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Jacques Cousteau already said, “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” When you will be underwater, nothing else will matter at all. You will experience the ultimate calmness. You will feel like an astronaut who is exploring a whole new planet. Everything will move slowly, including your fins and heartbeat. All your worries and problems will be left behind on dry land. You will simply breathe and enjoy whatever your eyes will witness. Fishes will come closer to you out of their curiosity. You will be an alien in their world.
Taking the PADI Advanced Water Diver course means advancing your scuba diving skills. You will be practising navigation and buoyancy, diving deep, and making three speciality dives of your choice (like a speciality sampler platter). You can earn credit toward PADI speciality certifications for each speciality dive completed by you.
Some of the options are as follows:
- Deep
- Digital Underwater Photography
- Dive Against Debris
- Dry Suit
- Enriched Air Nitrox
- Fish Identification
- Night
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Search & Recovery
- Underwater Naturalist
- Underwater Navigation
- Wreck Diver
Taking this course will help you in:
- Gaining more diving experience
- Practising navigation
- Sampling different types of diving
You will learn how to:
- Explore below 18 meters/60 feet
- Improve your buoyancy
- Use a compass
PADI Advanced Water Diver course includes a total of five dives– a deep dive below 18 meters/60 feet, a navigation dive, and three specialty dives. You will gain experience, build confidence, and enhance your diving abilities.
- Prerequisites- Open Water Diver/Junior Open Water Diver (or qualifying certification)
- Total time commitment- Two to three days
- Minimum age: 12 years or older
- Depth: Maximum depth is up to 30 metres/100 feet. However, it will depend on your age. The maximum depth is 21 metres/70 feet for twelve to fifteen years old divers.
Speciality dives
These speciality dives are available almost anywhere:
- Deep
- Fish Identification
- Night
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Digital Underwater Imaging
- Search & Recovery
- Underwater Naturalist
- Underwater Navigation
The below-mentioned speciality dives are not available at all locations. Contact your instructor or dive shop for confirming availability if you are interested in any of these:
- Adaptive Support
- Altitude
- Boat
- Cavern
- Delayed Surface Marker Buoy (DSMB)
- Dive Against Debris
- Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV)
- Drift
- Dry Suit
- Enriched Air
- Full Face Mask
- Ice
- Rebreather
- Self-Reliant diving
- Shark Conservation
- Sidemount
- Wreck
Top 10 effects to keep in mind while diving
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Pick up a good day
Diving is greatly affected by weather conditions. Underwater currents are created by waves and they make it tough to reach the point of immersion. If the conditions are unfavourable, then try another day. No compromise should be made in such a situation.
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Get all your questions answered
You should not go underwater with doubts in your mind because once you are down, then you will not be able to communicate. It is vital that you know what you should do at any time, the protocols, etc. In order to ensure total safety, ask everything from your instructor whatever is there in your mind.
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Breathe!
Remember to breathe normally because you have an oxygen cylinder on your back. There may be situations when your nerves or instinct may make you keep from holding your breath while you dive. But just focus on relaxing along with inhaling and exhaling slowly as if you were on the land. Never hold your breath!
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Follow your gut feeling
Believe your instinct. We, humans, are wise and can perceive, instinctively, when something is not going as planned. In case of doubt, analyse the situation and contact your trainer.
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Look but don’t touch
Forget what you see in movies or documentaries. The basic rule under the water is to look at everything but touch nothing. Even if you want to. There are different fishes, seaweed, corals, etc. about which you don’t know anything. They may harm you if you interfere with their privacy. Be cautious!
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Rise cautiously
After the dive, do not be in a rush to return to the surface. By hurrying, you can hurt your lungs because of experiencing a sudden change in pressure. You should rise slower than the column of bubbles released with each exhalation of air.
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Don’t move too much
In comparison with air, water is nearly 800 times denser. Thus, any movement means much more effort. Try not to move too much so that you don’t get tired fast, and some air is saved.
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Be a good partner
You only have one another under the water. So try to be a good diving partner always. Know your limitations as well as your partner’s- diving level, health status, underwater communication, equipment status, etc.
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Get ready (physically & mentally)
Safe diving includes excellent physical fitness and attitude. It is essential that you maintain a positive outlook under the water and also be able to control your nerves in case you come across any trouble.
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Check the equipment
Two pairs of eyes see more than one. So, make sure that you check yours as well as your partner’s equipment before the dive. Also, make sure that the neoprene and glasses adapt properly to your body.
If you have decided to take that leap of faith, then Havelock Island (now known as Swaraj Dweep) is your one-stop destination. The island is known for the best diving spots in India. The azure waters are clear that ensure good visibility. Also, you may spot colourful corals at some sites. The PADI-certified, experienced divers at Aqua Nomads are committed to making sure that you have an experience of a lifetime under the water. The instructor will be with you during the whole time of your dive.
Medical requirements
A minimum level of health and fitness is required for scuba diving. In case you are suffering from any chronic health condition, or taking certain medications and/or had surgery recently, you will have to get written approval from a physician before diving. In order to avoid any confusion, you can simply download and review the Diver Medical Form to make sure that you will not require approval from a physician to dive. You should not ask your instructor, dive master, or dive shop staff for medical advice as they are not physicians. Only medical professionals can give medical clearance to dive if you do not have a minimum level of health and fitness.
Prerequisites & Minimum Age
Course prerequisites:
PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water Diver, or qualifying entry-level certification
The minimum age to begin the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is twelve years.
- Divers, who are fifteen years or older, earn an Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
- Divers, who are between the age of twelve and fourteen years, earn a Junior Advanced Open Water.
- Diver certification divers of ten and eleven years can earn a Junior Adventure Diver certification. They can complete the deep dive upon turning twelve years. They can also earn a Junior Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
At the age of fifteen years, Junior Advanced Open Water Divers automatically become Advanced Open Water Divers. An Advanced Open Water Diver (not Junior Advanced Open Water Diver) certification will be shown automatically in case of any replacement certification card or eCard purchased the day after the diver’s fifteenth birthday.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Q. 1 : Will I have a guide under the water?
Answer: Of course. You will have an experienced dive instructor at all times under the water.