Safety, Quality, Experience of diving education!
Recreational
Diving Courses
From your very first breath underwater to Rescue Diver — a complete, structured training pathway with internationally recognised IDU certifications. Safety, quality, experience.
Why train
with IDU?
Every IDU programme is built around the principle that a trained, confident diver is a safe diver. Safety is never compromised.
High standards for both divers and instructors ensure that every certification means something — in every ocean, on every dive.
IDU trains self-reliant divers capable of planning, organising and executing dives independently and safely.
All IDU standards conform to international ISO and EUF frameworks, guaranteeing global recognition and acceptance.
Your journey
from zero to hero
The IDU recreational pathway is a clear, progressive sequence. Each level builds on the previous, expanding depth, skills and confidence.
All recreational
courses & requirements
Every IDU recreational diving course with depth limits, prerequisites, minimum age and certification status at a glance.
| Course Name | Course Details | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course | Max Depth | Min Age | Prerequisite | Dives Required | Notes |
| 🤿 ENTRY LEVEL — First Experience | |||||
| Discover Scuba Diving | 12m | 10 | None | 1 supervised dive | Introductory experience only. Not a certification course. Supervised by instructor at all times. |
| 🎓 CORE CERTIFICATION — Open Water Diver | |||||
| Supervised Diver IDU | 12m | 10 | None | Min 4 open water dives | Entry-level certification for supervised diving up to 12 m. Ideal for younger students or those starting slowly. |
| Open Water Diver (OWD) IDU | 18m | 14 | None required | Min 5 open water dives | The primary entry-level certification. Full independent dive privileges to 18 m with a certified buddy. Internationally recognised. Includes theory, confined water and open water training. |
| ⭐ MANDATORY SPECIALISATIONS — Required for Advanced OWD | |||||
| Perfect Buoyancy Control IDU Mandatory | 18m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 4 dives | Mastery of buoyancy, trim, weighting, finning technique and body position. Required for Advanced OWD. Recommended for all divers regardless of level. |
| Underwater Navigation IDU Mandatory | 18m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 4 dives | Compass navigation, natural navigation, route planning, distance estimation. Required for Advanced OWD. |
| Deep Diver IDU Mandatory | 40m | 16 | OWD IDU | Min 4 dives | Safe deep dive planning, nitrogen narcosis, gas management, emergency gas source. Required for Advanced OWD. |
| Nitrox Diver IDU Mandatory | 40m | 14 | OWD IDU | Knowledge-based — no extra dives required | Enriched air planning, gas analysis, MOD calculation, reduced DCS risk. Recommended alongside OWD. Required for Advanced OWD. Self-study option available. |
| 🏅 ADVANCED LEVEL | |||||
| Adventure to Advanced OWD IDU | 40m | 16 | OWD IDU | Min 4 dives | Introduction to 4 specialisations: 3 mandatory (Buoyancy, Navigation, Deep) + 1 elective. Does not award full specialisation certs but provides experience. Pathway to full AOWD. |
| Advanced Open Water Diver (AOWD) IDU | 40m | 16 | OWD IDU 4 spec. courses | Awarded automatically | Awarded automatically upon completion of: Perfect Buoyancy Control + Underwater Navigation + Deep Diver + Nitrox Diver + any 1 elective specialisation. Not a standalone course — it is the result of 5 completed specialisations. |
| 🔧 ELECTIVE SPECIALISATIONS — Choose any 1 for AOWD (or take all) | |||||
| Dry Suit Diver IDU | 40m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 4 dives | Drysuit buoyancy control, inflation/exhaust valves, undersuit selection, maintenance. Required prerequisite for Ice Diver IDU. |
| Sidemount Diver IDU | 40m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 4 dives | Equipment configuration, cylinder placement, valve control, protocols for sidemount recreational diving. |
| Ice Diver IDU | 18m | 16 | OWD IDU Dry Suit IDU | Min 4 dives | Under-ice diving procedures, tethered dives, cold-water protocols, emergency procedures. Requires prior Dry Suit Diver IDU certification. |
| Night Dive & Low Visibility IDU | 18m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 3 dives | Night-diving procedures, torch communication signals, buddy contact protocols in reduced visibility. Highly recommended for all recreational divers. |
| Boat Diver IDU | 18m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 2 dives | Boat entry/exit techniques, vessel organisation, safety rules, surface marker buoy deployment from a boat. |
| Drift Dive IDU | 30m | 14 | OWD IDU | Min 3 dives | Planning and executing dives in current, route calculation, gas planning, rescue and self-rescue skills in currents. |
| 🆘 SAFETY, RESCUE & PROFESSIONAL | |||||
| Emergency First Aid (EFA) IDU | — | 14 | None | Classroom / practical | First aid and CPR for divers and non-divers alike. Covers primary and secondary care, AED usage, management of diving emergencies. Useful in everyday life, not only diving. |
| Rescue Diver IDU | 30m | 16 | AOWD IDU EFA IDU | Min 6 dives | Prevention and management of diving emergencies, water rescue techniques, panicking diver management, surface rescues, diving accident management. Gateway to professional levels. |
| Self-Reliant Diver IDU | 30m | 18 | AOWD IDU 100+ dives | Min 4 dives | Solo dive planning and organisation, self-rescue techniques, redundant equipment requirements, gas management for solo operations. For experienced, independent divers. |
| Divemaster IDU | 40m | 18 | Rescue Diver IDU 60+ dives | Internship hours | First professional level. Qualifies holder to lead certified divers, assist with training and work as a dive guide in a dive centre. Gateway to IDU Instructor programmes. |
| Gas Blender IDU | — | 18 | Nitrox Diver IDU | Practical sessions | Preparation of Nitrox and Trimix breathing mixtures. Qualifies holder to work as a gas blender specialist in a dive facility. |
Expand your
diving horizons
Beyond the standard pathway, IDU offers a range of specialty programmes to help you dive in more environments, more conditions and with greater confidence.
Master your trim, weighting, finning and breathing techniques. Recommended for every diver — transforms your underwater experience.
Compass and natural navigation, distance estimation, route patterns. Never get lost underwater again.
Safe deep dive planning to 40 m. Gas management, narcosis awareness and emergency gas from a buddy.
Dive longer, safer. Enriched air analysis, MOD planning, reduced nitrogen loading. Self-study option available.
Buoyancy control in a drysuit, inflation/exhaust systems, undersuit choice. Required for Ice Diver IDU.
Learn to dive with cylinders mounted at your sides — streamlined, redundant, efficient. Excellent for wreck and cave approaches.
Tethered under-ice diving, cold-water protocols and emergency procedures. An extraordinary experience for experienced divers.
Discover the ocean after dark. Torch communication, buddy contact, modified procedures for reduced-visibility conditions.
All entry and exit techniques, vessel organisation, SMB deployment and safety rules for liveaboard and day-boat diving.
Exhilarating current diving. Route and gas planning, current reading, rescue and self-rescue in moving water.
CPR, AED, primary and secondary care. Essential knowledge for every diver — and every person. Open to non-divers.
Prevention, recognition and management of diving emergencies. Water rescue, panicking diver management, accident management.
Ready to explore
the technical side?
After completing your AOWD or Rescue Diver, the IDU Technical pathway opens — Intro to Tech, TECH-1/2/3, CCR, Cave, Wreck and Sidemount Technical diving. The ocean goes much deeper.
Verify any
IDU certificate
All IDU certifications are registered in the global IDU database and can be verified instantly — 24/7, from any country, at no charge. Digital certificates are issued within 48 hours of course registration.