The course
3–4 days · pool sessions · 4 open water dives
Kids scuba certification · PADI Junior Open Water in Hurghada · Ages 10 to 14
The PADI Junior Open Water Diver course in Hurghada gives children aged ten to fourteen a real international certification, earned over three to four days with four dives on Red Sea reefs. Afterwards your child dives anywhere in the world, within the depth limits set for their age.
3–4 days · pool sessions · 4 open water dives
€350 per child · equipment and certification included
Ages 10–14 · basic swimming needed · small groups
The PADI Junior Open Water Diver course in Hurghada costs €350 per child and takes three to four days. Children complete the theory, five confined-water sessions in a pool and four open water dives on Red Sea reefs. The minimum age is ten. Certification, PADI eLearning, complete child-sized equipment, boat trips, lunch, marine park fees and hotel transfer within Hurghada all come with the price.
Unlike a taster program, this one ends with a genuine international certification card. Consequently your child can dive anywhere in the world afterwards, although age-based depth limits still apply. Furthermore, the course follows the standards published by PADI. Red Sea Diving is a PADI dive operator based in Hurghada, Egypt, and has run diving and liveaboard trips on the Red Sea since 2000.
| Course | PADI Junior Open Water Diver, a full international entry-level certification |
|---|---|
| Price | €350 per child |
| Duration | 3 days with the eLearning finished before arrival, otherwise 4 days |
| Dives | 5 confined-water pool sessions plus 4 open water dives on Red Sea reefs |
| Minimum age | 10 years. The Junior card runs to age 14 and upgrades at 15 |
| Prerequisite | Swim 200 meters unaided, or 300 meters with mask, snorkel and fins, then float or tread water for 10 minutes. Parental consent plus the signed PADI medical form |
| Location | Swimming pool plus sheltered Red Sea reefs off Hurghada, Egypt |
| Depth limit | 12 meters at ages 10 and 11, 18 meters from 12 to 14 |
| Availability | Year-round, on request, subject to instructor and boat availability |
| Included | PADI eLearning and materials, complete equipment child-sized where available, 2 full boat days with lunch and drinks, marine park fees, certification processing and card, hotel transfer within Hurghada |
| Not included | Transfer surcharge from El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga |
| Operator | Red Sea Diving, a PADI dive operator based in Hurghada, Egypt, since 2000 |
The PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification carries depth limits set by age rather than by ability. Children of ten and eleven dive to a maximum of twelve meters, and always with a parent, guardian or PADI Professional.
From twelve to fourteen, the limit rises to eighteen meters, and your child dives with a certified adult. Then, once they turn fifteen, the Junior card upgrades to a full PADI Open Water Diver certification without repeating a single skill.
In practice, the upgrade is simply an administrative step. Nevertheless it matters, because the certification your child earns here stays with them for life.
The PADI Junior Open Water course in Hurghada runs over three to four days and breaks into four stages. Above all, nothing happens on a reef until it has already worked in the pool.
First of all comes the knowledge development, which children complete through PADI eLearning. Most families finish it before traveling, so the holiday itself stays free for water time.
Next, five pool sessions cover every core skill: mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, sharing air and a controlled ascent. Children repeat each skill until it feels ordinary rather than frightening.
Afterwards the real diving begins. Four open water dives across two days let your child apply everything on genuine reefs, with an instructor beside them and very few other divers around.
Finally, we process the PADI certification and your child receives a Junior Open Water Diver card recognized worldwide.
The PADI Junior Open Water course in Hurghada asks for a minimum age of ten, a basic swimming test and a signed medical form. Importantly, maturity counts as much as age.
In short, children need to be at least ten years old. Furthermore they must swim two hundred meters unaided, or three hundred with a mask, snorkel and fins, and then float or tread water for ten minutes.
A parent or guardian completes the PADI medical questionnaire. If any answer flags a possible risk, your child needs a doctor’s approval before starting. Simply tell us in advance and a local physician can usually sign off the same day.
Because the student is a minor, a parent or guardian signs the PADI paperwork and stays reachable throughout the course. Many parents dive alongside, while others watch from the boat.
Age alone never decides readiness. Instead we look at whether a child follows instructions calmly and feels genuinely comfortable underwater, and we say so honestly if the answer is not yet.
