Advanced Open Water Course

The AOW Course is comprised of five mini-specialty dives called Adventure Dives.

$759

Diving a wreck using enriched air nitrox or the thrill of doing a deep 100 ft dive from a boat are just a few of the adventure dives available in your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. You will complete at least five adventure dives, in a private or small group class, knowing you’ve been trained by one of the best in the business. Each adventure dive will give you a taste of a unique style of diving, and once completed you’ll have earned your ‘Advanced Open Water Diver’ certification. You can start today with your online learning taking just 12-15 hours and the water skills taking just two to three days.

100% Financing

Call 1-813-586-4942‬

Adventure Dive Selection: Book your class first. After booking, go through this page and determine which adventure dives you would like to do. Then, in your online learning, complete those sections and let your instructor know which adventure dives you've selected on the days of your dives. To complete the Advanced Open Water course, you will need to undertake the ‘Deep Dive’ and ‘Underwater Navigation’ adventure dives, plus three additional adventure dives. We strongly recommend one of your three adventure dives being Peak Performance Buoyancy.

✪ = Required ★ = Recommended

Boat Dive

Experience the fun and excitement of boat diving, and look at the different procedures and techniques required to be a safe and competent diver. We’ll look at exit and entry from the boat, using a line for descent, ascending with a delayed surface marker and of course fun whilst exploring the aquatic realm. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Boat Diver Specialty course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Suiting Up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Boat Diving Entry• Dive for Fun and Pleasure• Navigate From and Back to Boat• Ascent – Safety Stop• Surface Signaling Device Use• Boat Diving Exit• Stow Equipment• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

★ Buoyancy

The Peak Performance Buoyancy dive philosophy is to polish a diver’s buoyancy control beyond the Open Water Diver level to be more efficient – saving air and energy – and help the diver avoid damage to the aquatic environment. We’ll show you how to achieve great trim, positioning and how to have accurate control of your buoyancy. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Assembly of weight system• Visualization practice• Suiting up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Predive buoyancy check• Neutral buoyancy during slow descent• Hovering practice• Fine-tune with breath control• Buoyancy game• Ascent – Safety Stop• Maneuver close bottom – no touching• Postdive buoyancy check• Exit/Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

✪ Deep Dive

It’s rare to meet a diver who hasn’t felt the urge to dive deep. Deep diving opens the door to many new exciting dive sites like deeper wrecks, reefs and walls. As a rule, divers tend to be adventurous people, and deep diving – whether to visit a wreck or take photos – can certainly be called adventurous. On this dive, we’ll look at how depth affects color, and also get to compare depth gauges and computers. Maximum depth for this will be 100 feet. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Deep Diver Specialty course and adds three more dives.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Assembling and Positioning Emergency Equipment• Suiting Up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Descent• Describe and Record Color Changes at Depth• Depth Gauge Comparisons at Depth• Guided Tour (time/air pressure permitting)• Ascent – Safety Stop• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

Digital Imaging

A great introduction to digital underwater photography centered around today’s point-and-shoot digital cameras. Within this dive we’ll look at the knowledge, skills and practical techniques necessary to obtain great photographs with a digital camera, even on your first photo dive! This adventure dive is also offered as a complete Digital Underwater Photographer Specialty course and includes an additional dive.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Prepare and Assemble Underwater Camera System• Gearing Up• Predive Safety Check• Entry• Descent• Shoot images – Demonstrate Exposure, Focus and Composition• Ascent – Safety Stop• Exit• Debrief• Post-dive Care and Disassemble Underwater Camera System• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

★ DSMB

Gain an insight into the knowledge and techniques required for the safe use of a delayed surface marker buoys (DSMBs). Surface marker buoys serve a range of purposes that include marking boundaries for mapping, search and recovery, alerting boat traffic to the presence of divers or providing a line as a visual reference for ascending divers. DSMBs are deployed underwater as both an ascent reference and to mark the group/buddy team location.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Gearing Up• Predive Safety Check• Entry• Descent• Launch DSMB from Bottom• Tow DSMB for 10 Minutes• Ascend with DSMB – Use for Safety Stop• Recover and Stow DSMB at Surface• Exit• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

Enriched Air

Get a taste of diving enriched air nitrox and how to apply the proper procedures. You’ll get to look at how to plan and organize enriched air dives hands-on experience and enjoy an enriched air nitrox fun dive! This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Enriched Air Diver Specialty course which will qualify you to use up to 40% oxygen.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Practical Application – analyze enriched air cylinder• Complete contents sticker/tag and fill log• Dive Planning – calculate maximum depth and time, and set dive computer• Briefing• Gear Up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Descent• Dive within planned depth/time limits• Ascent – Safety Stop• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

Fish ID

The Fish Identification Adventure Dive is a great way to get to know the aquatic life. It will give you an intimate encounter with different species as you try to identify them. You will learn how to distinguish between genders, juveniles and adults. Your drawing skills may be tested in this course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Slate preparation• Briefing• Equipment preparation• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Observe and identify fish families• Record sightings• Sketch/describe unfamiliar fish• Ascent and exit• Use reference materials to identify unfamiliar fish• Debrief and post dive procedures• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

