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Advanced Open Water Diver

Advanced Open Water Diver

Imagine exploring a shipwreck at more than four atmospheres (132 feet!) below the surface of the ocean or imagine taking the plunge off of a boat to explore the unusual underwater world at night. 

NASE Worldwide Advanced Open Water Diver scuba certification opens a whole new world, one with many different environments. Each environment requires additional skills and knowledge, including deep diving, night diving and underwater navigation. The Advanced Open Water Diver scuba training will teach open water divers the ability to safely explore new and exciting dive sites that were previously out of reach.

Advanced Open Water Diver Course Overview

  • Gain additional knowledge and skills beyond those covered in entry-level scuba training.
  • Receive an introduction to several specialty diving activities.
  • Qualify to plan and conduct dives, with a similarly qualified buddy, to depths of 30 m/100 ft, in conditions similar to or better than those in which the divers were trained.
  • Gain additional dive experience under the guidance and supervision of an NASE Worldwide Instructor.

The course consists of self study and at least five open-water training dives. Two of these dives, Underwater Navigation and Deep, are “core” dives that must be completed by all students. The remaining dives may be selected from a list of electives.

General Prerequisites

To enroll in the NASE Worldwide Advanced Open Water Diver course, students must:

  • Meet all of the prerequisites outlined in NASE Worldwide General Course Standards and Procedures.
  • Possess NASE Open Water Diver certification, or the equivalent from a recognized agency.
  • Be at least 16 years old by the start of the course (students who are 12 to 15 may qualify for NASE Junior Advanced Open Water Diver certification).

Open Water Training

The NASE Worldwide Advanced Open Water Diver scuba course consists of five open water dives. After completing Underwater Navigation and Deep Dives, diver's may select the remaining three dives from the list of electives below.

The two core dives are:

  • Underwater Navigation
  • Deep
Elective Dives

Additionally, instructors may, at their discretion, repeat either of the core dives in lieu of one of the electives, if they feel that doing so would help students remediate skills with which they are having difficulty.

Each of the Advanced Open Water Diver course dives is to cover the knowledge and skills contained in the first dive of the corresponding Specialty Diver course. As such, it may also count as the first dive toward these Specialty Diver certifications.

Finally, scuba instructors who are qualified to teach NASE Worldwide-approved Distinctive Specialty Diver courses may include the first dive from one of these courses in lieu of one of the elective dives listed above.

Bottom Time and Number of Dives

During the five open-water scuba training dives included in the NASE Worldwide Advanced Open Water Diver course, students are to accrue a minimum of at least 150 minutes of actual bottom time. No more than three scuba training dives may be conducted during any 24-hour period.

Depths

The maximum depth for the NASE Worldwide Advanced Open Water Diver course deep dive is 30 m/100 feet. Dives must reach a minimum of 20 m/65 ft to qualify as a deep dive. All other advanced scuba course activities are to be conducted at a depth of 20 m/65 ft or less.

General Skill Performance Objectives

To be certified as NASE Worldwide Advanced Open Water Divers, students must be able to:

  • Prepare a detailed dive plan that includes: planned and maximum depths and times; turnaround and minimum ascent pressures; potential risks and hazards; and, environmental and other features unique to the open-water training site.
  • Assemble and test a personal scuba unit as well as any other scuba gear required for the dive.
  • Perform a pre-dive systems and buddy check.
  • Enter and exit the water using techniques appropriate for the dive site or dive vessel.
  • Communicate with the instructor, dive leader or buddy(s) using common hand signals.
  • Demonstrate buoyancy control throughout each dive by proper weighting, BC use and breath control, as demonstrated by:
  • Swimming effortlessly in a near-horizontal position while maintaining control over depth and direction.
  • Making repeated changes in depth without losing control over buoyancy.
  • Initiating a hover by simply stopping.
  • Monitor breathing gas supply and communicate this status with the instructor, dive leader or buddy(s) as needed.
  • Maintain buddy contact and team cohesion by keeping team members in sight (and close enough to respond quickly in an emergency) at all times.
  • Perform an out-of-air exercise by sharing gas with another diver as both donor and receiver while swimming horizontally no less than 15 m/ 50 ft. Divers must maintain control over buoyancy throughout this exercise.

*Note: Students who can only maintain depth by aiming fins thrust upward or downward are not demonstrating mastery of this important skill and are not ready for certification at this level.

Core Dive Skill Performance Objectives

For the underwater navigation dive, students must be able to:

  • Swim a distance of at least 30 m/100 feet using either kick cycles or a timing device. The variance between when students end the swim and the actual distance to be covered must be no more than 20 percent.
  • Swim a distance of at least 50 m/165 ft and return to within sight of the starting point using only natural navigation.
  • Swim a rectangular or triangular compass course of at least 15 m/50 ft on each side, and return to within 5 m/15 ft of the starting point.

For the deep dive, students must be able to:

  • Use Surface Air Consumption (SAC) rate data obtained during prior dives, to determine whether they can remain at the target depth for the intended bottom time and still have sufficient breathing gas remaining for a safe ascent and safety stop.
  • After having modified their dive plan, as needed, to account for SAC rate, monitor depth, time and pressure during the dive, so that the students do not exceed their minimum safe ascent pressure.
  • Perform a controlled descent while maintaining buddy contact and team cohesion.
  • Ascend at a rate of no more than 10 m/33 ft per minute, and then simulate an emergency decompression stop of at least five minutes at 3-6 m/10-20 ft.