You have just discovered that diving is an adventure and it is a fun and rewarding activity you want to grow into. You need more and crave more. Moving up to advanced open water can give you just that.
Unlike Open water, AOWD or Advanced Open Water Diver is all about diving. What that means is it is more about refining your skills when you are down there. And guess what, there’s no written exam. It is just about guiding you properly to dive at night, do deep dives and wrecks plus more equipment know-hows that I am sure you have seen around the dive resort and are curious about.
In any sport or hobby, you need to give it some watering and sunlight and watch it sprout and grow like a gardener.
In time you will see it benefit you with a flower or a fruit. Enough poetry and more details….basically you need this cert to be able to join some liveaboards and landmark dive sites cos in certain cases dive establishments will require certain number of dives and even a certification to advance open water diver.
But it simply just means that we want you to be trained properly before venturing into new adventures like night diving and deeper dives.
But yes AOWD is like your smorgasbord of specialty courses you can also take separately for a more thorough training.
Deep Diving
Night Diving
Under water Navigation
Drift Diving
Wreck Diving
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Search and Recovery
Fish Identification
Underwater Naturalist
Altitude Diving
Dry suit Diving
Digital Underwater Photographer
Cavern or Cave Diver
Equipment Specialist
Enriched Air Diver or Nitrox Diver
Yes, when we say smorgasbord, we meant it.
Here is a sampler sample of an AOWD weekend that can also be extended to 3 or four days if need be.
Day 1 DIVE1 : Deep Dive
Since most dive sites are beyond 18 meters this might just be the most important certification training you would want to have. Deep Diver cert will teach you about planning your dives with turn, ascent, and reserve pressure in mind.
You will be guided as you descend down a slope where you can establish no stop and dive time limits. You should be able to notice the difference in colors from the color slate given to you and compare the difference at the surface and at depth.
Water absorbs light due to a process called absorption, which varies depending on the frequency of the light.
Yes, it will be your first time at depth beyond your comfort zone of 60 feet and you might have forgotten about the
Four central dive skills which are:
1-Planning dives with secondary objectives
2-Situational Awareness
3-Managing Task Loading
4-Better Habits for Better Diving
This is why you train to learn good habits by planning dives and diving your plan. So be mindful of the turn pressure you planned, signaling for your ascent at a rate not exceeding 18 meters 60 feet per minute using a dive computer or depth gauge and timing device.
And of course, we will make sure you do your 3-minute safety stop, which we will make sure you have enough air for. It happens more often than you think, just those things that divers with bad habits do.
We dive to dive again as I say and so after a nice good SIT, or Surface Interval Time, we do our
Day 1 Dive 2: Underwater Navigation
By the end of this dive you must be able to maintain neutral buoyancy while you determine the average number of kick cycles and average amount of time required to swim underwater at a normal, relaxed pace, approximately 30 meters or 100 feet. You should be able to navigate to a predetermined location and return to within 15 meters or 50 feet of the starting point using natural references and estimated distance measurement like kick cycles or time. Surface only if necessary to verify direction or location.
Position and handle a compass underwater to maintain an accurate heading while swimming. Navigate without surfacing to a predetermined location and return to within 6meters or 20 feet of the starting point using a compass and estimated distance measurement like kick cycles or time.
Swim a square or rectangular pattern underwater, returning to within 8 meters or 25 feet of the starting point using a compass and beginning from a fixed location.
Don’t be too intimidated, this dive might sound tiresome, and wonder when in all those activities can you enjoy marine life. Well think of it this way,
1-Precision in underwater navigation offers significant benefits for divers:
2-Reduces Anxiety: Accurate navigation alleviates stress by ensuring you always know your location, direction, and distance from the boat or shore, minimizing confusion and anxiety.
3-Avoids Long Surface Swims: Effective navigation prevents the need for lengthy surface swims, enhancing safety and conserving energy, especially in areas with high boat traffic.
4-Increases Dive Plan Efficiency: By minimizing guesswork, navigation optimizes dive plans, allowing more time for desired activities and less time wasted on searching.
