advice for what courses on your advanced open water padi course

After you’ve completed the Advanced Open Water Diver course, you’ll probably want to take the whole specialty course and learn more such as: boat diving, deep diving, drift diving, drysuit diving, mulitilevel and computer diving, night diving, peak performance buoyancy, search and recovery, underwater nature study, underwater navigation, underwater photography, underwater video-grapgy and wreck diving.

Full Answer

Do I need to be advanced to take the Padi course?

You don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives.

What is PADI Advanced open water diver?

Advanced Open Water Diver. This course can be taken after completing the PADI Open Water Diver certification. It's titled PADI Advanced Open Water Diver because it advances your diving knowledge & skills. Description. That’s what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about.

What are the prerequisites for the Advanced Open Water Diver course?

Course prerequisites: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water Diver, or qualifying entry-level certification. The minimum age to start the Advanced Open Water Diver course is 12.

What is the Padi core and specialty course discount?

* PADI is offering a 10% discount on online sales of any PADI Core and Specialty Course on PADI.com. Valid 1 per customer. Code expires 30 days from email sign-up date.

What do you do in an Advanced Open Water course?

The Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about advancing your skills. You'll practice navigation and buoyancy, try deep diving and make three specialty dives of your choosing (it's like a specialty sampler platter). For every specialty dive you complete, you can earn credit toward PADI® specialty certifications.

How many dives do you need for Advanced Open Water?

five PADIThe Advanced course takes a minimum of two days and consists of five PADI Adventure dives. PADI offers many types of Adventure Dives to choose from. Underwater Navigation and Deep Dive are required, giving you three more Adventure Dives that you can choose.

How hard is PADI Advanced Open Water?

The Advanced Open Water Course is a fairly easy courses to complete, as there are no quizzes, exams, or pool sessions. The PADI Advanced Open Water Course consists of 5 different adventure dives.

How deep can you dive with Advanced Open Water certification?

30 metresThe AOWD is described by PADI as refining these skills, allowing the diver to explore a broader variety of diving to a maximum depth of 30 metres (100 ft).

What is the golden rule of scuba diving?

1. Never hold your breath. This is undoubtedly by far the most crucial of all safety rules for diving because failure to adhere could result in fatality. If you hold your breath underwater at the depths at which scuba divers reach then the fluctuating pressure of air in your lungs can rupture the lung walls.

What are the 4 open water dives?

There are four components to the PADI Open Water Diver course: theory, confined water work, waterskills asessement, and open water dives.

Can open water divers do night dives?

Can Open Water Divers night dive? Yes, but proper training will make your first night dive more enjoyable. You'll learn how to navigate in the dark, where the most interesting creatures hang out, and gain night diving tips from your instructor.

How far can an advanced diver go?

A properly outfitted diver in training can generally descend to 60 feet if they are old enough. Divers with Open Water and Advanced Open Water certifications from PADI can descend to 100 feet and as far as 130 feet.

How many dives do you need for rescue diver?

There are four open water dives that you have to complete for the PADI Rescue Diver course. During the first two dives, you'll just repeat all of the skills that you did in your confined water component, so it's pretty straightforward.

What comes after advanced open water diver?

Rescue DiverIf that's your goal and you want to get there quickly, Rescue Diver is the obvious next step. You'll often hear this mentioned as the most challenging, yet most rewarding course divers ever take. Rescue divers learn to prevent and manage problems and develop more confidence in their dive skills.

What is the deepest dive ever made?

1,090ftThe world's deepest dive on open circuit scuba stands at 332.35m (1,090ft). It was undertaken by Ahmed Gabr in Dahab in the Red Sea on 18/19 September 2014 after nearly a decade of preparation. The descent took only 15 minutes while the ascent lasted 13 hours 35 minutes.

How deep can a divemaster dive?

You will make three deep dives with your PADI instructor to maximum depths of 30 meters/100 feet, 24 meters/80 feet, and 40 meters/130 feet respectively.

Why should I become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver?

We love getting this question! One of the most common motivators for divers to pursue this certification is their desire to go on more elaborate, adventurous dives! Perhaps a deep dive to the El Aguila ship wreck that sits at 30m/100 feet? Maybe a night dive to catch the magical bioluminescence, or better buoyancy to give you control and confidence to avoid unwanted contact with the reef when looking at smaller marine life..

Common misconceptions

Let's clear up a few of the myths that might be stopping you from starting your PADI Advanced Open Water course.

How is it Different from the PADI Open Water Diver Course?

During the PADI Open Water Diver Course you learn the critical skills needed for scuba diving during your Knowledge Development, confined water dives and open water dives. During your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course, you will complete 5 Adventure Dives which focuses on a particular activity or skill.

Do I Need to Take the Advanced Open Water Course?

No, the Advanced Open Water Course is not mandatory, however, it will build your skills and confidence level underwater. It’s also a fun and exciting experience!

What Should I Expect?

First of all, you should expect to have a lot of fun while completing your Advanced Open Water Course, and expect to become a more skilled and more confident diver.

More Specifically, Though, What Should I Expect?

Well, for each Adventure Dive, you will be required to complete a theory portion – this can be done at home via PADI eLearning or in a classroom setting. You’ll also need to complete some basic knowledge reviews to ensure you have a sound knowledge of the theory behind each dive.

What Adventure Dives Should I Choose?

As mentioned, the Deep Adventure Dive and the Underwater Navigation Adventure dive are required components of the Advanced Open Water course. The other three Adventure Dives however can be any of the 26 PADI Adventure Dives that you choose. Options range from Digital Underwater Imaging, to Peak Performance Buoyancy or Night Diver.

How Much Does the Course Cost?