The five confined-water sessions of the PADI Junior Open Water course take place in a swimming pool, while the four open water dives run on sheltered Red Sea reefs close to Hurghada. As a result, boat rides stay short and children arrive fresh. Meanwhile, we confirm the exact pool and the two boat days together with your booking. Hotel transfer within Hurghada is included in the €350.
The €350 price of the PADI Junior Open Water course in Hurghada covers one child from the first eLearning chapter to the certification card.
Transfers from El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga may carry a small surcharge. Send us your hotel name and we confirm the total beforehand.
Gallery
Hurghada offers warm water all year, visibility that regularly passes twenty meters, and sheltered reefs with almost no current. Because of that, a nervous ten-year-old spends the dive looking at fish instead of fighting conditions.
Moreover, the training sites sit close to shore, so boat rides stay short and children arrive fresh. Our Hurghada dive sites page shows where the training dives normally take place, while the diving safety page sets out our procedures, equipment and emergency planning in full.
For medical guidance on children and diving, the independent advice published by Divers Alert Network is worth reading before you book.
Under ten, or simply not ready for a certification course? Then PADI Bubblemaker at €75 gives one supervised hour in shallow water, while PADI Seal Team at €150 spreads five pool missions across two days.
From ten upward, however, Junior Open Water is the one that produces a certified diver rather than a happy memory. Many families run Seal Team first and book this course on the next holiday.
Afterwards, junior divers of twelve and over can continue to Junior Advanced Open Water, and everyone can simply keep diving with us on daily diving trips.
Why us
Above all, full emergency equipment, oxygen, a documented action plan and a proper briefing before every dive.
Indeed, more than two decades of diving and liveaboard operations out of Hurghada, on every Egyptian route.
Furthermore, young students train in tiny groups, so the instructor watches every child rather than a crowd.
Child-sized masks, fins, wetsuits and buoyancy devices wherever suitable kit is available, since gear that fits turns nerves into confidence.
Moreover, the €350 covers eLearning, training, equipment, boat diving, marine park fees and the certification card itself.
In addition, buoyancy and reef awareness run through the whole course, because young divers learn habits that last.
Questions
The PADI Junior Open Water course in Hurghada costs €350 per child. In other words, that covers eLearning, pool sessions, four open water dives, equipment, boat trips, marine park fees, certification and hotel transfer within Hurghada.
Three days when the eLearning is finished before arrival, or four days when your child studies the theory here.
Yes, and we recommend it. Because PADI eLearning works on any tablet or laptop, most families finish it at home and keep the holiday for diving.
We include transfer within Hurghada. However, pickups from El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, Soma Bay or Safaga may carry a small surcharge, confirmed before booking.
The four open water training dives take place on sheltered Red Sea reefs close to Hurghada, reached by boat over two full days. Meanwhile, the five confined-water sessions run in a swimming pool.
Ten years old. Younger children can join PADI Bubblemaker or PADI Seal Team instead, which both start at eight.
Divers of ten and eleven go to twelve meters with a parent, guardian or PADI Professional. From twelve to fourteen, the limit becomes eighteen meters with a certified adult.
The Junior card upgrades to a full PADI Open Water Diver certification. Consequently no skills need repeating, and the depth limit becomes the standard eighteen meters.
Yes. Your child must swim two hundred meters unaided, or three hundred meters with mask, snorkel and fins, and then float or tread water for ten minutes.
A parent completes the PADI medical questionnaire first. Afterwards, if any answer flags a possible risk, a doctor’s approval is required before training starts.
Certified parents often join the training dives, while others simply stay on the boat. Either way, a parent or guardian signs the paperwork.
Yes. PADI Junior Open Water Diver is a genuine international certification, recognized by dive centers worldwide within the age-based depth limits.
It never expires. Even so, a refresher is sensible whenever a young diver has been out of the water for a year or more.
From twelve, Junior Advanced Open Water adds five adventure dives. Meanwhile daily diving trips keep the skills fresh between holidays.
Send us your child’s name and age, their swimming ability, your preferred dates, your hotel, your preferred training language and anything medical we should know. Subsequently, we confirm availability, the eLearning link and the daily schedule within twenty-four hours.
This page was last reviewed by the Red Sea Diving instructor team in September 2026.
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