The advanced open water course is all about advancing your skills. The course consists of 5 dives, and after passing it you can become and advanced diver without any classes or theoretical lectures!
Diving beneath the ocean’s surface, exploring marine life, and experiencing the serene world underwater is an unparalleled adventure. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) offers a range of diving courses to help enthusiasts master the art of diving and take their underwater explorations to the next level. Among these, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course holds a special place, as it allows divers to delve deeper, explore a variety of diving styles and discover new marine vistas. Let’s embark on an insightful journey to understand what this course entails and why it’s an excellent choice for diving enthusiasts.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course is the succeeding level to the PADI Open Water Diver course. This progression aims to enhance your diving skills, transforming you from a beginner into a more proficient diver. The course is designed to introduce you to different scuba specialties under guided supervision, thereby allowing you to gain more experience and continue your diving education.
The course includes a total of five adventure dives, which are essentially the first dives of a specialized course. Each adventure dive introduces you to a different facet of diving, and you can choose to further explore any of these dives through specialty training.
The primary objective of the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is to diversify your diving possibilities, refine your skills, and prepare you for more challenging diving experiences. The term “Advanced” in the course title doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become an experienced diver instantly. Instead, it suggests that you’ll gain a more comprehensive understanding and practical experience of diving beyond the basic level.
Upon completion of the course, and as a certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, you gain access to a wider variety of dive sites and marine life. You can dive up to a depth of 30m/100ft, enabling you to explore marine creatures that aren’t usually visible at shallower depths.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course doesn’t require you to be an advanced diver. Instead, all you need is your Open Water Certification, which equips you with the core competencies necessary for the Advanced Course. There’s no minimum number of dives required, allowing many students to transition directly from Open Water to Advanced Open Water.
The course is designed to be easily accessible and understandable, devoid of quizzes, exams, or pool sessions. It involves five different adventure dives, with knowledge reviews for each dive. Your instructor will guide you through these reviews before diving.
The course duration can span 2 to 3 days, with up to three dives being completed in one day. The Deep Dive and Underwater Navigation Dive are mandatory, while the rest are chosen based on your preference.
Diving deeper than 18m/60ft can increase your air consumption due to pressure changes, affect your buoyancy, and potentially induce nitrogen narcosis. Understanding how to manage these conditions is a crucial part of the deep adventure dive. You’ll learn about color changes at depth, pressure changes, and test your susceptibility to nitrogen narcosis.
Navigating underwater is a vital skill for any diver. This mandatory dive will help you master underwater navigation, enhancing your diving plan’s effectiveness, and ensuring your safe return to the boat or shore. You’ll practice compass navigation on land first, then refine these skills underwater, using kick cycles, visual landmarks, and time.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course offers a variety of speciality courses, including Peak Performance Buoyancy, Boat Diver, Coral Reef Conservation, Digital Underwater Photography, Drift Diver, Ice Diver, Night Diver, Altitude Diver, and more. The availability of these options may vary depending on the dive center and local conditions.
Instructors often recommend Peak Performance Buoyancy, Night Diving, and Drift Diving. These dives are not only fun but also help you learn to deal with more challenging dives. Students often prefer Wreck Diving, Photography, and Fish ID.
Apart from your regular dive gear, the additional equipment required for the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course depends on the dives you choose. You might need underwater photography equipment, reels, buoys, lift bags, a dry suit, a dive light, a dive flag, or a compass. Most dive shops should be able to provide any gear you may need.
Hurghada, with its crystal clear waters and vibrant marine life, is an excellent location to pursue the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. This course enables you to gain more underwater experience while diving with a PADI Professional in one of the world’s most sought-after diving locations. Hurghada’s unique diving conditions make it an ideal place to explore the various diving specialties offered in the course and enhance your diving skills.
To sum up, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is a fantastic opportunity for diving enthusiasts to expand their underwater horizons. Whether you’re an avid diver looking to gain more experience or a beginner eager to explore the depths beyond 18m/60ft, this course is your stepping stone to a whole new world of underwater adventures. So why wait? Dive in and start your Advanced Open Water Diver course today!