. Anytime you have been scuba diving, you should not go above 300 metres above sea level until you have met the following requirements:

    • A minimum of 12-hour surface interval was recommended for the single no-decompression dive.
    • A minimum of 18-hour surface interval for multi-day repetitive diving.
    • Substantially longer than 18 hours after diving involving compulsory decompression or using heliox and trimix.

    Further information can be found on the Divers Alert Network site or DAN – Please click here.

  • How long will the eLearning take to complete?

    The PADI eLearning system is simply amazing and has revolutionised the diving industry. To complete your eLearning it should take you around 10 to 15 hours. But we have known those who have busted it out in just a few hours.

  • What is eLearning & Can I study online before the course?

    Our standard or normal PADI Open Water Diver Course, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course and PADI Rescue Diver Course prices now all include online learning. Using PADI’s amazing online learning system called eLearning. Once you have successfully completed your course booking and paid in full we will generally send out your eLearning eCode to you approximately 1 or 2 weeks before your course. This will arrive in the form of an email from PADI directly with a link to your course registration. It can be completed online via a PC/MAC or via an App on your mobile phone. The online academics will take on average around 10 hours to complete.

  • I never received my PADI card?

    Generally, we certify you by a paper PIC (Positive Identification Card) Form that you would have filled out, attached passport photo and mailed to PADI in Australia. We do advise you to take a photocopy prior to sending it as this will help if you lose or never receive your PADI Card.

    If you have done all that and it has been over 6 weeks and still no PADI Card has turned up then download the following form PADI Never Received Card Form (https://www.borneodream.com/forms/10226-never-received-card-form.pdf) and email it to PADI at certsdep@padi.com.au – All the information on the form can generally be taken for your photocopy of the PIC Form mentioned above. If you need help then please contact us but supply us with as much information as possible about you, your instructor and the date you took the course with us.

  • Is it easy to get from the city centre to Jesselton Point Jetty?

    Most watersports trips depart from Jesselton Point Jetty (https://g.page/JesseltonPoint) in central Kota Kinabalu. If you are staying at a city centre hotel or guest house you will often find it far quicker to walk to Jesselton Point. If you are staying at hotels or resorts such as Shangri-La Rasa Ria or Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa then I would certainly grab a taxi.

  • Can anyone learn to dive?

    If you can navigate your way across KL airport or through a busy shopping centre, we feel you can learn to dive. 99% Of being able to learn to dive or complete a PADI Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu is a right positive mental attitude and believing in your own abilities. All we ask is that you are fit and well and have the ability to swim 200 metres in water too deep to stand up in.

  • How deep can I dive with my PADI Open Water Certification?

    If you are 15 years old or older on the date you complete your PADI Open Water Diver Course in Kota Kinabalu you can dive to 18metres in theory. I say this: even if your Lamborgini can go at 200mph should you not first learn to drive slower? Always build up your experience gently in a controlled manner. It tends to make you live longer 🙂

  • Is Malaysia the cheapest place to take my PADI Open Water?

    There is a very old but correct saying – You get exactly what you pay for. The cost of a PADI Open Water Course in Europe is far higher than it is in Asia. This is to do with the cost of living and peoples potential income levels. The same way a Big Mac is RM 1.00 in Malaysia but 5,00€ in Europe. Looking at prices across Asia I would say Malaysia is near the top in value for money or cheapest price range. Borneo Dream’s prices are not the lowest in our area but our dedication to safety and quality speaks volumes. Take a look at our reviews on TripAdvisor or Google Maps.

  • Can I fail a PADI Open Water Course?

    Fail is not something we at Borneo Dream like to say or use unless we have to. Generally, there is always a reason why someone fails to complete a PADI Open Water Course. It can be as simple as ill-prepared, maybe a very strong fear of water or this is just not for me. Our professional team are there to train and mentor you and guide you in the right direction. We will make every hurdle manageable for you. If you have any concerns about taking part in a PADI Open Water Course then why not contact us in advance.

  • How much does a PADI Open Water Certification cost in kk?

    The PADI Open Water Diver Course in KK ‘Kota Kinabalu’ is just three days with approximately 10 hours of online study beforehand. Prices for this excellent underwater adventure start from RM 1325.00/Student or USD 275.00/Student. The price includes return transfers from Jesselton Point Jetty in central Kota Kinabalu, complete diving equipment, lunch on diving days, PADI materials (eLearning), and of course, a professional smile.

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