Description:
Open Water gets you in the water. Advanced Open Water gets you wider. The course builds on what you already know rather than teaching new fundamentals, and the structure reflects that. Two of the five dives are fixed because they unlock the things most divers want next. Depth opens the rest of the recreational range down to 30 metres. Navigation makes you a more competent dive buddy. The remaining three dives are yours to choose.
The menu is long. Deep, Digital Underwater Photography, Dive Against Debris, Dry Suit, Enriched Air Nitrox, Fish Identification, Night, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search and Recovery, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Navigation, Wreck. Each elective dive may count as dive one of the matching PADI Specialty Diver course, so if you later decide to chase a specialty cert, you've already done part of it. Many divers pick their three based on the local environment or what the dive site is known for.
Entry requirements are light. You need to be at least 12 years old and hold a PADI Open Water Diver certification (or qualifying equivalent). Divers aged 12-14 earn a Junior Advanced Open Water rating that converts to the full certification at 15. Good general health is expected. There's no minimum dive count to enrol, but a handful of logged dives between Open Water and starting AOW makes the deep dive feel less of a jump.
Professional