PADI Advanced Open Water Course

PADI Advanced Open Water Course

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course allows you try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving. 

 During the course you will complete: 

• Knowledge Development: This course has no class sessions, but you will still need to read your PADI Drysuit Manual and the corresponding chapters of the PADI Adventures in Diving Manual and complete the knowledge reviews to turn into the shop.

• Open Water Dives: We complete the six dives for your PADI Advanced Open Water on any three Sundays over a six month period- the course is flexible to suit your scheduling needs

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course costs £345.00. This includes your materials, your instructor fees, hire equipment and certification costs. We run a SCUBA DIVING SCOTLAND Advanced Open Water Diving Days on most weekends throughout the year.

In order to enrol, you must have your PADI Open Water Diver certification (or equivalent), have completed a drysuit orientation session* in the pool and have dived within the last six months**. As well, divers should be in reasonably good health and happy to sign the standard PADI Liability and Medical Forms (please see the PADI Continuing Education document to the right)

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course takes place over two days.

Example of the two diving days plan:

• AOW Day 1: Complete a fun dive, Drysuit, and UW Navigation.

• AOW Day 2: Complete Deep, Peak Performance Buoyancy and UW Naturalist Adventure dives.

After completing your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, you will be qualified to dive to a depth limit of 30 meters and will be able to move on to some of the more advanced PADI Specialty Diver and PADI Rescue Diver courses.

Please Note: Costs are non-refundable but you may reschedule, without additional cost, if you provide a minimum of 48 hours notice. 

*If you have not completed a Drysuit Orientation (eg in your PADI Open Water Course), or do not have a drysuit qualification, you must complete this session with us for a cost of £45.00.

**If you have not dived in six months or longer you must complete a Scuba Review or PADI Reactivate session prior to starting this course. This is for your safety, the safety of the SCUBA DIVING SCOTLAND Dive Team and for the safety of other divers. These sessions can be completed with us for a cost of £45.00 or £90.00 respectively.

Exploration, Excitement, Experiences

That’s what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. 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. You try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving.

Get credit! Each Adventure Dive may credit toward the first dive of the corresponding PADI Specialty Diver Course. If you’ve already taken a specialty diver course, ask your instructor if you’ve earned credit for an Adventure Dive.
 

Who should take this course?

PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers who are at least 12 years old are ready to step up and enroll in an Advanced Open Water Diver course. Young divers may only participate in certain Adventures Dives – check with your PADI Instructor.

If you’re already an Adventure Diver, you only need to complete two more Adventure Dives to earn the Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

What will you learn?

You’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three, for a total of five dives. 
During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time.

The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.

You may be able to get college credit for the Advanced Open Water Diver course.

How can you start learning now?

Sign up for Advanced Open Water Diver Online – PADI’s eLearning option – to get started immediately. The web-based system lets you learn about seven of the most popular Adventures Dives – including the required Deep and Underwater Navigation Adventure Dives, plus Boat, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Naturalist and Wreck Adventure Dives. You study at your own pace through an easy to use, interactive program. You also have access to an online version of the Adventures in Diving manual and can complete sections for other Adventure Dives as directed by your PADI Instructor.

You can also choose to read the Adventures in Diving manual and watch the Adventures in Diving video (a book and DVD package). Stop by your local PADI Dive Center and Resort to enroll in the course, get your materials and start learning. Your PADI Instructor will meet with you to schedule knowledge review sessions along with your Adventure Dives.

What scuba gear will you use?

Beyond using basic scuba equipment, you’ll need a compass and dive knife or dive tool. You’ll also use specialized gear depending on the Adventure Dives you choose. For example, you’d obviously use a dry suit for the Dry Suit Adventure Dive or a sidemount configuration during the Sidemount Adventure Dive. Your PADI Instructor will explain the equipment that you need and may suggest additional gear, such as dive light for night diving or lift bag for search and recovery diving.

Next Step

Gain experience and earn your next certification:

• Sign up for Advanced Open Water Diver Online and start learning right away.
• Enroll in a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course at your local PADI Dive Center or Resort.
• Check out a PADI Specialty Diver course.
• Browse the PADI Course Catalog.
• Download a PADI Medical Statement and Questionnaire (pdf).

Diving Dates 2024

Course T&C's

Please Note: All course fee's are non-refundable or transferrable.  Please read the full course T&C's on the course schedules and complete the PADI Medical Form before signing up.  All courses must be completed within 6 months of purchase.  For any participants under the age of 18, there must be a parent or guardian present during any sessions to comply with our Child Protection Policy. By purchasing online you agree to the course T&C's. 

- Once you have confirmed your date, if you need to cancel at any time please email or call as soon as possible.  Cancellations with more than 48 hours notice can be rescheduled free of charge.  However, cancellations within this time mean that we still have costs that can't be refunded.  For this reason, no rescheduled sessions can be given for cancellations with less than 48 hours notice.