Two divers at the surface high fiving, with an inflated surface market buoy

Why You Should Become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

Written by: Maddie W

August 27, 2026

Time to read 7 min

Becoming an Open Water (OW) Diver is all about the basics; you learn how to use scuba equipment, understand dive safety, and experience being fully immersed in the underwater world for the first time. Upon finishing your OW certification, you may realize that you lack finesse when it comes to a day of diving. Of course, this comes with practice and repetition. However, continuing your dive education will help you feel like a dive pro much faster.

The PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) course is the next step in your dive journey. Not only does it help you become a more comfortable and confident diver, it also unlocks new depths and opportunities. Throughout the course, you will embark on five adventure dives, each of which focus on a unique specialty. These dives sharpen your diving skills, helping you become a better diver. If you're considering taking the next step with the PADI AOW course, look no further. In this guide, we outline the course and share why we believe every diver should become AOW certified.

Table of contents

How is the Course Structured? PADI eLearning In-Person Training Adventure Dives Underwater Navigator Deep Diver Boat Diver Peak Performance Buoyancy Search and Recovery Should I become an AOW diver?

How is the Course Structured?

To earn your AOW certification, you must complete eLearning along with 5 adventure dives. Unlike OW, there are no pool sessions. At Santa Barbara Aquatics, AOW is completed in one weekend.

POV of person looking at their PADI AOW eLearning on their cell phone, with the ocean in the background

https://www.padi.com/education/elearning-programs?form=MY01SV

PADI eLearning

Just as with every PADI course, you will complete eLearning modules before the in-person training. This is done at your own pace, at home. Most students agree that the modules for AOW are more manageable and less dense when compared to OW, typically taking around six hours to complete.

AOW is designed as an exploratory course, offering an array of adventure dives to choose from. All AOW programs must complete the Deep Diver and Underwater Navigator dives, while the other three dives are flexible. At Santa Barbara Aquatics, our optional three offerings are Boat Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, and Search and Recovery.

Prospective AOW students must complete required sections, along with these three adventure dive modules and knowledge reviews. However, you have access to every optional adventure dive, and should read through any that pique your interest!

In-Person Training

At Santa Barbara Aquatics, we schedule AOW over the course of one weekend. Expect to spend your Saturday morning completing two dives at Refugio State Beach, or another local beach. Divers arrive at 8 am, and are typically out of the water, packed up, and ready to head home around noon.

The final three dives are completed on Sunday, out at the Channel Islands off of the Spectre Dive Boat. A typical day looks like:

6:00 am: Divers check-in and load their gear at Ventura Harbor.
7:00 am: Safety briefing and departure. Breakfast is served, along with coffee and tea.
9:00 am: Dive #1.
10:30 am: Dive #2.
12:00 pm: Refuel with a grilled lunch and soft drinks. Choice of meat or vegetarian option.
1:00 pm: Dive #3.
2:30 pm: Roll-call and begin return to the harbor. Enjoy a brownie sundae and keep warm in the hot tub. Hard beverages are available for purchase.
4:00 pm: Return to the Ventura Harbor, unload, and head home for some rest!

Timing and dive location are subject to conditions. The boat anchors at either Anacapa or Santa Cruz Island. The captain moves sites for each dive, conditions permitting. Food and beverages are included in the price of your ticket; the only additional costs are hard beverages and gratuities for the crew. The Spectre dive day, although exhausting, is a fun and rewarding experience!

Adventure Dives

Underwater Navigator

Navigation is a skill that makes diving more enjoyable and less stressful. During the AOW course, divers practice compass navigation on land and underwater. This adventure dive is often taken as a shore dive with murkier conditions, so that you have to rely on your compass and navigation patterns. You will likely also practice natural navigation out at the islands, where the water is clearer with more kelp structure. Becoming a great underwater navigator levels up your dives, while making you a great dive buddy!

https://blog.padi.com/underwater-navigation-course/

Deep Diver

One of the major perks of being an AOW diver is a higher depth rating of 100 ft/30 m. Many dive sites around the world are deeper than the OW rating of 60 ft/18, requiring an advanced certification. AOW divers unlock more dive sites, including:

Truk Lagoon, Micronesia.
Socorro Island, Mexico.
Sardine Run, South Africa.