Naturalist

Join us for a dive where we’ll introduce you to our local aquatic life including an overview of responsible human interactions. We’re going to locate and identify at least two aquatic plants, four aquatic invertebrate animals, five vertebrate animals and many more creatures that live around the reefs and rocky walls of our local dive sites. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Underwater Naturalist Specialty course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Suiting Up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Identification of Aquatic Plant Life• Identification and Observation of Aquatic Invertebrate Animals• Identification and Observation of Aquatic Vertebrate Animals• Ascent – Safety Stop• Exit• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

✪ Navigation

Gain useful and practical experience in underwater navigation. Learn the techniques on how to successfully use a compass underwater, how to use natural navigation during your dive and have fun as you ‘keep on course’ under the water. We’ll show you how to do some basic navigation patterns, along with using natural features, that can really improve your confidence while diving. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Underwater Navigation Specialty course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Compass Use on Land• Briefing• Suiting Up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Distance/Time Estimation Swim• Navigate a Straight Line Underwater Using Natural Navigation Techniques• Navigate a Straight Line and its Reciprocal Underwater Using a Compass• Navigate a Square Pattern Underwater Using a Compass• Ascent – Safety Stop• Exit• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

Self-Reliant

Are you interested in diving alone? We feel diving with a buddy is not only safer but more enjoyable. However, there are days when you just want to enjoy the waters all to yourself. This is the course for you. The solo experience brings your diving to the next level and has the diver try diving practices without the aid of a buddy.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Gearing Up• Predive Self Safety Check• Entry• Buoyancy Check• Descent• Relaxed 200 Yard Surface Swim• Hover – 1 minute• Switch to Redundant Gas Supply– Breathe 2 minutes• SAC Rate Swim and Record Information• Deploying Lift Bag/ DSMB from Bottom• Ascent – Safety Stop• Exit• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

Search & Recovery

Have fun on this search and recovery dive where you get to experience the techniques involved in locating and retrieving lost articles, large and small, within recreational limits and while avoiding disturbing delicate marine life. You’ll get to use different lift bags, see what knots work best, and try out different search patterns. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Search and Recovery Specialty course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Practice Search Patterns on Land• Practice Object Rigging on Land• Suiting Up• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Small Area Search• Large Area Search• Rigging and Lifting an Object• Exit• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

★ Wreck

Diving on wrecks appeals to most divers, though for many different reasons. You may find yourself attracted to the challenge of exploring the wreck, or a fascination with its historical nature. Underwater photographers love wrecks for their picture potential, while those interested in nature like the fact that wrecks quickly become artificial reefs. This adventure dive is also offered as the complete Wreck Diver Specialty course.
Skills Overview• Knowledge Review• Briefing• Predive Safety Check (BWRAF)• Entry• Navigating the Wreck• Returning to Ascent Point• Ascent – Safety Stop• Exit• Debrief• Log Dive – Complete Training Record

✪ = Required ★ = Recommended

The PADI Advanced Open Water Course is comprised of two steps; 1. Gaining the Knowledge through online learning and 2. Gaining the Skills and experience in the water with at least five adventure dives over two to three days. Some people take a little longer than two days to complete their water skills, and that's okay. SCUBA Heroes will not charge any additional fees, beyond your instructor's cost, if you need more time.

1. Gaining the Knowledge.

The course includes a comprehensive and very informative online training program that introduces you to all of the important aspects of your adventure dives. You will work your way through completing the small quizzes and knowledge reviews and then complete a final exam. The online learning includes audio, video and full interaction on phones, tablets and desktops. As soon as you book, your online learning will be available to you the same day. This portion takes between 12-15 hours.

REVIEWS

2. Gaining the skills and experience.

Diving is made easy by having the skills and knowing when to use them. We’re going to show you all of the key skills of your adventure dive by first giving you a description, followed by a demonstration of each skill, and finally you’ll have chance to perform the skill until mastery is achieved. Each dive allows you time to explore and further demonstrate proficiency of your diving skills. This portion takes just two to three days.

QUESTIONS

Prerequisites: You’ll need to hold the Open Water Diver certification from any certified training organization and have dove within the last six months. You should already feel confident in your assembly and use of SCUBA equipment, along with reasonable buoyancy control. If in any doubt, please contact us. We can offer you a three-day course which includes the PADI Reactivate program. You will also need to be at least 14 years of age and make sure you’re happy with our terms & conditions. Now you are ready to call 1-813-586-4942 or send an e-mail. Be sure to fill out and bring this medical questionnaire with you to class. If you answered YES to any medical question, ensure that a doctor has completed the remainder of the form prior to diving with us. If you do not have a doctor's release and you answered YES to any questions, we will be unable to take you diving when you show up.

Why PADI: PADI Divers carry the most respected and sought after scuba diving credentials in the world. No matter where you choose to dive, your PADI certification card will be recognized and accepted. In fact, on most scuba diving adventures, you’ll be surrounded by other PADI Divers who made the same certification choice you did – to train with the world’s largest and most respected scuba diving training organization.

Read: "The PADI Difference" for an in depth look as to why SCUBA Heroes has teamed up with PADI