Advanced open water

Already a certified open water diver and keen to take the next step? Then this course is for you!

The PADI Advanced Open Water Course (or AOW) consists of 5 adventure dives; 2 mandatory dives which are Underwater Navigation and the Deep Dive (this will allow you to dive up to 30m!). The other 3 adventure dives are dependent on your preferences and can be discussed with your instructor once aboard.

As you are going to be diving within the Komodo National Park we would highly recommend the Drift Dive - other popular options are Peak Performance Buoyancy, Night Dive & Fish ID. This course does have a small amount of theory (5 knowledge reviews- no exams!) which can be completed while onboard the KLM Eliya.

Have you ever wanted get closer to the reefs to spot those super cool macro critters, but haven't been able to with your buoyancy control? Or ever wondered how to control your position in the water with strong currents? If yes, then this is the course for you! With the Advanced course, you can spend dedicated time with your instructor honing skills that are important to you! Our instructors are passionate about their environment and cannot wait to help share their knowledge and experience with you! Below are some of the possible adventure dives you can choose from:

AWARE-Fish Identification, Underwater Naturalist, Boat Diver, Underwater Navigator, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Underwater Photography, Multilevel Diver, Deep Diver, Night Diver and Drift Diver.

The Komodo National Park offers fantastic and diverse dive sites, with the small and wonderful critters such as nudibranchs (Peak Performance Buoyancy can help get you closer), to the majestic Mantas in the Komodo area (Photography, or Drift would be good options for this!)- the ideal location to progress on the PADI ladder! Our incredible Instructors will help to teach you everything you need to know to become comfortable and safe in the water. The conditions in Komodo can be a little bit more challenging than other areas, so it is a great opportunity to hone your skills with a dive professional while you are here!

The Advanced Open Water Course will be completed during the first 2 days of your trip. On arrival you will meet your Instructor who will discuss your interests and preferences, and then help put together a plan best for your course.

The order in which you do your dives will depend on the dive sites for the particular trip, and of course dependent on which adventure dives you choose. For example if you want to do Peak Performance Buoyancy, Drift Diving & a Night Dive, your Instructor will ensure a calm current free site for the Peak Performance Buoyancy and a current dive for your Drift Diving. 

Your Deep Dive to 30m will always be completed on your second day of diving with your Instructor.

Any of these adventure dives can also be counted towards the related PADI specialty!

Mandatory requirement for the PADI Advanced certification: 

Deep Dive - The PADI deep adventure dive certifies you to dive up to 30m. This dive will look at the safety requirements of diving deeper, how depth can affect you and your perceptions, how to plan for a deep dive and how it affects your air consumption. You will also get a chance to see how depth affects colours!

Underwater Navigation - This dive will teach you how to use a compass underwater as well as some basic ways to estimate distance and, crucially, how to use natural navigation to limit your risks of getting lost on a dive. This is a great way to get a better understanding of how to orientate yourself in new dive locations.

Choose any 3 of the following:

Peak performance buoyancy - This is a highly recommended adventure dive to do if you are new to diving, and one that most students rate as the most beneficial! We definitely think completing this adventure dive as part of your training will be worthwhile. This adventure dive teaches you how to improve your trim (body position) underwater, how to work towards improving your air consumption, and generally, how to feel more comfortable in the water - what could be better?!

Drift diving - We think there is no better place than the Komodo National Park to consider the drift adventure dive! Komodo is well known for it's "currenty" dives, so why not learn techniques for how to control yourself whilst in a strong current, how to spot signs of currents from the surface, how to enter a dive site when there is a strong drift and, how to deploy a surface marker buoy! The best way to gain confidence, is to get hands on experience with currents, with the safety of an instructor right there with you- now is the best time to give it a go!

Fish ID - With so many different species of marine life, have you ever wondered what they are all called? The PADI Fish ID adventure dive will help you start looking at the various ways to start identifying what you are seeing- from body shapes, to behaviours- we will get you IDing those fish in no time!

Underwater Naturalist - This adventure dive delves a little deeper into identifying marine life by looking at the differences between bony fish, invertebrates, and plants. With such amazing diversity in the reefs of the Komodo National Park, you will be sure to expand your knowledge of what lies beneath!

Search and Recovery - A more technical option, this adventure dive will go into detail about how to find lost objects using different search patterns, practice tying knots underwater, and how to recover heavy items using a lift bag. This is a great option for those who would like to explore the more technical side of diving and further develop their navigation skills.

Boat diving - This adventure dive will look at the different techniques used to dive from a boat! A simple option, but useful to know the different aspects of a boat that you should make yourself aware of when diving.

Digital underwater imaging* - This is a popular adventure dive for those who want to learn how better how to capture the incredible marine life while underwater! This option will go through the basics of taking photos and video underwater, how to set up a camera for taking it underwater, and then how to edit the photos afterwards. 

*Underwater camera rental not included in the course price.

This incredible AOW & fun diving package aboard the spectacular KLM Eliya is your ticket to even more dive locations worldwide! Our packages include your equipment, course materials, PADI instructors, accommodation, food and fun diving after your course. Should you have any questions, please contact our friendly bookings team!