PADI Open Water: Section 3 Exam Questions with Verified
Answers |2026/2027 Update | A+ Graded
What types of environments might I dive in?
-coral reefs
-temperate water oceans
-lakes and reservoirs
-rivers
-springs
-flooded quarries
-human-made dive environments
What six general environmental conditions can affect me while diving?
- temperature
- visibility
- water movement
- bottom composition
- aquatic life
- sunlight
How can I expect depth to affect water temperature?
Water gets colder the deeper you go.
The boundary between a warmer layer and a cooler deeper layer is called a thermocline.
How do I measure (define) visibility as a diver?
The distance you can see horizontally underwater
What four principal factors affect visibility?
- water movement - waves, current and diver fin kicks
- weather - wind creates waves that stir up the bottom
- plankton - can cloud the water
- bottom composition
In what three ways can reduced visibility affect me while diving? What do I do about them?
1|Page
,- More difficult to stay with your buddies so stay close together, take your time and watch each
other
- May make it harder to track where you are or where you're going. Use compass and other
navigation references to stay orientated.
- May make you feel disorientated, especially when you can't see either the bottom or surface.
Avoid this by following a reference down and up. If no reference, use your dive computer.
How do I avoid the potential problems of diving in clear water?
- Bottom may seem closer than it is, so monitor dive computer. May also experience vertigo if
descending without a reference
- May get too far away from buddies as you can still see each other. A good rule of thumb is to
be able to reach each other within two seconds.
What two types of water movement primary affect me as a diver?
Waves and currents
When driving in a mild current, in what direction would I normally go? Why?
Begin a dive in a mild current swimming slowly into the current. Do this so that when you turn
the dive, the current will push you back to your exit point rather than away from it.
What do I do if I'm caught in a current and am carried downstream from where I planned to
dive or exit the water?
Swim across the current to reach shore or a line trailed from a boat, or to get out of the current
What should I do if I get caught in a surface current while diving from a boat and find myself
unable to swim to the boat?
Remain calm and inflate BCD (or drop weights if you have a BCD problem)
Signal the boat with your whistle etc. to pick you up
What are five types of bottom compositions I'm likely to find while diving?
Silt/mud
Sand
Rock
Coral
Vegetation
2|Page
, How do I avoid contact with the bottom? What are three reasons why it's beneficial to avoid
bottom contact?
- Contact tends to reduce visibility
- Can present hazards - you may get cut or scrapes
- May damage aquatic organisms or environment
How does sunlight affect me as a diver? How can I avoid sunburn?
You may get sunburn - avoid this by wearing suncream and protective clothing and staying in
the shade as much as possible
What differences can I expect between diving in fresh water and in salt water?
- Fresh water is less dense and therefore less buoyant than salt water. Recheck your weight and
trim when going from fresh water to salt or vice vera
- Marine environments tend to have more aquatic life
-Very distinct thermoclines within the recreational diving depth range are more common in
fresh water
- Freshwater environments are more likely to have bottoms that you can stir up easily
- Marine environments generally have more water motion - currents and waves and tides
How do I learn to assess conditions?
- the weather
- the season
- water motion
- water appearance
- reports online and from other divers
- dives made at similar sites in the area
What should I do if any aspect of the dive, including my assessment of the environment
causes me significant concern and/or anxiety?
Get more information about the concern and how to handle it. If you can't reasonably address
the issue and you can't go to another dive site where you are comfortable, do not dive.
How do the different factors discussed in this section relate to the importance of getting an
orientation when diving in unfamiliar environment?
3|Page
Answers |2026/2027 Update | A+ Graded
What types of environments might I dive in?
-coral reefs
-temperate water oceans
-lakes and reservoirs
-rivers
-springs
-flooded quarries
-human-made dive environments
What six general environmental conditions can affect me while diving?
- temperature
- visibility
- water movement
- bottom composition
- aquatic life
- sunlight
How can I expect depth to affect water temperature?
Water gets colder the deeper you go.
The boundary between a warmer layer and a cooler deeper layer is called a thermocline.
How do I measure (define) visibility as a diver?
The distance you can see horizontally underwater
What four principal factors affect visibility?
- water movement - waves, current and diver fin kicks
- weather - wind creates waves that stir up the bottom
- plankton - can cloud the water
- bottom composition
In what three ways can reduced visibility affect me while diving? What do I do about them?
1|Page
,- More difficult to stay with your buddies so stay close together, take your time and watch each
other
- May make it harder to track where you are or where you're going. Use compass and other
navigation references to stay orientated.
- May make you feel disorientated, especially when you can't see either the bottom or surface.
Avoid this by following a reference down and up. If no reference, use your dive computer.
How do I avoid the potential problems of diving in clear water?
- Bottom may seem closer than it is, so monitor dive computer. May also experience vertigo if
descending without a reference
- May get too far away from buddies as you can still see each other. A good rule of thumb is to
be able to reach each other within two seconds.
What two types of water movement primary affect me as a diver?
Waves and currents
When driving in a mild current, in what direction would I normally go? Why?
Begin a dive in a mild current swimming slowly into the current. Do this so that when you turn
the dive, the current will push you back to your exit point rather than away from it.
What do I do if I'm caught in a current and am carried downstream from where I planned to
dive or exit the water?
Swim across the current to reach shore or a line trailed from a boat, or to get out of the current
What should I do if I get caught in a surface current while diving from a boat and find myself
unable to swim to the boat?
Remain calm and inflate BCD (or drop weights if you have a BCD problem)
Signal the boat with your whistle etc. to pick you up
What are five types of bottom compositions I'm likely to find while diving?
Silt/mud
Sand
Rock
Coral
Vegetation
2|Page
, How do I avoid contact with the bottom? What are three reasons why it's beneficial to avoid
bottom contact?
- Contact tends to reduce visibility
- Can present hazards - you may get cut or scrapes
- May damage aquatic organisms or environment
How does sunlight affect me as a diver? How can I avoid sunburn?
You may get sunburn - avoid this by wearing suncream and protective clothing and staying in
the shade as much as possible
What differences can I expect between diving in fresh water and in salt water?
- Fresh water is less dense and therefore less buoyant than salt water. Recheck your weight and
trim when going from fresh water to salt or vice vera
- Marine environments tend to have more aquatic life
-Very distinct thermoclines within the recreational diving depth range are more common in
fresh water
- Freshwater environments are more likely to have bottoms that you can stir up easily
- Marine environments generally have more water motion - currents and waves and tides
How do I learn to assess conditions?
- the weather
- the season
- water motion
- water appearance
- reports online and from other divers
- dives made at similar sites in the area
What should I do if any aspect of the dive, including my assessment of the environment
causes me significant concern and/or anxiety?
Get more information about the concern and how to handle it. If you can't reasonably address
the issue and you can't go to another dive site where you are comfortable, do not dive.
How do the different factors discussed in this section relate to the importance of getting an
orientation when diving in unfamiliar environment?
3|Page
