PADI Advanced Open Water Diver: An Honest Review & Guide

So, you’ve got your Open Water Diver certification, and you’re thinking, “What next?” It’s almost certainly time to start thinking about the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. This course isn’t just another certification card; really, it is that thing which can open up a great big new set of opportunities and skill developments in your adventures. Very nearly everyone seems to agree that is true, even if, you know, some parts can be a bit scary to try.

What the heck is the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course?

Is that what makes the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course actually pretty special? Very, very simply, it’s a certification that helps you build confidence and expand your skills as a scuba person. This isn’t just a repeat of your initial course, not really. You don’t really rehash the basics; what you get to do is explore new facets of diving with the supervision of a certified instructor. It’s quite a practical course. It’s almost like you’re gently being nudged outside your comfort zone. I suppose.

Typically, the course involves completing five adventure dives. This gives you, maybe, just a taste of some specialties that you can do further. The required ones are a deep dive (usually to 30 meters or 100 feet) and underwater navigation. In this area, you’ll learn how to use a compass like a professional. After the two, you get to select three other ‘adventure’ dives from a big list; these might be peak performance buoyancy, wreck , night , or even underwater naturalist.

What will I Actually Learn?

Okay, so it isn’t all just about splashing around and seeing fishes; in some respects, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course packs a serious educational punch. I’m almost certain you will gain heaps as you begin to fine-tune your diving prowess.

1. Improved Buoyancy: Buoyancy is quite possibly every diver’s ongoing learning thing. The course very probably has that knack of really hammering home the need for that balanced position in the sea. By this, it’s clear to see that it gives a huge reduction in energy waste and lets you glide effortlessly, thereby not bumping into, nor disturbing the delicate underwater bits and pieces.
2. Navigation Skills: Let’s get a fact straight – nobody wants to get lost! That can almost certainly spoil the trip. Teaching you how to accurately use a compass. Being on this course will equip you with how to better read natural clues, and therefore help you keep a note of where you are at any point of the dive. In that case, this is quite useful. Not just so you make it back to the boat, but also it increases the fun to see that new area of reef.
3. Deep Diving Techniques: The deep adventure dive is quite the thrilling experience. It carefully introduces you to how your body reacts in deeper depths. Usually, you get taught, maybe, some essential techniques, for example, managing your air, keeping yourself calm if, and when, nitrogen narcosis kicks in. What a rush!
4. Exploration Variety: This course is quite a big “pick ‘n’ mix” when it comes to other parts of diving. Have you thought about photography, the night dives? Well, here’s your chance to dabble, giving yourself an idea of where you’d really like to go next, if you wish to specialize.

Prerequisites for joining.

So, the Advanced Open Water Diver course is the one that does away with stuffy classrooms and boring, tiresome lectures, and just puts all of your focus instead into real hands-on expertise. That makes it much more useful, without question! So, it’s time for me to run through who’s likely to get on it; then there are some vital bits you’ll require to have. It all helps us make it a seamless and pleasurable experience.

• Certification: It’s fairly essential to have your PADI Open Water Diver or any sort of “qualifying certification” from another diving company. If you don’t hold one already then, like your nan would probably say, “You’ll have to do your beginners first, duck”.
• Minimum Age: Now, usually you’ve got to be 15 years of age, in many cases, but should you wish to complete the ‘Junior’ version then that knocks it back to 12, to get on.
• Medical sign-off: For clarity, you will almost certainly need to be medically fit enough for diving. That usually means completing a medical questionnaire to spot any problems. So, should anything of worry come up then your doctor will have to give you the okay before they permit you to dive. You see? It’s fairly normal stuff for safety.
• Gear Up: This one’s often provided by the dive center; nonetheless, it’s good to be prepared. Very probably the basics you will be using, and that are typically included, are, your mask, the fins, the snorkel. But you might like your own; they’ll usually provide the BCD, tanks, plus the regulator for you to use.

Deep Dive into Dive Types

So, this “Advanced” qualification is the first, and maybe largest, pick-and-mix qualification to attempt; just think, you’ve got five dives on the thing, the deep, with a compass. After those, well, it really is just that great to make those choices. How ace is that? This small taster opens doorways. Here’s some further details that are good to be aware of before signing up, in the first place.

