I seem to recall that PADI offers a certification less than open water that allows the individual to dive only on tours with a divemaster.
Does anyone know if this certification requires a swim test?
"Are you nuts?" comes to mind. Followed by: Ahh...
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/234548-diver-indicted-2003-gbr-mishap.html
A word of advice: Friends don't let friends dive without basic swimming skills.
My daughter was a non-swimmer when we thought about getting her certified, but was very comfortable in the water. In a month, going to the pool once or twice a week, I had taught her enough swimming skills that she easily managed the 300 yard swim (without fins or snorkel) + the 15 minute treading water required by the YMCA. She's not going to win gold medals at any swim meets, but before she started diving lessons she was a reasonably competent swimmer.
If your friend is comfortable enough in the water to contemplate diving, spend a little extra time and take some swimming lessons - I used to teach swimming to adults - it is a skill that can be picked up fairly easily as long as there is already water comfort. (And if there isn't water comfort, we're back to my original thought.)
Depends where in the world. Europe [the swim requirement] is mandatory, other places it can be replaced by a snorkel test instead (which in my view is a very bad idea).
At least according to PADI, it doesn't require any swimming test/competency.
My daughter took the course - no test or questions about swimming at all. She had already completed virtually all of the YMCA course when we went on a dive vacation. The resort course was a way to allow me to be comfortable with her diving a little on our trip, since her instructor's (and my) assessment was that her pool diving skills weren't quite up to the "hurry up and get in the water" pace that typifies a lot of drift diving. This way since she was only Discover Scuba "certified" she got personal attention and a much slower-paced entry. Then she came home and finished up her OW certification in the local quarry.
Personally, I think the resort courses are very risky and would not have allowed my daughter (or encouraged a friend) to dive with only resort course training. (By the time she took the resort course, my daughter had already had more classroom time and more pool time in her Y course than I had by the time I completed the PADI OW course.)
On a side note - your bug is driving me buggy. I keep batting at it to get it off my screen - then when I finally get myself trained not to bat at it, real bugs start landing on my screen and I forget that I really can get rid of them. (Since I've been running my computer in the dark I've been attracting a LOT of real bugs.)