As each PADI Dive Shop is independently owned, the price of the course will vary from place to place. We suggest getting in touch with your local PADI Dive Centre to enquire about price and availability.

Why Should I Take This Course?

The Advanced Open Water Diver course gives you more experience diving under the supervision of an instructor. You’ll learn new skills, meet new people and of course go diving!

What is the PADI Advanced Open Water course?

To encourage divers to see the PADI Advanced Open Water course as more than simply a gateway to an increased depth limit, the course now emphasizes key concepts such as careful planning of dive objectives, planning depth, time and gas turn-points, situational awareness, managing task loading and practicing good habits above and below the surface.

Who is the scuba monkey?

Marcus Knight (aka “The Scuba Monkey”) first dived during the ‘90s and was bitten by the scuba bug. During the years that followed, Marcus became absorbed in diving and, today, is a Master Instructor for both PADI and SSI.

What is the PADI Advanced Open Water Course?

The PADI Advanced Open Water course consists of five dives, which are typically completed over two to three days. Two dives (deep and navigation) are required. The other three dives are up to you and your instructor to decide. These can be done consecutively or spread out at different times and/or locations.

Why choose to do the Advanced Open Water Course?

Here is Richard showing off his epic buoyancy control after finishing his Advanced Open Water course.

What are the pre-requisites of the Advanced Open Water Course?

To begin the PADI Advanced Open Water course, you must already have your Open Water certification. You can do the PADI Advanced Open Water course immediately following the PADI Open Water course or you can start later.

How to get the most out of your Advanced Open Water Course

If you are interested in doing the PADI Advanced Open Water course, my bet is that you like diving. This is the perfect opportunity for you to learn as much as you can about the different types of diving and discover what it is you can do to increase your skills above and under the water.

The Five-Dive Course breakdown

The order in which you do the five adventure dives is very dependent on the dive center you choose, their dive schedule and the conditions for each dive site. Remember, you have two required dives and three elective dives. I will break them all down here.

PADI Specialties

Here is an extensive list of PADI Specialties. Availability is dependent on the dive center and area you choose. So, if you are particularly interested in one of these specialties, make sure you research where you may be able to do that dive.

How to choose which elective dives you want to do

The dives recommended for your PADI Advanced Open Water course depends on the area you are diving in. For example, you would not do a wreck dive if there were no wrecks in the area. Some dive centers have the three optional dives already planned out for you, as they may only be able to offer those three. Other places may be more flexible.

Develop New Skills as an Advanced Open Water Diver

Becoming a certified Advanced Open Water Diver will open up new activities and possibilities when you go diving.

Advanced Open Water Course – Planning for Deep Dives

The Deep Adventure dive is one of the compulsory dives for Advanced Open Water certification, but also a very beneficial one to do.

Diving to 30 Metres

There are many wreck dive sites that are deeper than 18m and in general you will get to see larger marine life at deeper sites that are further away from the coast.

Nitrox & Advanced Open Water Combo Course

The increased oxygen percentage in the tank will significantly increase your no stop time, allowing you to spend more time at depth.

Considerations when Diving Deeper

Before your dive you will establish your turn pressure. During the course, your instructor will also discuss different types of emergency breathing equipment that are often set up when doing deep dives, just as an extra precaution.

Advanced Open Water Course – Underwater Navigation

Navigation is a key skill in scuba diving and the better you are at it, the easier and more comfortable your dive will be.

Developing Underwater Navigation Skills

On the underwater navigation dive, we will develop your underwater navigation skills beyond what you have learned on the Open Water course.

1. Build on and Practice the Skills You Learned in the Open Water Diver Course

The first thing to address, and dispel, is the myth that you need to be advanced or have advanced skills to take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.

2. Develop New Skills

The five dives required to become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver include two compulsory dives: an Underwater Navigation dive and a Deep Dive (up to 30meters/100feet) as well as three other dives of your choosing.

3. Improve Your Air Consumption Rates

Many new divers will find that after their Open Water course they are using their air faster than more experienced divers. The Advanced dives (particularly the Peak Performance Buoyancy dive) go a long way toward solving this problem.

4. Discover New Marine Life

Marine life is the main reason most divers learn, and continue, to dive. There are multiple options within the Advanced Open Water Diver Course to increase your opportunities to see a wider range of marine life.

5. Discover New Places and Travel Opportunities

Your PADI Advanced Open Water certification card is literally your passport to a world of diving adventures. You’ll no longer be limited to areas that are considered suitable for Open Water Divers (although you can still explore those, too!). You’ll be able to explore new areas that offer deeper dive sites, drifts and different conditions.

6. Build Confidence Underwater (and on Land)

By completing a further five dives under the guidance of a PADI Instructor, your confidence underwater, and your confidence in your abilities underwater, will grow exponentially.

The Specifics About Advanced Open Water – How Does it Work & What do You Learn

This Padi certification is the next step after the Open Water Course. It take a few days (minimum of 5 dives) and allows you to dive up to 30m. You HAVE to do a Deep dive and Underwater Navigation. Then, unofficially, Peak Performance Buoyancy is the third dive skill that everyone chooses to do because it is INCREDIBLY useful.

PADI Advanced Open Water MODULES

Playing games with Jacobo Like I said, this is the mandatory part of the PADI Advanced Open Water. This has to be done so that you can dive to 30m instead of just 18m (Open Water). You read a chapter in the PADI manual and answer some questions.

Did I Enjoy My Padi Advance Open Water Certification?

All in all I went from 4 dives to nearly 30 in the space of 8 days. It was amazing. I have completely fallen in love with that underwater world. I could honestly just stare at a parrot fish for hours. Or a box fish. I’ve even found an online community for us ladies that love to dive – Girls That Scuba.