PADI Advanced Open Water Diver in Sharm El Sheikh: How Soon Can You Start?
Updated: Aug 31
If you've just completed your PADI Open Water Diver certification, you may already be wondering:
What's next?
For many divers, the answer is the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.
Despite the word "Advanced" in the name, you don't need to be an experienced or expert diver before taking the course. The purpose of the program is to help Open Water divers build confidence, expand their skills, and experience different types of diving under the supervision of a PADI Instructor.
And if you're planning to continue your diving in the Red Sea, Sharm El Sheikh is an excellent place to take your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.
But how soon can you start?
What Is the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course?
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is designed to help certified Open Water divers gain experience and develop new scuba skills through a series of supervised Adventure Dives.
The course consists of five Adventure Dives:
Deep Adventure Dive – required
Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive – required
Three additional Adventure Dives – selected with your instructor
The three elective dives allow you to explore areas of diving that interest you. Depending on the location and available training options, these can include activities such as night diving, wreck diving, peak performance buoyancy, underwater photography, fish identification, drift diving and more.
There is also much less classroom-style learning than you experienced during your Open Water course. PADI describes Advanced Open Water as a practical experience designed to help you gain confidence and try new diving activities rather than simply studying theory.
How Many Dives Do You Need for PADI Advanced Open Water?
The answer is five Adventure Dives during the course.
Two of these are mandatory:
Deep Diving
Underwater Navigation
You then choose three additional Adventure Dives with your instructor.
The Deep Adventure Dive introduces you to diving beyond the usual Open Water depth limit, with the training dive reaching up to 30 metres / 100 feet for appropriately qualified adult divers. The Navigation Adventure Dive develops your ability to use a compass and other techniques to navigate underwater.
The important point is that these aren't simply five recreational dives.
Each dive has a specific learning objective.
That's what makes the Advanced Open Water course different from simply booking five guided dives.
Do You Need Experience Before Taking Advanced Open Water?
This is where the word "Advanced" can sometimes create confusion.
You don't need to be an expert diver to take the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.
The basic prerequisite is an Open Water Diver certification or qualifying entry-level certification. PADI specifically notes that divers can begin the course after completing their Open Water certification.
However, there is an important difference between being certified and being experienced.
A certification tells you that you've completed the required training.
It doesn't automatically mean that you have developed extensive real-world diving experience.
That's why I always encourage divers to look honestly at their recent diving experience before starting the course.
Can You Take Advanced Open Water Immediately After Open Water?
Yes, you can.
This was one of the questions that originally inspired this article, and my opinion on it has become more nuanced over the years.
PADI allows divers to continue directly from Open Water into Advanced Open Water. There is no requirement to accumulate a large number of additional recreational dives first.
But that doesn't mean that every newly certified diver should automatically rush into Advanced Open Water.
The better question is:
Are you comfortable enough with your basic diving skills to benefit from the next level of training?
If you've just completed your Open Water course and feel comfortable in the water, your buoyancy is developing well, and you're keen to learn, continuing your education can be an excellent choice.
If you're still struggling with basic equipment skills, buoyancy, air management or general comfort underwater, spending some time doing additional guided dives first may be the better option.
So, Is It Really "Advanced"?
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is better understood as the next step in your diving education.
You are learning new skills, experiencing different types of diving, and becoming more comfortable in environments that may be beyond what you experienced during your Open Water course.
But five training dives don't magically turn someone into an experienced diver.
Experience comes from continuing to dive.
The certification gives you additional training and expands the types of diving you can undertake within the limits of your certification, training, experience, and local conditions.
Why Take Advanced Open Water in Sharm El Sheikh?
Sharm El Sheikh is one of the best places in the Red Sea to continue your scuba diving education.
The area offers a huge variety of underwater environments, from local reefs and walls to famous diving destinations such as Ras Mohammed National Park and the Strait of Tiran.
That variety makes the Advanced Open Water course much more than a classroom exercise.
You're learning new skills while actually experiencing the underwater environment of the Red Sea.
For example, your training may allow you to work on:
Deep diving
Underwater navigation
Buoyancy
Wreck diving
Night diving
Underwater photography
Marine-life identification
Drift diving
The exact Adventure Dives available should always be discussed with your instructor because the options depend on the location, conditions, equipment and operational plan.
Current PADI listings for Sharm El Sheikh similarly show five dives, with Deep and Navigation as the required components and the remaining three selected with the instructor.
What Will You Learn During the Course?
1. Deep Diving
The Deep Adventure Dive introduces you to the planning and considerations involved in deeper diving.
You'll learn about factors such as depth-related changes, dive planning, and the challenges associated with deeper environments.
For adult Advanced Open Water divers, the course can take you to 30 metres / 100 feet under the appropriate training conditions.
2. Underwater Navigation
Navigation is one of the most useful skills you can develop as a recreational diver.
During the Navigation Adventure Dive, you'll work on techniques such as:
Compass navigation
Kick-cycle estimation
Time and distance
Visual references
Maintaining awareness of your position underwater
Good navigation isn't about simply following your guide.
It's about becoming more independent and understanding where you are in relation to the dive site.
3. Your Three Adventure Dives
This is one of my favorite parts of the course.
You get to choose three additional Adventure Dives with your instructor.
Depending on availability, these could introduce you to activities such as:
Wreck Diving: Explore the techniques and considerations involved in diving around wrecks.
Night Diving: Experience how familiar reefs change after sunset.
Peak Performance Buoyancy: Improve your buoyancy control, trim, and air efficiency.