5-Prevents Buddy Separation: Following a clear navigation plan keeps buddies together, reducing the risk of separation and facilitating quick reunions if needed.
6-Conserves Gas: Efficient navigation saves gas by reducing unnecessary movements, ensuring more enjoyable dives and relaxed returns to the surface.
Beyond practical advantages, mastering underwater navigation presents a rewarding challenge, enhancing skills and confidence for memorable dives.
Now onto more adventure your first night dive.
Day 1 Dive 3: Night Dive
Night diving transforms the familiar underwater world into an enchanting realm filled with mystery and vibrant life, visible only under the cloak of darkness. As daylight fades and the sea slips into shadow, divers gear up, their waterproof flashlights, or as we call them dive torches, ready to slice through the deep, dark waters. This thrilling form of diving offers a unique window into the ocean’s hidden wonders.
Under the beam of a flashlight, the ocean floor comes alive with a spectacular show of colors. Corals that seem mundane during daylight hours reveal their stunning true colors through fluorescence, absorbing and reemitting light in brilliant hues. It’s a visual feast that day divers miss.
The shift from day to night also brings out the ocean’s elusive creatures. Nocturnal animals like octopuses and moray eels venture out to hunt, providing a rare glimpse into their lives. The reef itself, bustling with activity during the day, takes on a serene yet mysterious aura as nocturnal creatures replace the diurnal ones.
Safety in night diving is critical. Divers must be well-trained, especially in navigation and buoyancy control, and should always dive with a buddy. Despite its challenges, night diving is irresistibly compelling, offering a fresh perspective on the ocean’s majesty, making each dive a discovery of its endless nocturnal secrets.
On this dive you must be able to descend using a reference line or sloping bottom, communicate on the dive using both hand signals and dive lights, demonstrate how to use a dive light, submersible pressure gauge, compass timing device and depth gauge at night.
Navigate to a predetermined location using a compass/ natural features and return to within 8 meters or 25 feet of the starting point. When necessary surface for orientation. Maintain buddy contact throughout the dive and lastly ascend using a reference line or sloping bottom.
Day 2 Dive 1: Wreck Dive with Nitrox
So this time you guys can try a special mix of gas called Nitrox.
Nitrox also known as enriched air, revolutionizes underwater exploration. By breathing a gas mixture with a higher oxygen content than standard air, divers can extend their bottom time while reducing the risk of decompression sickness. Nitrox blends typically contain higher percentages of oxygen (usually between 32% and 40%) than regular air (21% oxygen).
This allows divers to stay submerged for longer periods, making it ideal for recreational and technical diving alike. With proper training and equipment, Nitrox diving offers enhanced safety and enjoyment for divers seeking longer dives and shorter surface intervals to explore the underwater world.
And since we will do another deep dive to a wreck, Nitrox will come in real handy. So the last skill you guys will be doing is the wreck dive which can be pretty intimidating but at the same time sound really exciting, am I right? Of course it is, most dive sites in Subic are wreck dives and this cert should also come in handy for Alma Jane dive in Puerto Galera.
So it would be an honor to teach you how to swim on the outside of a wreck while maintaining proper buoyancy, identify and avoid potential hazards like the wreck’s hull. Learn to navigate the wreck to locate the ascent point without surfacing and maintain neutral buoyancy and body position to avoid touching the bottom and the wreck.
In conclusion, the Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver Course offers divers a transformative journey into the depths of the underwater world. Beyond simply enhancing skills, it fosters a profound understanding of safety, exploration, and environmental stewardship. This course empowers divers to navigate diverse underwater landscapes with confidence and proficiency, unlocking new realms of adventure and discovery. By emphasizing the importance of continued learning and responsible diving practices, the Advanced Open Water course not only enriches individual experiences but also contributes to the preservation and appreciation of our planet’s invaluable marine ecosystems. Embarking on this educational voyage is not just about mastering techniques; it’s about embracing a lifelong commitment to the awe-inspiring wonders that lie beneath the waves.