1. Peak Performance Buoyancy (PPB): You’re probably aware it’s like walking in slow motion on the Moon. To control this underwater dance; the PPB part might be for you. That’s where you improve conserving the energy, while it also prevents the reefs or poor sealife being clattered and upset; all of this while improving your air, so too it’s helping out the length of a dive.
2. Underwater Navigation: Now you have had a snippet as compulsory so, like, how about more. This, it can really stop you feeling like a lemon on the water with the more experience; that gives better techniques utilizing underwater compass work with the natural landscape skills so, by that I am suggesting, you should begin feeling as if you now know what is coming!
3. Night Diver: Very exciting. The underwater stuff, after dark. A whole different planet from a morning dive so, in this portion, the skills involved, with underwater coms, along with lighting. This turns into something pretty wondrous. So, if that really has you keen, I would get this choice on there. What a transformation for this world!
4. Wreck Diver: If you are like many people, old wrecks can just make the excitement go crazy, to be very truthful! To explore some sunken boats, while learning techniques plus hazards makes for such a mind-blowing buzz so, therefore, consider very clearly that wreck adventure .
5. Underwater Naturalist: This option’s perhaps got a completely different take to diving, that, seemingly, puts the focus toward appreciating the life within our waters with, like, recognizing all the fauna and flora with interplays. This, therefore, is ideal, giving the dive even greater insight than just what occurs near. It just takes the experience into orbit really.

What You Need vs. What’s Nice to Have

Anyway, before heading off to get that Advanced Open Water, it is good to get squared-up about just the kit which might make your experience smoother, or, in actual fact, stuff you just have to have. It is almost always important. A dive center probably always has your required bits; here, you may prefer your bits to bring on this course, more or less.

• Essentials:
• Mask, Fins, Snorkel: Always get these! This will give you such a comfortable feel. Get used with them. Sort of adjust beforehand, so, very probably, these just really become 2nd nature with their use
• Dive Computer: These computers help get a gauge of key measurements such as depth of dive with your time at bottom , with the ascent rate, giving additional measurements that will have you diving safely, to that end. Though very possibly able to get rental bits, most regulars might often think it wise investing in their own, anyway.
• Wetsuit or Drysuit: Well, of course the sea does have different temperature zones therefore, a very well fitting thermal is a must . Discuss any rentals beforehand, however it would, maybe, make good sense if yours suited and performed.
• Consider Buying:
• Compass: Very probably the underwater nav is on this thing you take on. Many now take a computer, which is wrist mounted. Nevertheless, be sure that you’re very comfortable navigating, like your life relied on it, so, really, you begin thinking about it that much!
• Dive Knife / Tool: If, very unexpectedly, you have to become entangled, these items, that really might fit easy with a BCD , can swiftly cut you free to that end. So, I would consider this always really.
• Underwater Camera: Are you like most folk, always seeking record these unique trips? Therefore, underwater photography, and the equipment relating can really heighten the whole joy within a diving escapade by far , so you take those special parts within those waters and make reminders of it.

Debriefing: Is This Course Actually Worth It?

Is this Advanced Open Water course something you must actually pursue, more or less? Without doubt, if there is just any want from your diving that would go far away past being purely a holiday pastime or short pleasure activity then in the short term I, definitely, couldn’t see the drawbacks really. Should your desire be for skills, plus abilities by which you may push underwater limitations? In this area, there exists simply no alternative!

• Enlarging Skills: The principal win through with this is it simply makes an addition with your armoury of know how. So, too it will boost the awareness as a competent diver to start from.
• Exposure Odds: As you begin with little portions on those, a night with wreck explorations along with the natural understanding. Really, if nothing before; that’ll allow any areas of interest, plus the specialty diving things to start
• Confidence increases: Like, what you could typically be believing as out-of-reach or even be too feared of that has gone! With guidance to hand in these circumstances it might bring you into achieving even more!

FAQs about the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Certification

Well, this qualification is what lets your current underwater escapades change from that level of total beginner into someone far closer to become something more expert – with this stuff learnt the more enjoyment could then become taken within future aquatic travels while opening you through more specialized programs should these things become for wants !

If all that then looks quite tempting therefore I then fully advocate from that start towards what could easily, even soon be more dives to begin from !!