Advanced Open Water Diver

About the 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.

Here are a few of the many options: Deep, Digital Underwater Imaging, Dive Against Debris, Dry Suit, Enriched Air Nitrox, Fish Identification, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search & rescue, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Navigation, and Wreck Diver.

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions section for a complete list of specialty dive options.

  • Take This Course If You Want to
  • Learn How to
  • Gain more diving experience
  • Practice navigation
  • Sample different types of diving
  • Explore below 18m/60ft
  • Improve your buoyancy
  • Use a compass

How to Become an Advanced Open Water Diver

 

Learn about underwater navigation, deep diving and three types of specialty diving that interest you. After some skill practice with your instructor, you'll make five open water dives. There's no exam because this course is truly about having fun and gaining experience.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

PADI eLearning®

Advanced Open Water Diver eLearning includes interactive lessons on 13 popular specialty dives: altitude, boat, digital underwater imaging, drift, dry suit, fish ID, night, buoyancy, search and recovery, underwater naturalist and wreck diving.

You'll study deep and navigation diving plus three specialties of your choosing.

  • eLearning time commitment: 6-8 hours

PADI eLearning makes it easy to fit scuba lessons into a busy schedule. Learn about scuba diving principles and terminology whenever, wherever it's convenient for you.

It's your course on your time. Study offline, or online using a computer or mobile device. Connect with your instructor whenever you have a question.

  • eLearning time commitment: 5-10 hours

AT THE DIVE SHOP

With Your Instructor

The course includes five dives: a deep dive below 18m/60f, a navigation dive, and three specialty dives. Gain experience, build confidence and discover your diving abilities.

  • Prerequisites: Open Water Diver/Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification)
  • Total time commitment: 2-3 days
  • Minimum age: 12 years or older
  • Depth: The maximum depth depends on your age, but maximum depth is up to 30 metres/100 feet