A diver carrying a cylinder and BCD on a beach

Advanced Open Water Diver

Name: Advanced Open Water Diver
Brand: PADI
SKU: AOW001
Price: 5000.00 ZAR
Availability: InStock

SKU AOW001

R 5,000.00 ZAR R 5,500.00 ZAR

Product variants

The course at a glance

Lifts your depth limit from 18 to 30 metres
Five Adventure Dives: deep and navigation, plus three you choose with your instructor
Most divers finish all five dives over one weekend
All scuba equipment included
Needs Open Water Diver or an equivalent. Minimum age 12

You've got the licence. Now go find out what it's actually for.

Open Water certification opens the door, but eighteen metres is a fairly conservative ceiling once you've had a taste of what's underwater. The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is where that ceiling lifts, and where diving stops being one thing and starts being five different things you get to try.

You don't need to be an "advanced" diver to take this course, despite the name. It's designed for exactly the diver you are right now: freshly Open Water certified, curious, and ready for more depth, more skill, and a proper look at what different types of diving actually feel like. All scuba equipment is included for the duration of the course, so there's nothing to source or hire beforehand, you simply arrive ready to dive.

Rather than another block of classroom theory, this course is built around five real dives. Two are compulsory, a deep dive and an underwater navigation dive, and three are yours to choose based on what genuinely interests you: wreck diving, night diving, buoyancy, photography, and more, depending on what's available and what you want to explore.

Where Advanced Open Water Takes You

Once certified, your depth limit lifts from 18 to 30 metres, opening up wrecks, drop-offs, and dive sites that simply aren't accessible on an Open Water ticket. It's also a prerequisite for PADI Rescue Diver, several PADI Specialty certifications, and a requirement for boarding some of the world's best liveaboard vessels.

Each of the three elective Adventure Dives you choose can also count toward a full PADI Specialty certification later on, at your instructor's discretion, so nothing you do here goes to waste even if you decide to specialise further down the line.

Ready to see what's below eighteen metres? Book your Advanced Open Water course below, or get in touch with our team to talk through which elective dives suit you best.

What This Course Entails

Before your dives, you'll work through the PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning material relevant to each Adventure Dive you've chosen, at your own pace, on your phone or computer. It's practical, focused content rather than dense theory, built to prepare you for what's coming in the water.

The two compulsory dives cover deep diving, typically in the region of 18 to 30 metres, and underwater navigation using your compass, natural landmarks, and kick cycles. Your three elective dives are chosen together with your instructor, based on what's available and what actually excites you.

Most divers complete all five dives over a single weekend, though there's no rule requiring that pace. Each dive builds a specific skill, and by the end, you'll have a genuinely broader diving toolkit than you started with.

Prerequisites

Hold a PADI Open Water Diver certification, or qualifying equivalent from another training organisation.
Minimum age is 12 for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver and 15 for the standard certification.
Complete a basic health screening questionnaire to confirm you're fit to dive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an experienced diver to take Advanced Open Water?

No, despite the name. Most divers go straight into this course right after their Open Water certification. It's designed to build experience and confidence through real dives, not to test skills you're assumed to already have.

How do I choose my three elective Adventure Dives?

You'll choose them together with your instructor, based on what's available and what genuinely interests you. Options can include wreck diving, night diving, peak performance buoyancy, fish identification, and underwater photography, among others.

What depth am I qualified to dive to after Advanced Open Water?

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver raises your depth limit from 18 to 30 metres, opening up dive sites, wrecks, and drop-offs that aren't accessible on an Open Water certification alone.

How long does the Advanced Open Water course take to complete?

Most divers complete all five dives over a single weekend, alongside eLearning worked through beforehand at their own pace. There's no requirement to complete it that quickly if your schedule doesn't allow for it.

What can I do after Advanced Open Water?

Rescue Diver is the natural next step, and Advanced is its prerequisite. Advanced is also one of the two core certifications required for the Master Scuba Diver rating. Beyond that, every Adventure Dive you completed credits toward the corresponding full specialty course, so you're already one dive into five different specialities without having chosen any of them yet.

Are air fills included in the course price?

No, and that is deliberate. Air is charged as you use it, per fill, and invoiced to you after your session. Every diver breathes differently, and a nervous first-timer will get through considerably more air than someone on their fourth qualification dive. Building a worst-case air allowance into every course fee would mean the lightest breathers subsidising the heaviest, so instead you pay for the air you actually use and the course price stays lower for everyone. We confirm the current fill rate with you when we book your dates, and you are welcome to ask us for it at any point before that. Dive site entrance fees are also paid separately, at the site on the day. Everything else, including your PADI eLearning, your instruction and the use of all scuba equipment, is covered by your course fee.