This course can be taken immediately after completing the Open Water Diver certification. Students do not have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed to advance a diver’s ability. The course helps build confidence and expand scuba skills through different Adventure Dives. Students will try out different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of their instructor.
There are two mandatory dives for the Advanced Open Water course – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and a further three dives from the wide range of specialty dives will also be required, 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 students will receive during their training will vary based on interest and availability of specialty based on location. If you are doing our Advanced Cold-Water Combination course, one of your dry suit dives will count as an Adventure Dive. Other Adventure Dives we often include in our AOW course are DSMB, Peak Performance Buoyancy and Rescue.
TSC conducts advanced training and the ACC course as shore dives around the GTA. Weather-permitting, we usually do one day of diving at Humber Bay Park West (Lake Ontario) and one day of diving at Shanty Bay Wharf just past Barrie (Lake Simcoe). If winds are high, we will go to Gulliver’s Lake instead of Humber Bay.
These location introduce divers to real Ontario diving, which can sometimes mean low visibility, surface waves, and thermoclines (6ºC-9ºC water at depth). These training dives require a 7mm wetsuit, hood and gloves all year-round. Divers who complete their Advanced Open Water course in Ontario under these conditions are true advanced divers! These locations do not offer changing or bathroom facilities.
Participants must be certified PADI Open Water divers or equivalent. While PADI allows Junior Open Water divers at who are at least 12 years old enrol in the Advanced Open Water course, due to the more challenging conditions of our local dive sites, TSC requires participants to be 18 years old.
Students who do not have a logged dive in the last 12 months must first take a scuba refresher. This not only ensures safety during the course, but also ensures maximum enjoyment and progression of dive skills. Students should be comfortable setting up their gear with minimal help, with recent experience practicing descents, neutral buoyancy and ascents with safety stops.
Experience diving with a hood and gloves is recommended.
Younger divers may enrol in the Advanced Open Water course that we offer on Scuba Getaway trips, including Roatan, Honduras.
The TSC Advanced Open Water course fee includes PADI eLearning for the academic component, all dive instruction during the course, air fills and weight rental, and the PADI Advanced Open Water digital certification card upon successful completion. Those who select the ACC option also receive their PADI Dry Suit Specialty and Enriched Air Nitrox eLearning access, and digital certification cards upon completion of the academic and practical components. Additional rental fees are detailed below.
For this course, BCD, regulators, dive computer and wetsuits are available to rent if required. Students are required to have their own mask, snorkel and fins (open heel with boot).
Parking fees may be required at diving locations.
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