That’s what the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about. You don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your PADI Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. You try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your PADI Instructor. You log dives and develop capabilities as you find new ways to have fun scuba diving. Additionally, if you would like to invest in your own BCD and Reg, you will learn how to use them in the ocean with the help of your instructor before going off on your own diving adventures!
Get credit! Each Adventure Dive may credit toward the first dive of the corresponding PADI Specialty Diver Course. If you’ve already taken a specialty diver course, ask your instructor if you’ve earned credit for an Adventure Dive.
PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers who are at least 12 years old are ready to step up and enroll in an Advanced Open Water Diver course. Young divers may only participate in certain Adventures Dives – check with your PADI Instructor.
If you’re already an Adventure Diver, you only need to complete two more Adventure Dives to earn the Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
You’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three, for a total of five dives.
During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time.
The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.
You may be able to get college credit for the Advanced Open Water Diver course.
Beyond using basic scuba equipment, you’ll need a compass and dive knife or dive tool. You’ll also use specialized gear depending on the Adventure Dives you choose. For example, you’d obviously use a dry suit for the Dry Suit Adventure Dive or a Fish Identification Card during the Fish Identification Adventure Dive. Your Blue Holic Instructor will explain the equipment that you need and may suggest additional gear, such as dive light for night diving or lift bag for search and recovery diving.
Come visit us at the Blue Holic Scuba Shop to learn more about the gear you will need to start your adventures in the Advanced Open Water Diver course.
Call us now (323) 641-7416 or stop by the shop to get started! You will need to purchase the Adventures in Diving manual and watch the Adventures in Diving video.
Once enrolled in the course, you will get your materials and start learning! Your Blue Holic Instructor will meet with you to schedule knowledge review sessions along with your specialty dives.
Scuba divers describe the PADI Rescue Diver course as the most challenging, yet most rewarding course they’ve ever taken. Why? Because you learn to prevent and manage problems in the water, and become more confident in your skills as a diver, knowing that you can help others if needed. During the course, you learn to become a better buddy by practicing problem solving skills until they become second nature. Plus, the course is just fun – it’s serious, but still allows for lots of laughter in between the focused learning.
PADI (Junior) Adventure Divers who are at least 12 years old and have completed the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive may enroll in a Rescue Diver course. You also need to have Emergency First Response Primary and Secondary Care (CPR and First Aid) training which is INCLUDED in this course.
The PADI Rescue Diver course prepares you to deal with dive emergencies, minor and major, using a variety of techniques. Through knowledge development and rescue exercises, you learn what to look for and how to respond. During rescue scenarios, you put into practice your knowledge and skills. Topics include:
You may be able to get college credit for the Rescue Diver course – ask your instructor.
You’ll use your basic scuba equipment and will need a pocket mask to practice in-water resuscitation. During exercises, you’ll work with an oxygen unit, floats, marker buoys and perhaps CPR mannequins. Your Blue Holic Instructor will explain the equipment that you need and may suggest additional gear, such as your own first aid kit, which will be useful throughout your diving career.
Please budget for your Rescue course book and EFR course book, as well as any other personal gear you may need.
Feel free to check with your instructor to get advice about everything you need for your diving adventures.
This course requires one pool session (Saturday mornings), 2 boat trips (all day Sunday), and one classroom session for your Emergency First Responder training. Once you have purchased the course, you will then go to our calendar page and reserve your pool and boat tickets. You will also need to stop by the shop to sign your paperwork, purchase your Rescue course book , EFR course book, and any personal gear you may need.
Call us at (323) 641-7416 if you have anymore questions or stop by the shop to get started!
Much of the world’s best scuba diving is accessible only by boat. Whether you’ve never made a boat dive or you’ve logged dozens, the PADI Boat Diver Specialty course will benefit you because boats in various parts of the world do things differently. Scuba diving from a boat is fun and relatively easy because you usually descend directly onto your dive site.
If you’re a PADI (Junior) Open Water Diver who is at least 10 years old, you can enroll in the Boat Diver course.
The PADI Boat Diver course will expand your knowledge about boats from small inflatables to large liveaboards. You’ll gain experience scuba diving by completing two dives from a boat in your local area and learn:
Get credit! The first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.
Beyond using basic scuba equipment, you’ll want to have a surface signaling device, such as an inflatable signal tube. Having a complete spare parts kit is also a good idea. Your PADI Instructor may suggest additional equipment depending on what type of boat and where your boat diving adventures take you.
Q. What do I do after purchasing the Boat Diver Specialty Course?
After you purchase the Specialty Course, an instructor will contact you according to your account via email or phone call. Then, you will schedule for meeting.
You will come to our dive shop on the scheduled day and will go through orientation, instuctions, and you will schedule further appointments for swimming pool and ocean dive sessions.
