Private Scuba Divers › Certification Courses › PADI Advanced Diving

PADI® Advanced Open Water Course

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification is for qualified divers who are looking to explore new dive sites and master the latest diving skills.

Join us and increase your comfort zone and confidence using specialty scuba equipment to experience new diving adventures in Pattaya, Thailand.

About the Advanced Diver Course Pattaya

Advancing your competency in underwater navigation and buoyancy is part of the course structure.

Furthermore, you get to try a deep dive and complete other dives from the specialties program, such as:

Note: Do you have some free time to learn more about the safety aspects of scuba diving? If so, head over to the Frequently Asked Questions section where our experts give detailed advice - especially for beginners.

Why get Advanced Open Water Certification?

So, why should you take this course? First, you will get more diving experience with a trained professional and you get to try different equipment and techniques.

Then, you will get an opportunity to experience extended depth limits and improve your dive planning capabilities (e.g. using dive computers).

But wait - there's more:

You also get to learn what it's like to go diving below 18m/60ft (e.g. on the deep adventure dive). As a result, your neutral buoyancy will improve as you advance your way through the course.

The program provides maximum choice and flexibility because it allows you to choose the kind of adventure dives that interest you the most.

Advanced Diver Course Requirements

  1. The Advanced Open Water Diver certification course is about gaining a higher level of experience underwater - and having fun while you do so. Thus, there is no exam requirement for this certification level.
  2. The minimum age limit for enroling in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver is twelve (12) years old and you will need at least two days of diving to complete the program.
  3. You must have already completed the Open Water Diver or Junior Open Water Diver level (or hold one of the qualifying certifications).
  4. You will need to complete five (5) adventure dives in total. The dives must include a deep dive and a separate dive where you learn to use underwater navigation (e.g. with a compass).
  5. The maximum depth that you can dive during this course will depend on your age. But, the overall maximum is thirty (30) metres (100 feet).

Important: You must also have no medical contraindications to scuba diving. Thus, most divers will need to sign the RSTC Medical Statement before performing any in-water training activities.

Course Schedule

In general, the modules do not require long classroom sessions, video presentations, pool skills practice, or a final exam. Hence, the lessons combine underwater training with five exciting adventure dives.

The PADI Adventure Divers certification is a one day sub-course. But, it is possible to complete the Advanced Open Water Diver assignments in two (2) days of diving.

Advanced Dive Equipment and Study Materials

We include the reference materials and the dive gear needed to complete the course in the price. Even so, you can buy extra manuals and scuba equipment accessories from the dive store in Pattaya, Thailand.

Because you will be making five (5) specialised adventure dives, and performing specific underwater activities, you will be practicing with different types of specialty dive gear, such as:

PADI eLearning®

You need to study two (2) mandatory dives (i.e. deep and navigation) along with three (3) other specialties of your choice. You should allocate around eight to ten hours of studying to complete the eLearning modules.

The PADI PDF e-manual contains interactive lessons that you can use in the Advanced Open Water Diver eLearning process.

Some of the most popular dives that you can study online from the full list of PADI specialty courses, include:

Advanced Open Water Diver Certification Cost 12,500 THB

FAQ about Advanced Diver Programs

How Many Dives for PADI Advanced Open Water?

The five dives required to complete the course training must include a deep dive (e.g. below 18 metres), a navigation dive, and three elected specialty dives.

Having a core deep dive means divers need to be at least fifteen years of age to earn the Advanced Open Water Diver certification. But, divers aged twelve to fourteen can earn PADI Junior Advanced Open Water rating instead.

Important: Children aged ten and eleven can continue their diving activities through the Junior Adventure Diver program. They can complete the deep dive when they reach the age of twelve. After turning fifteen, Junior Advanced Open Water Divers will become Advanced Open Water Divers by automatic process.

How Long Will it Take to Get Advanced PADI?

Your instructor will conduct five knowledge reviews (one for each dive) before you complete the associated training dives.

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course in Pattaya, ThailandSo, most divers will be able to get the Advanced Diver rating in two days - if you complete three dives in one day.

How Deep Can a PADI Advanced Diver Go?

Thirty metres (100 feet) is the maximum depth limit allowed for PADI Advanced Open Water Divers.

Even so, your age, local regulations, and the dive site depths may restrict your personal limits.

Note: Another section explains more about the Deep Diver Specialty course and what kinds of sea life lives at forty (40) metres below sea level.

Can Advanced Open Water Diver Dive Alone?

The scuba diving buddy system is a safety rule that pairs two or more divers together. Moreover, the group should also perform the standardised pre-dive safety checks (BWRAF) before entering the water.

Nonetheless, PADI does consent to a type of 'solo diving' through the Self-Reliant Diver certification course, which is available in Pattaya, Thailand.

How to Interact with Underwater Organisms?

Divers share a common responsibility to protect and conserve nature. As a result, passive interaction with aquatic animals helps to safeguard delicate and sensitive sea life.

What are the Medical Requirements for Scuba Diving?

A certain level of well-being and general fitness is needed to carry out scuba activities. Thus, you may need to get written approval from a physician before you go diving.

You can download the online version of the Diver Medical Participant Questionnaire to check if your current medical status will require a physician's approval.

Note: You should not ask dive staff (e.g. divemasters, instructors) for medical advice and clearance to go diving. Instead, you can contact the Divers Alert Network (DAN) if you have questions about your medical fitness to dive.


After Becoming Advanced Open Water Diver

So, now you may be wondering what comes after PADI Advanced? Next, you will start focusing on how to anticipate and prevent common scuba mistakes that beginners make.

Here's the best part:

A benefit of adventure dive training is being able to credit it towards specialty certifications. For example, you enjoyed the nitrox adventure so much that you want to take the Enriched Air specialty course. Thus, you can credit it to the first dive of that specialty.

In simple terms, we believe the advanced scuba certificate you earned is 'your licence to learn' about other diving techniques and skills, such as:

  • Buoyancy control
  • Low visibility
  • Night diving
  • Strong currents
  • Underwater navigation

Other advantages of having an advanced scuba certification include being able to make deeper dives in less than optimum conditions, such as to:

Note: You can get access to the best dive sites around the world with a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certificate. It is also the minimum level of certification required to participate in liveaboard diving trips in Thailand.

Related Information and Help Guides

Note: The short video [2:03 seconds] presented by PADI outlines what to expect from the Advanced Open Water Diver course. Click here to contact Private Scuba in Pattaya, Thailand.

Divers also enjoyed reading about...