Underwater Photography: Learn how to approach subjects and manage your equipment while taking photographs underwater.
Fish Identification: Develop a better understanding of the marine life you encounter.
PADI currently lists more than two dozen Adventure Dive options across its program, although the actual choices available to you depend on the dive center and environment.
How Long Does the PADI Advanced Open Water Course Take?
The course is commonly completed over two days, although the exact schedule can vary depending on the dive center, location, weather, logistics, and whether you complete the theory through eLearning.
Current PADI Advanced Open Water courses take approximately two to three days, with five dives.
If you choose PADI eLearning, you can complete the knowledge-development portion before arriving, allowing more of your time in Sharm El Sheikh to be spent diving.
Is There an Exam?
One of the nice things about the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is that it isn't structured like another big classroom exam.
The emphasis is on learning through practical Adventure Dives with your instructor.
You'll still complete the required knowledge development for your selected dives, but the course is fundamentally about applying skills in the water and gaining experience. PADI specifically states that the course has no final exam in the traditional sense.
What About the "Only 9 Dives" Argument?
A diver can potentially finish their Open Water certification and then complete Advanced Open Water with relatively little additional recreational experience.
That can make people uncomfortable with the word "Advanced."
I understand the concern.
But I don't think the answer is to criticize the certification itself.
Instead, we should make an important distinction:
Certification ≠ Experience
A diver with an Advanced Open Water certification may have significantly more training than someone with only Open Water certification.
But that doesn't automatically make them an experienced diver.
Experience develops through:
training + repetition + different conditions + good judgment + time underwater.
That's why I encourage newly certified divers to keep diving regularly after completing their courses.
When Should You Take Advanced Open Water?
If you've recently completed Open Water, ask yourself a few simple questions:
Are you comfortable underwater?
If you're still very anxious on every dive, additional guided diving may be beneficial before moving forward.
Is your buoyancy under control?
You don't need perfect buoyancy, but you should be developing reasonable control of your position in the water.
Are you comfortable with your equipment?
You should be able to manage your basic equipment without becoming overwhelmed.
Do you want to learn?
This may be the most important question.
If you're enthusiastic about learning new skills and exploring different types of diving, Advanced Open Water can be a very rewarding next step.
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver in Sharm El Sheikh
For divers visiting Egypt, completing the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course in Sharm El Sheikh offers a particularly attractive combination: professional training and some of the Red Sea's most famous underwater environments.
Depending on your course plan and conditions, your diving can include local Sharm reefs and excursions toward destinations such as Ras Mohammed and Tiran.
Instead of learning new skills in an unfamiliar environment and then waiting months to use them, you can immediately put those skills into practice in one of the world's best-known recreational diving regions.
That's what makes the course so enjoyable.
You're not just completing a certification.
You're learning while diving the Red Sea.
What Happens After Advanced Open Water?
Advanced Open Water isn't the end of your diving education.
For many divers, the next step is the PADI Rescue Diver course, while others continue with individual specialties such as:
Enriched Air Nitrox
Deep Diver
Wreck Diver
Night Diver
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Underwater Photography
Your next course should depend on the type of diving you want to do and the skills you want to develop.
My Advice as a Diving Instructor
After teaching divers over the years, my biggest advice is simple:
Don't chase certification cards. Chase experience.
Take courses because you want to learn something.
Do additional dives to become more comfortable underwater.
Try different environments.
Learn to understand your equipment.
Improve your buoyancy.
Practice navigation.
Ask questions.
And most importantly, keep diving.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course can be an excellent step forward, but the real development happens when you take what you've learned and continue using it on real dives.
Ready to Take Your Diving to the Next Level?
If you've recently completed your Open Water certification and you're ready to experience more of the Red Sea, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course in Sharm El Sheikh could be your next step.
With five Adventure Dives, including Deep and Underwater Navigation, plus three dives selected with your instructor, you'll have the opportunity to expand your skills, build confidence, and experience new types of diving.
And perhaps most importantly, you'll have fun doing it.
FAQ — PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
Can I take PADI Advanced Open Water immediately after Open Water?
Yes. PADI states that an Open Water Diver certification or qualifying entry-level certification is the basic prerequisite. Additional experience can still be beneficial depending on the diver's comfort and skill level.
How many dives are required for PADI Advanced Open Water?
The course includes five Adventure Dives: Deep, Underwater Navigation, and three additional Adventure Dives selected with your instructor.
How deep can you dive with PADI Advanced Open Water?
The Deep Adventure Dive can take appropriately qualified adult divers to 30 metres / 100 feet under the course's training conditions.
How long does Advanced Open Water take in Sharm El Sheikh?
It is commonly completed in about two days, although the actual duration can vary depending on the dive center, schedule, conditions, and whether eLearning is completed beforehand. Current Sharm El Sheikh listings show approximately two to three days.
Is there an exam for PADI Advanced Open Water?
The course does not have a traditional final exam. The focus is on knowledge development and practical Adventure Dives with a PADI Instructor.
Is PADI Advanced Open Water suitable for beginners?
It is designed for divers who already hold an Open Water or qualifying entry-level certification. You don't need to be an expert diver, but you should discuss your recent diving experience with your instructor before starting.
What are the best Adventure Dives to choose?
That depends on your interests and the local diving conditions. Popular choices include Peak Performance Buoyancy, Wreck, Night, Underwater Photography, Fish Identification and Drift Diving. Your instructor can help you choose the options that best fit your goals.
