- Ray
- Taeniura lymmaScientific Name
- Near ThreatenedIUCN Threatened Status
SSI Advanced Open Water Diver certification
Advanced Open Water
Take your diving further with the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver course. Over two days, you’ll complete five specialty dives — including deep and navigation — and earn your certification to dive to 30m worldwide.
fromBase Price
฿11000
fromThai Baht
฿11000
Overview
The Advanced Open Water Diver course is the natural next step after your Open Water certification. It’s not an advanced course in the sense that it’s difficult — it’s designed to make you a more comfortable, more capable diver by putting you in situations you haven’t encountered yet.
Over two days you’ll complete five specialty dives in the waters around Koh Tao. Deep and navigation are compulsory. The remaining three are chosen based on your interests — popular options include peak performance buoyancy, fish identification, and underwater photography. Your instructor will help you pick based on what you want to get out of diving.
The deep dive takes you to 30m for the first time. At that depth you’ll notice the difference in light, colour, and the way nitrogen affects your body. It’s a controlled introduction to a new environment, and most divers find it one of the most memorable dives of the course.
Navigation is one of the most practical skills in diving. Using a compass underwater isn’t complicated, but it takes practice — and being able to find your way back to the boat or entry point makes every dive more relaxed and enjoyable.
Course Highlights
Five Specialty Dives
You choose three of your five dives from a range of SSI specialties. Underwater photography, fish identification, peak performance buoyancy, wreck, night — your instructor will help you pick the combination that fits your interests and the conditions on the day.
Dive to 30 Metres
The deep dive is one of the most talked-about moments of the course. At 30m the water changes — colours shift, the reef looks different, and you get your first real sense of what deeper diving feels like. It's a controlled dive with your instructor, but it opens up a whole new range of sites around Koh Tao.
Master Underwater Navigation
Most divers underestimate how useful navigation skills are until they need them. The navigation dive teaches you to use a compass, read natural features, and plan a route underwater. It's one of those skills that immediately makes every dive feel more confident.
Schedule
Your first day starts with a short briefing covering the theory behind each of your chosen specialties. There’s no lengthy classroom session — SSI’s digital learning means most of the background reading is done in advance at your own pace. Once briefed, you’ll head out for your first two specialty dives. Deep and navigation are typically completed on day one, giving you the most memorable dives early and leaving the remaining three for day two.
Day two is three more dives across your chosen specialties. Your instructor will tailor the briefings to the sites you’re visiting and the conditions on the day. After your fifth dive, your SSI Advanced Open Water Diver certification is processed digitally — it’s recognised worldwide and has no expiry date. Most divers finish by early afternoon, leaving the rest of the day free.
What's Included
Requirements
SSI Open Water Diver (or equivalent)
Confident and comfortable in the water
Medical questionnaire
Minimum age 12
Marine Life We May See
Marine life sightings depend on season, conditions, and a bit of luck. These are species commonly spotted at the sites we use for this course, but nothing in the ocean is guaranteed. That's part of what makes it interesting.
- Fish
- Gymnothorax thyrsoideusScientific Name
- Least ConcernIUCN Threatened Status
- Turtle
- Chelonia mydasScientific Name
- EndangeredIUCN Threatened Status
Dive Sites We May visit
We select sites based on conditions, your group's progression, and how busy the reef is that day. These are the sites we typically use for Open Water training.
Reviews
5.0 1,600 Google reviews
5 stars 98%
4 stars 1%
3 stars 1%
2 stars 0%
1 star 0%
The review score reflects all Goodtime Adventures reviews. The ones listed below are for Scuba Diving.
5 star rating
Amazing scuba diving experience! Great place for an absolute beginner. Instructors were amazing- specifically Carmen and Conor. I feel super confident to go out into the world and …
Read on Google 5 star rating
I upgraded my scuba diving license here to an open water license with the instructor Shai, and he was amazing!! Could not recommend more, I was feeling really anxious beforehand an…
Read on Google 5 star rating
Scuba diving is such an amazing spot, and in Koh Tao it does not disappoint. My girlfriend and I are still fairly new at diving but our guide Shai helped us so much without making …
Read on Google 5 star rating
Had the best time diving with this company! This was my first time ever scuba diving and I absolutely loved it. Special thank you to my dive instructors Shai and Ana - you made my …
Read on Google