After planning the deep dive with your dive buddies, your instructor will take you below the OW allotted depth of 60 ft. You will notice that at this depth, it is darker and colder. Colors appear differently. You may feel the onset of gas narcosis depending on how deep you go. This is safest to experience for the first time with a professional.

https://blog.padi.com/amazing-dive-destinations-where-you-need-an-advanced-open-water-certification/

Boat Diver

While many divers enjoy shore diving, most can agree that boat diving is elite. Becoming comfortable diving off of boats is a key skill for divers. On the way out to the islands, you will go over boat terminology, etiquette, and safety procedures. As for the dive itself, you will focus on entry and exit techniques, deploying a surface marker buoy, and lines for ascents and descents.

https://store.padi.com/en-us/courses/boat-diver/p/60491-1B2C/

Peak Performance Buoyancy

One of the biggest struggles divers face is good buoyancy, and feeling stable underwater. Expect to start this dive by finding your perfect weighting with a buoyancy check (remember this from your OW course?). Your instructor will give you tips on how to streamline your gear, position your body, and fine tune your trim. You will practice hovering and using your breath to move up and down.

Two divers hovering with legs crossed underwater

https://store.padi.com/en-us/courses/peak-performance-buoyancy/p/60477-1B2C/

Search and Recovery

As a recreational diver, search and recovery refers to recovering a lost item or cleaning up trash. Your instructor will set up an item to recover (often a piece of equipment), and dive buddies will devise the best plan of action to recover the object considering what they are searching for, visibility conditions, and topography. Divers will employ safe practices for using a lift bag to recover the item. Another aspect of this dive is demonstrating the ability to tie popular knots. This is tested above and below water.

Two divers using a lift bag to recover an item

https://store.padi.com/en-us/courses/search-and-recovery-diver/p/60488-1B2C/

The five adventure dives for the AOW certification at Santa Barbara Aquatics are Underwater Navigator, Deep Diver, Boat Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, and Search and Recovery.

What is included in the price of the course at SBA?

The course fee includes all five specialty dives (2 beach, 3 boat), online eLearning access, rental scuba gear (tank, BCD, regulator, wetsuit, hood, weights ONLY) and PADI certification fees. Dive instruction and boat passage are also included.

Do I need to bring my own gear?

Students must possess their own personal gear (mask, fins, snorkel, boots, and gloves). AOW students also need a cutting tool, reel, and SMB. If you need any of these items, we will happily walk you through our gear selection before your class begins. Students receive a 10% discount and a guaranteed fit. Scuba gear is included in the price of the course. However, we strongly recommend AOW students to start purchasing their own scuba gear. Having your own gear that fits properly, is suited to your needs, and is consistent makes a world of difference and allows you to progress your skills.

Do I need to use a dive computer?

While it is not required, using a dive computer is highly recommended for safety and dive logging. Having a computer is simpler and more reliable than using dive tables. Learning to use the computer under instructor supervision is ideal, as they are experts who can help you troubleshoot any issues or questions you may have.

Is the AOW class harder than OW?

Most divers would agree that OW is harder! As an OW student, you are learning an entirely new skill and are put in a new, sometimes uncomfortable environment. As an AOW student, you don’t have to worry as much about the basics. You are fine tuning your skills, and working on confidence.

How many dives do I need to have before taking the AOW course?

You don’t need to have any dives beyond your OW class to begin AOW! Some may even recommend doing AOW right away, to drill in safe practices and work on skills before diving without a professional instructor. Taking two consecutive courses also helps divers keep good diving habits that are learned in OW and often stopped when not being reminded by an instructor.

What if I want to dive deeper into one particular specialty?

If you complete a certain adventure dive during your AOW course, this counts as a credit towards the full specialty certification. We encourage you to dig deeper into the specialty if it's something that you want to perfect, or learn more about!

How old do I need to be for AOW?

For the group course, divers must be 15 years or older. Divers 12-14 may earn their Junior AOW certification through private instruction.

Should I become an AOW diver?

If you are a diver who wants to become more comfortable in the water, maintain safe habits, and build confidence, AOW is a great step in your diving journey. OW divers learn a new skill of scuba diving, emphasizing safety and basic skills, while AOW pushes divers beyond the basics to refine their skills and enjoy the experience of being underwater without fussing around. For more information on our AOW course at Santa Barbara Aquatics, contact us or sign up today!

AOW Certification at Santa Barbara Aquatics