The Advanced Open Water Diver course helps you build confidence and improve your diving skills through guided practice with a certified instructor. You’ll complete a deep dive, practice navigation and buoyancy, and choose three specialty dives. Each dive can count toward a PADI specialty certification, with options like deep diving, underwater photography, fish identification, and more.
Advanced Open Water Diver course Information
Duration: Two days (5 adventures in the Marino Ballena National Park or Caño Island)
Number of Dives: 4. During the 4 dives you need to complete 5 adventures: two mandatory (Underwater Navigation and Deep Adventure) and three elective.
Must be a PADI Open Water Diver (or hold qualifying certification from another training organization) to take course
Must be 15 years old or older
All necessary and relevant Scuba equipment provided
About Costa Rica Advanced Open Water Diver Certificacation
The course consists of five dives. Two of the dives required for your certification are mandatory: the Underwater Navigation Dive and the Deep Adventure Dive, the other three dives can be chosen from over 12 dives, offering you a wide range of new skills to master. Costa Rica is a perfect place to take this course, because the environment is well suited for many of the elective dives. The format followed is the same as the PADI Open Water Diver course.
Knowledge Development: Before each dive, students complete either classroom sessions or online learning. Once they demonstrate understanding of the material, dives are done under the supervision of a certified instructor.
Specialty Dives: You will complete three specialty dives during the course. Each one is designed to develop specific skills and expand your comfort and competence underwater.
Underwater Navigation Dive: In this dive, you’ll use a compass, estimate distances while submerged, and practice relocating or marking objects observed from the surface.
Deep Adventure Dive: This dive teaches you how to plan and perform dives beyond 18 meters, including how to manage depth, time, and safe ascent procedures.
Elective Dives
Student then choose three dives from the following 6 available choices to complete their Advanced Open Water Certification.
Deep Diving
Underwater Navigation
Search and Recovery Diver
Fish Identification
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Boat diving
Your Advanced Open Water Diver Certification allows you to dive anywhere in the world to a maximum depth of 30 meters or 100 feet without professional supervision.
All elements of the Advanced Open Water course must be completed to certify
Child and a parent or guardian must watch “Youth Diving: Responsibilities & Risks” before starting training
Children under 18 must have PADI release forms signed by a parent or guardian before starting training
Common questions about Advanced Open Waters diving certificate
What is the minimum age to take the Advanced Open Water training course?
In order to sign up and take the Advanced Open Waters Certification Course you need to be at least 15 years old.
How many total dives and what kinds are necessary to be demonstrated for the Advanced Open Waters Certification ?
A total of 5 dives must be demonstrated in front of a certified instructor. The dives must consist of at least 2 mandatory dives (Deep Adventure and Underwater Navigation dives) and then you must complete three elective dives of your choice.
How long should it take to complete the Advanced Open Waters Certification Course?
You can expect it to take at least 2 or 3 days in order to complete all of the necessary parts. Since you must first complete all of the study information before you can get started with the diving phase of the certification, you can shorten the amount of time it takes by taking advantage of the online eLearning courses that Costa Rica Dive and Surf Scuba Diving shop offer before you leave for your vacation.
