PADI

Night Diver

About the Course

The thought of dipping below the surface at night seems mysterious, yet so alluring. Although you've been scuba diving at a site many times before, at night you drop into a whole new world and watch it come to life under the glow of your dive light. The scene changes as day creatures retire and nocturnal organisms emerge. If you've wondered what happens underwater after the sun goes down, sign up for the PADI Night Diver Specialty course.

PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers or higher, who are at least 12 years old, can enroll in the Night Diver specialty course.

  • Avoid getting lost in the dark
  • See familiar dives sites in a new light
  • Try something new and exciting
  • Make your first night dive with a pro
  • Navigate underwater at night
  • Make ascents and descents in the dark
  • Use your dive light for communication

Night diving

Can Open Water Divers night dive? Yes, but proper training will make your first night dive more enjoyable. You’ll learn how to navigate in the dark, where the most interesting creatures hang out, and gain night diving tips from your instructor.

PADI eLearning®

PADI eLearning makes it easy to fit scuba lessons into a busy schedule. Complete the independent study part of your course whenever, wherever it’s convenient for you.

Work at your own pace, online or offline, using a computer or mobile device. Connect with your instructor for inwater training, or whenever you have a question.

  • eLearning time commitment: 2-4 hours.

With Your Instructor

Practice using a compass on the surface, then apply your skills underwater during three dives. Learn how to estimate distance, follow natural clues and practice finding your way back to the boat or shore.

  • Prerequisites: PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver (or qualifying entry-level certification)
  • Total time commitment: 2-3 days
  • Minimum age: 12 years or older

More Info

Scuba diving requires a minimum level of health and fitness. Chronic health conditions, certain medications and/or recent surgery may require you to get written approval from a physician before diving.

Avoid disappointment, download and review the Diver Medical form to ensure you won’t need a physician’s approval to dive before enrolling in a scuba course. Instructors, divemasters and dive shop staff are not physicians and should not be asked for medical advice; only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive.

If you (or your physician) have questions about medical fitness to dive, contact the experts at Divers Alert Network (DAN).

Minimum Age: 12

Course prerequisites: (Jr.) Open Water Diver or equivalent

Choosing a Dive Shop
You can complete this course locally or while travelling. 

Choose a dive shop close to home to:

  • Support your local diving community
  • Meet dive buddies in your local area
  • Learn about your local ecosystem

Choose a dive shop away from home if you:

  • Plan to travel to a dive destination on holiday
  • Like to meet new people when travelling
  • Have the time to complete your course while on vacation

This course requires both knowledge development and inwater training for certification. When you purchase PADI eLearning from our website, the cost covers the knowledge development portion only.

There is an additional cost to complete your certification with a PADI Instructor. The cost depends on class size, environment, and whether or not you need to rent equipment. Contact a PADI Dive Center or Resort for more information and pricing. 

In addition to basic scuba gear, you will need a primary and backup dive light (torch). Consider purchasing your equipment (versus renting) so you can learn with it during the course and become familiar with how it works.

You may also want additional exposure protection, such as a thicker wetsuit, hood or gloves, to stay comfortable while night diving.

PADI eLearning: 2-4 hours

Entire course: 2-3 days

Spanish, Portuguese, English.

For information on other available languages please contact your PADI Dive Center.

PADI’s online courses are designed to work on the browsers listed below. For the best experience, make sure your browser is up-to-date.

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If you plan to be somewhere without internet access, use the PADI Training app to download course content and study offline. Content can be downloaded in small sections with a total file size of approximately 189 MB. When you get back online, upload your progress so you can resume your training right where you left off. 

The PADI Training app is available for Android™ and Apple® iOS devices. For the ideal experience, devices should be no more than three models old and running with the most current OS (operating system).

The first dive of the Night Diver Specialty course may count toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.


Every PADI Specialty certification you earn counts towards the prestigious Master Scuba Diver™ rating. Only two percent of divers ever achieve this elite level.