10 reasons to take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course

10 reasons to take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course

In February last year we arrived in South America after six months of island hopping across the Pacific. I knew we would spend more time here on the mainland than in Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, where I completed my PADI Open Water Diver course. Nonetheless, I was very interested in improving my diving skills as we planned to visit the Galápagos Islands with their excellent diversity of marine life.

We stopped on the Atlantic coast of Colombia for a few days so Kia could complete her Open Water Diver course. Since I didn't want to sit around on the beach for three days, I decided to complete the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course at the same time.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions of our trip. Many aspects of my diving have improved dramatically, particularly my energy and air efficiency. My self-confidence and safety awareness also grew. I discovered that my new skills allowed me to enjoy my time underwater even more. That's why it's worth completing the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course yourself.

1. You don't have to be advanced

The first thing you need to understand is that you do not have to be “advanced” to take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. The course builds on the skills you learned in the Open Water Diver course, and many divers choose to complete the advanced course immediately after the basic course. This way, their skills and knowledge can be improved without giving them time to develop bad habits.

Others prefer to do a few intermediate dives to make sure they really enjoy diving. This prevents them from investing more time and money into a skill they won't use.

Looking back, I wish I had completed my advanced course straight after my foundation course in Vanuatu.

2. Improve navigation skills

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course requires five dives to be completed, including two mandatory dives: a deep water dive and an underwater navigation dive.

During the basic course you will learn some basic navigation skills (swimming and navigating on the surface and at depth using a compass), but always under the watchful eye of your instructor. The Advanced course builds on these skills and ensures you can navigate more accurately over longer distances using kick cycles, visual landmarks and time. In waters with poor visibility or at night, these skills are essential and will help you get to safety if you ever lose your buddy or group.

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3. Access deeper water

The reality is that the most exciting dive sites are deeper than 18 m (60 feet) and some require advanced certification just to even dive there. In Tonga, a diving company wouldn't allow us to dive some underwater caves without the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver qualification. I listened with envy as an advanced diver told me about his experiences there.

The second mandatory dive of a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is a deep water dive to a depth of 30m (100ft). This will open up a whole range of future opportunities and help you understand the effects of deep diving on your body, the equipment you use and the environment around you.

4. Improve your buoyancy control

I chose the Peak Performance Buoyancy dive which helped me understand the importance of getting my weighting right and controlling my breathing. I found that I could control my position in the water mostly with my lungs, so I didn't have to adjust my BCD as much, wasting air, time and energy in the process.

Most importantly, with practice, I could begin to forget the mechanics of diving and focus more on what I was seeing.

5. Improve your breathing

By the time I completed the advanced course, I was always the first to use up my air supply and often had to finish my dive before the rest of the group. The advanced dives (especially the buoyancy control dive) really improved my breathing. When we dived in the Galápagos Islands, my breathing was under control and I held my breath for as long as the rest of the group - some of whom were more experienced.

An experienced diver will notice the difference in my breathing between a dive before the advanced course in Tonga, where I persistently suck in air, and a more relaxed and consistent approach after the advanced course in the Galápagos.

6. Become a specialist

As already mentioned, two mandatory dives must be completed (navigation and deep diving) and then three additional specialty dives of your choice. The specialty dives give you the opportunity to develop your interests and focus on specific skills.

Please note that not all specialty dives are offered in every dive center and the choice may also depend on local conditions. The following are commonly offered, but visit the PADI website for a comprehensive list.

7. Dive more wrecks

One of my biggest regrets from our trip around the world is that I didn't dive the SS President Coolidge wreck in Vanuatu. The wreck is one of the most accessible of its size and type, but it lies at a depth of 20m to 60m - beyond that of an open water diver.

Most of the world's diveable wrecks are under 18 m (60 feet). So if you want to explore more wrecks, you should take the advanced course and choose wreck diver as one of your specialty dives.

If I could, I would go back in time and do the advanced course in Vanuatu and specialize in a wreck dive on the SS Coolidge.

8. Dive deep sea corals and ecosystems

Marine life is the main attraction for most divers. This is the reason we learned to dive in the first place.

Deep-sea corals and ecosystems are different from those in shallower waters, and the marine life that inhabits them is often unique at this depth. Deeper dive sites are also more pristine and private, precisely because they are inaccessible to new and inexperienced divers.

Although you will lose some light penetration, you will often see more in deeper, more remote ecosystems than in accessible locations in shallower waters.

9. Use and understand more equipment

During my basic course I learned how to use the necessary diving equipment, read dive tables, use a dive computer and a simple compass.

During my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, I got my hands on a few more gadgets and deepened my understanding of the equipment I was already using. I became familiar with my dive computer, which helped me plan my dives better and make the most of my time underwater. I completed a night dive which meant I also learned how to use a diving light.

Depending on what you choose from the specialty diving options, you'll almost certainly get your hands on more equipment.

10. Use it as a gateway to further adventures

When I was very small, my parents took me camping for the first time. Soon after, they took me hiking and then my father gave me a Swiss Army knife when I was just four years old (to my mother's horror). Since then I have had a passion for nature - those first trips were my gateway to a life full of adventure and travel.

Statistically, completing the advanced course means that diving becomes a lifelong passion rather than just a holiday affair. If you enjoyed your Open Water Diver course and want to dive more, then completing the advanced course will definitely whet your appetite for future underwater adventures.

Get a head start and read the Adventures in Diving Manual before beginning your course.

How to pass the Open Water Diver course

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