PADI Open Water Diver Course in Sozopol with a Cooking Lesson and Tasting

Discover what lies beneath the surface with a PADI Open Water Diver course in Sozopol, combining scuba training, underwater exploration and a cooking lesson featuring Black Sea delicacies. An instructor with 27 years of experience teaching divers will guide you through the fundamentals, helping you get to know the sea from an entirely different perspective.

The programme takes you from your first theory sessions to training dives in open water. Along the way, you will also enjoy a bonus dive to the Underwater Petrified Forest, a talk about the marine life around Sozopol and a culinary experience involving catching, preparing and tasting local seafood delicacies. It is both a training course and an introduction to several different sides of the Black Sea.

Live online theory with a diving instructor

The theory component is taught live online by a diving instructor. Sessions can be one-to-one or in a small group of no more than 4 participants, allowing direct interaction with your instructor.

There are approximately 10 hours of online theory, divided into sessions lasting between 1 and 4 hours. Scheduling is flexible and arranged to accommodate your free time as closely as possible, with individual sessions agreed in advance.

For this programme, online classes run from 1 March to 29 April 2027. Sessions can be arranged every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, between 09:00 and 21:00, by prior agreement.

Three days of in-person training in Sozopol

Practical training begins with shallow-water exercises and includes four training dives in open water. These are shore-entry dives in the waters around Sozopol. Each of the minimum four open-water dives includes at least 45 minutes underwater.

The practical training and approximately 3 additional hours of theory take place in person in Sozopol between 30 April and 30 June 2027. The in-person programme lasts a total of 3 days. These may be consecutive or spread across separate dates, depending on your availability and the dive centre’s schedule.

The in-person experience takes place in a group that may include people you have not met before. The online theory sessions may still be arranged individually or in a group of up to 4.

A fifth dive to the Underwater Petrified Forest

In addition to the four training dives, every student receives a fifth, bonus dive to the Underwater Petrified Forest, a site well known among divers. This is included in the programme and gives you another opportunity to put your new skills into practice at sea.

By the end of the course, you will have spent at least 240 minutes actually underwater. This refers to underwater time itself, rather than the combined time spent preparing, travelling and attending sessions on land.

A cooking lesson and an introduction to local marine life

Your introduction to the Black Sea extends beyond diving exercises. The included cooking lesson covers catching, preparing and tasting Black Sea delicacies, connecting your time at sea with local seafood and flavours.

The programme also includes a talk about the marine creatures found in the waters around Sozopol. This adds context to your practical training and helps you learn more about the environment you are exploring.

What the diving course includes

The advertised programme amount is the final amount for the services listed as included. Under the dive centre’s stated conditions, there are no additional or hidden charges for those services. The programme includes:

• All diving equipment and gear required for the course.
• Transport from the dive centre to the dive sites.
• Shallow-water training and at least 4 open-water dives, each including a minimum of 45 minutes underwater.
• At least 10 full, 60-minute hours of theory; the online component is approximately 10 hours, and the in-person programme also includes around 3 hours of theory.
• Learning materials and a diver’s logbook.
• Photos and videos from the training dives.
• A fifth, bonus dive to the Underwater Petrified Forest.
• A cooking lesson involving catching, preparing and tasting Black Sea delicacies.
• A talk about the marine life around Sozopol.
• The PADI certification fee.

Age requirements, medical restrictions and paperwork

The course is also suitable for children, with a minimum participation age of 12. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Under the organiser’s medical restrictions, this PADI Open Water Diver course is not offered to anyone who has, or has previously had, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure or a perforated eardrum.

In accordance with PADI’s international standards, you must sign a risk-awareness declaration and liability release on site covering the diving agency, dive centre and diving instructor. This document is required for participation in the training.

Your PADI Open Water Diver certification

After completing the course, you receive an Open Water Diver certification from PADI, the international diving association described in the programme as the world’s most popular. The qualification enables you to dive to depths of up to 18 metres and provides a foundation for further underwater adventures.

Planning, reservations and cancellation

Allow at least 120 hours, or 5 days, between submitting your reservation request and your chosen start time. After making the reservation, you need to call to confirm the time. Online sessions and in-person training days are arranged within the stated date ranges and around the dive centre’s schedule.

The stated service cancellation policy allows free cancellation up to 48 hours before the reserved time. This applies to cancelling the scheduled participation and does not constitute a separate promise of a voucher refund.

Choose an Adventico voucher for a PADI Open Water Diver course in Sozopol with a cooking lesson and tasting, either for yourself or for someone keen to discover life beneath the surface. Buying a voucher does not confirm specific training dates; participation must be arranged separately as described above.