Course at a Glance

Course: PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
Location: Sugar Land, TX
Course Fee: $375.00
Best For: Certified divers who want to gain experience, build confidence, and continue their scuba training
Format: PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning plus five Adventure Dives
Required Dives: Deep Adventure Dive and Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive
Elective Dives: Three additional Adventure Dives based on schedule, interests, and local conditions
Includes: PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning, rental scuba equipment, dive computer, exposure protection, tanks, weights, and certification processing
Optional Add-On: Add PADI Enriched Air Nitrox when scheduling your Advanced Open Water course
Minimum Age: 15 years old, or 12 years old for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver
Prerequisite: PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water Diver, or qualifying certification from another training organization

Who Should Take This Course?

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is the next step after Open Water certification. This course is designed to help certified divers gain more experience, improve confidence, and explore different types of diving under the supervision of a PADI Instructor.

It is a great choice for divers who want to improve their buoyancy, become more comfortable with navigation, prepare for dive travel, gain experience with deeper dives, or continue toward Rescue Diver, specialties, Divemaster, or professional-level training.

How the Course Works

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course includes five Adventure Dives. Each Adventure Dive introduces you to a different area of scuba diving and helps you build real experience in the water.

Two Adventure Dives are required:

• Underwater Navigation
• Deep Adventure Dive

You will then complete three additional Adventure Dives based on your interests, schedule, and local conditions. Elective options may include:

• Peak Performance Buoyancy
• Enriched Air Diver
• Night Diver
• Wreck Diver
• Search and Recovery
• Rescue Diver Adventure Dive
• Other Adventure Dives depending on availability

Once you complete all five Adventure Dives, you will earn your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

Add Nitrox to Your Advanced Open Water Course

Many divers choose to add the PADI Enriched Air Nitrox course to their Advanced Open Water training. Nitrox is one of the most popular PADI specialties and is especially useful for divers preparing for dive travel, liveaboards, resort diving, or multiple-dive days.

Nitrox is not included in the standard Advanced Open Water course fee, but it can be added when you schedule your course. Adding Nitrox can give divers longer no-decompression limits, shorter surface intervals, and greater flexibility on repetitive-dive days.

During the Nitrox course, you will learn how to analyze a tank, understand oxygen exposure, and set your dive computer for enriched air. Ask Sugar Land Dive Center about adding PADI Enriched Air Nitrox when booking your Advanced Open Water course.

What's Included

Your course includes:

• PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning
• Rental scuba equipment
• BCD
• Regulators
• Dive computer
• Exposure protection
• Tanks and weights

The eLearning portion allows you to complete the knowledge development at your own pace before your dives. You will read the sections related to the Adventure Dives you are completing and review important concepts before applying them in the water.

What You Will Learn

During the course, you will build practical dive experience and improve important scuba skills, including:

• Physiological effects of deeper scuba diving
• How to use an underwater compass more effectively
• How to navigate using kick cycles, visual landmarks, and time
• How to better use your dive computer and electronic dive planning tools
• Better buoyancy, trim, and awareness
• Improved confidence in open water
• Additional skills based on the Adventure Dives you choose
• Practical aspects of deep diving

You will also complete the "Thinking Like a Diver" section, which introduces four important techniques for becoming a more aware and capable diver:

• Increasing situational awareness
• Managing task loading
• Primary and secondary dive objectives
• Building better habits as a diver

Why Choose Sugar Land Dive Center?

Sugar Land Dive Center offers PADI Advanced Open Water training for certified divers from Sugar Land, Houston, and the Greater Houston area. Our instructors focus on practical, patient coaching that helps divers build confidence and continue progressing safely.

As a family-operated PADI dive center, we help divers move beyond basic certification and prepare for real diving experiences, including local dives, group trips, liveaboards, resort diving, and continuing education courses such as Enriched Air Nitrox, Rescue Diver, and specialty training.

Prerequisites

To enroll in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, you must be:

• A PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water Diver, or have a qualifying certification from another training organization
• At least 15 years old, or 12 years old for Junior Advanced Open Water Diver
• Able to complete the required Diver Medical before any in-water activities. You may review the Diver Medical by clicking the button below:

Diver Medical

Please note: any "YES" answer on the medical form requires physician approval before participating in any in-water training activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be an advanced diver before taking this course?

No. The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is designed for certified Open Water Divers who want to gain experience and continue their training under instructor supervision.

How many dives are included in the course?

The course includes five Adventure Dives: Deep, Underwater Navigation, and three elective Adventure Dives.

Which dives are required?

The two required dives are the Deep Adventure Dive and the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive.

Can I choose my elective dives?

Yes, elective dives are selected based on your interests, schedule, instructor availability, and local conditions. Popular options may include Peak Performance Buoyancy, Enriched Air, Night, Wreck, and Search and Recovery.

Can I add Nitrox to my Advanced Open Water course?

Yes. PADI Enriched Air Nitrox is not included in the standard Advanced Open Water course fee, but it can be added when you schedule your course. Many divers choose to add Nitrox to their Advanced Open Water certification because it can allow longer no-decompression limits, shorter surface intervals, and greater flexibility on repetitive dive days.

Is Advanced Open Water a good course before a dive trip?

Yes. This is one of the best courses to take before a dive vacation because it provides more supervised dive experience and helps improve confidence, navigation, buoyancy, and awareness for deeper dives.

Does the course include scuba equipment?

Yes. The course includes rental scuba equipment, including BCD, regulators, dive computer, exposure protection, tanks, and weights.

What course should I take after Advanced Open Water?

Many divers continue with Enriched Air Nitrox, Rescue Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, or other PADI specialties. Advanced Open Water is also an important step for divers considering Divemaster or professional-level training.

Ready to Continue Your Scuba Training?

Take the next step after Open Water and build confidence with Sugar Land Dive Center's PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. Contact us to schedule your course or view upcoming course dates.