PADI OPEN WATER FINAL
PAPER 2026 COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ As you descend in water the pressure __________ Answer:
increases
◉ If you take 6 litres of air from the surface to 20 metres/66
feet, the volume will be __________ litres. Answer: 2
◉ The density of the air in the previous question would be
__________ times the density at the surface. Answer: 3
◉ A balloon fully inflated and sealed at 10 metres/33 feet,
would probably __________ during ascent to the surface.
Answer: burst
◉ As I descend, increasing pressure affects my Answer: Ears,
sinuses, mask
◉ A squeeze is caused by Answer: a pressure imbalance
between the surrounding pressure and an air space
◉ Equalization is the process of Answer: adding air to an air
space
◉ I should equalize Answer: Before I feel pain or discomfort
◉ I'm descending and discover I can't equalize. The first thing I
would do is Answer: stop my descent and signal my buddy/the
instructor.
,◉ I equalize gently because an extended, forceful equalization
can cause permanent damage to my ears and hearing. T/F
Answer: True
◉ On a day I plan to go diving, I wake up with my sinuses
blocked due to a cold or allergy. I should... Answer: Cancel the
dive until I am well.
◉ When scuba diving, normal breathing keeps your lungs
equalized to the surrounding pressure. T/F Answer: True
◉ If during ascent you were to hold your breath, blocking your
airway, your lungs would over expand. They would be much
like a balloon filled and sealed at depth, which expanding air
would burst during ascent. Answer: IMPORTANT NOTE
◉ Expanding air can cause serious lung overexpansion (lung
rupture) injuries. For this reason, the most important rule in
scuba diving is to breathe continuously and never, ever hold
your breath. Answer: IMPORTANT NOTE
◉ This rule is so important, that any time your regulator is not
in your mouth you exhale a slow, steady bubble stream so you
aren't holding your breath. Answer: IMPORTANT NOTE
◉ The most important rule in scuba diving is Answer: to
breathe continuously and never hold your breath.
◉ Failure to follow the most important rule in scuba diving can
cause severe lung overexpansion injuries, which can result in
paralysis or death. T/F Answer: True
◉ During ascent I feel discomfort in my ears. I should...
Answer: stop, descend slightly and allow trapped air to work its
way out.
, ◉ My body responds to anxiety with increased breathing, but
slow breathing helps reduce anxiety. T/F Answer: True
◉ My buddy and I descend to 12 metres/40 feet. I would expect
to use my air __________ at 6 metres/20 feet. Answer: faster
than
◉ Buoyancy is a force that pushes an object in water upward.
T/F Answer: True
◉ My sunglasses case falls out of my pocket into the water, but
fortunately, it floats so I retrieve it. I would say my sunglasses
case is... Answer: positively buoyant.
◉ Salt water causes more buoyancy than fresh water because it
is less dense and weighs less. T/F Answer: False
◉ To control my buoyancy, normally I will use my... Answer:
weight system and my BCD
◉ When I descend, my buoyancy tends to __________. When I
ascend, it tends to __________. Answer: decrease, increase
◉ Underwater, when I inhale, my buoyancy Answer: increases
slightly
◉ It is important to master buoyancy control because it affects
almost everything I do in and underwater. T/F Answer: True
◉ In recreational diving, the buddy system means diving with
another diver or divers in a team that provides assistance and
safety benefits. T/F Answer: True
◉ Overall benefits of the buddy system include Answer:
practicality, safety and fun
PAPER 2026 COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
◉ As you descend in water the pressure __________ Answer:
increases
◉ If you take 6 litres of air from the surface to 20 metres/66
feet, the volume will be __________ litres. Answer: 2
◉ The density of the air in the previous question would be
__________ times the density at the surface. Answer: 3
◉ A balloon fully inflated and sealed at 10 metres/33 feet,
would probably __________ during ascent to the surface.
Answer: burst
◉ As I descend, increasing pressure affects my Answer: Ears,
sinuses, mask
◉ A squeeze is caused by Answer: a pressure imbalance
between the surrounding pressure and an air space
◉ Equalization is the process of Answer: adding air to an air
space
◉ I should equalize Answer: Before I feel pain or discomfort
◉ I'm descending and discover I can't equalize. The first thing I
would do is Answer: stop my descent and signal my buddy/the
instructor.
,◉ I equalize gently because an extended, forceful equalization
can cause permanent damage to my ears and hearing. T/F
Answer: True
◉ On a day I plan to go diving, I wake up with my sinuses
blocked due to a cold or allergy. I should... Answer: Cancel the
dive until I am well.
◉ When scuba diving, normal breathing keeps your lungs
equalized to the surrounding pressure. T/F Answer: True
◉ If during ascent you were to hold your breath, blocking your
airway, your lungs would over expand. They would be much
like a balloon filled and sealed at depth, which expanding air
would burst during ascent. Answer: IMPORTANT NOTE
◉ Expanding air can cause serious lung overexpansion (lung
rupture) injuries. For this reason, the most important rule in
scuba diving is to breathe continuously and never, ever hold
your breath. Answer: IMPORTANT NOTE
◉ This rule is so important, that any time your regulator is not
in your mouth you exhale a slow, steady bubble stream so you
aren't holding your breath. Answer: IMPORTANT NOTE
◉ The most important rule in scuba diving is Answer: to
breathe continuously and never hold your breath.
◉ Failure to follow the most important rule in scuba diving can
cause severe lung overexpansion injuries, which can result in
paralysis or death. T/F Answer: True
◉ During ascent I feel discomfort in my ears. I should...
Answer: stop, descend slightly and allow trapped air to work its
way out.
, ◉ My body responds to anxiety with increased breathing, but
slow breathing helps reduce anxiety. T/F Answer: True
◉ My buddy and I descend to 12 metres/40 feet. I would expect
to use my air __________ at 6 metres/20 feet. Answer: faster
than
◉ Buoyancy is a force that pushes an object in water upward.
T/F Answer: True
◉ My sunglasses case falls out of my pocket into the water, but
fortunately, it floats so I retrieve it. I would say my sunglasses
case is... Answer: positively buoyant.
◉ Salt water causes more buoyancy than fresh water because it
is less dense and weighs less. T/F Answer: False
◉ To control my buoyancy, normally I will use my... Answer:
weight system and my BCD
◉ When I descend, my buoyancy tends to __________. When I
ascend, it tends to __________. Answer: decrease, increase
◉ Underwater, when I inhale, my buoyancy Answer: increases
slightly
◉ It is important to master buoyancy control because it affects
almost everything I do in and underwater. T/F Answer: True
◉ In recreational diving, the buddy system means diving with
another diver or divers in a team that provides assistance and
safety benefits. T/F Answer: True
◉ Overall benefits of the buddy system include Answer:
practicality, safety and fun