The lure of the deep. There’s something exciting and mysterious about exploring deeper dive sites while scuba diving. Sometimes it’s a wreck that attracts you below 18 metres/60 feet, and on wall dives it may be a giant fan or sponge. Whatever it is, to scuba dive with confidence at depths down to 40 metres/130 feet, you should take the PADI Deep Diver Specialty course.
If you’ve earned the PADI Adventure Diver rating or higher, and you’re at least 15 years old, you can enroll in the Deep Diver course.
Your training starts by reviewing reasons for deep diving and how important it is to know your personal limits. During four deep dives with your instructor, you’ll go over:
Also, the first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.
You’ll need a dive computer along with the rest of your basic scuba equipment. A dive light and slate are also recommended. Your PADI Instructor may suggest other gear appropriate for local deep diving.
Q. What do I do after purchasing the Deep Diver Specialty Course?
After you purchase the Specialty Course, an instructor will contact you according to your account via email or phone call. Then, you will schedule for meeting.
You will come to our dive shop on the scheduled day and will go through orientation, instuctions, and you will schedule further appointments for swimming pool and ocean dive sessions.
The Adventure Diver course is a subset of the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course. Have you always wanted to try digital underwater photography, fish identification or dry suit diving? There’s a long list of scuba adventures you can take part in during this program. Complete three Adventure Dives and you earn the Adventure Diver certification. It’s a great opportunity to work with your instructor to build your scuba skills and gain more confidence. Get a taste of what you like and enjoy scuba diving more than ever.
Get credit! Each Adventure Dive may credit toward the first dive of the corresponding PADI Specialty Diver Course. If you’ve already taken a specialty diver course, ask your instructor if you’ve earned credit for an Adventure Dive.
PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers who are at least 10 years old and want to take the next step should enroll in an Adventure Diver course. Young divers may only participate in certain Adventures Dives – check with your PADI Instructor.
You can choose what you’re most interested in learning. Need to work on your buoyancy skills? Try the Peak Performance Buoyancy Adventure Dive. Want to know what you’re looking at down there? Try the AWARE - Fish Identification or Underwater Naturalist Adventure Dives. You’ll plan your path with your instructor, go over what you need to know and dive in quickly.
Beyond using basic scuba equipment, you’ll learn to use specialized gear depending on the Adventure Dives you choose. For example you will need a dry suit for the Dry Suit Adventure Dive or a sidemount configuration for the Sidemount Adventure Dive. Your PADI Instructor will explain the equipment that you need and may suggest additional gear, such as a dive light for night diving or a lift bag for search and recovery diving.
You can also choose to read the Adventures in Diving manual and watch the Adventures in Diving video (a book and DVD package). Stop by our shop to enroll in the course, get your materials and start learning. Your PADI Instructor will meet with you to schedule knowledge review sessions along with your Adventure Dives.
Any time you scuba dive at an altitude higher than 300 metres/1000 feet above sea level, you're altitude diving. If you’re ready to discover a hidden world where few have ventured, then the PADI Altitude Diver Specialty course is for you.
PADI (Junior) Open Water Divers who are at least 10 years old are eligible to take the Altitude Diver course.
Learning to adjust your dive plan for the reduced surface pressure at altitude is an important part of the course. You’ll complete two scuba dives and learn:
Get credit! The first dive of this PADI Specialty Diver course may credit as an Adventure Dive toward your Advanced Open Water Diver certification – ask your instructor about earning credit.
Beyond using basic scuba equipment, you may need a dry suit for the cool water. Your PADI Instructor may suggest additional equipment depending on the dive site features and visibility. Call to get advice about diving at altitude.
Q. What do I do after purchasing the Altitude Diver Specialty Course?
After you purchase the Specialty Course, an instructor will contact you according to your account via email or phone call. Then, you will schedule for meeting.
You will come to our dive shop on the scheduled day and will go through orientation, instuctions, and you will schedule further appointments for swimming pool and ocean dive sessions.
Everyone likes to scuba dive or snorkel in warm, clear water on a vibrant coral reef, yet many people know little about what they’re seeing or the importance of reef ecosystems. The Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course helps you appreciate the complexity of these habitats and teaches you how you can help conserve these vital systems.
Anyone who has an interest in the aquatic world can take this course. There are no prerequisites or age restrictions and no water sessions are required to earn this non-diving certification.
Through classroom discussions, you learn:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What do I do after purchasing the Coral Reef Conservation Diver Specialty Course?
After you purchase the Specialty Course, an instructor will contact you according to your account via email or phone call. Then, you will schedule for meeting.
You will come to our dive shop on the scheduled day and will go through orientation, instuctions, and you will schedule further appointments for swimming pool and ocean dive sessions.