Bookings are paused until 9 October 2026. The SSI Open Water Referral Course is currently the only programme available.

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PADI Advanced Open Water Course in Goa
PADI Certified

PADI Advanced Open Water Course in Goa

2-3 Days 30m max Advanced
  • PADI Advanced certification to 30m
  • Deep dive & navigation plus 3 electives
  • Unlock deeper dive sites worldwide
  • Completed in 2-3 days of diving
₹26,928
+ GST per person

Optional Add-ons

  • + Add SSI Nitrox specialty ₹6,500
  • + Add a guided night dive ₹3,800
  • + Dive computer rental (course duration) ₹1,200
  • + Private 1-on-1 instructor ₹6,000

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SSI Certified Dive Centre in Goa

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver — go deeper, dive further

Duration
2–3 Days
Max Depth
30m
Adventure Dives
5
PADI Centres
6,000+

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course takes you to 30 metres and opens up the full range of recreational dive environments. Five adventure dives — mandatory Deep Adventure Dive and Underwater Navigation, plus three electives from PADI's adventure dive menu.

PADI Advanced Open Water is recognised at over 6,000 PADI dive centres worldwide. It is required for many liveaboard routes, as a prerequisite for PADI Rescue Diver, and as the minimum qualification for several PADI specialty courses.

FlyingFish is a PADI-certified dive centre. Your PADI Advanced Open Water certification is issued directly through PADI and carries the same recognition as any PADI centre worldwide.

PADI Advanced Open Water — 5 adventure dives

Two mandatory dives plus three electives you select.

Deep Adventure Dive (Mandatory — to 30m)Deep dive planning, depth management, narcosis identification, equipment behaviour at depth, emergency ascent procedures. Site: Sail Rock.
Underwater Navigation (Mandatory)Compass headings, reciprocal bearings, kick-cycle distance, natural reference navigation, returning accurately to the ascent point.
Wreck Adventure DiveExternal wreck survey, structural navigation, marine ecology in wreck habitats. Site: Suzy's Wreck, 12–18m.
Night/Limited Visibility Adventure DiveTorch technique, buddy proximity in darkness, limited visibility navigation, identifying nocturnal marine species.
Peak Performance Buoyancy Adventure DiveAdvanced trim and hover exercises, reducing physical effort, improving air consumption.
Digital Underwater PhotographyCamera operation underwater, framing techniques, strobe positioning to reduce backscatter.
Drift DiveCurrent-assisted diving, reef hook technique, surface marker buoy deployment in moving water.
PADI Adventure Dives are not the same as PADI specialty certifications. Each Adventure Dive can count as the first dive of the corresponding specialty course if you continue to the full specialty later.

What you need before you start

PADI Open Water Diver (or SSI OWD or equivalent) — required
PADI Junior Open Water (for ages 10–14 with depth restrictions)
No minimum logged dives required — but 10+ recommended
Age 10 or older
Comfortable and confident in open water
A PADI adventure dive completed during PADI Advanced Open Water can count as the first dive of the matching PADI specialty course — saving a dive if you continue to the full specialty.

Your 5 PADI adventure dives — Grandé Island, Goa

All dives are at Grandé Island, 30 minutes by speedboat from Novotel Candolim. Your PADI Instructor selects sites based on conditions and your chosen electives.

Grandé Island Reef
5–18m · All levels

Coral gardens, moray eels, snappers, parrotfish. The primary training reef — gentle conditions and rich marine life.

Suzy's Wreck
12–18m · OW+

British-era vessel thick with soft coral. Resident groupers, blue-spotted stingrays, moray eels. Light-zone penetration possible.

Sail Rock
14–24m · AOW recommended

Rocky pinnacle with currents and pelagics. Eagle rays, drift diving. One of Goa's most dynamic dive sites.

Shelter Cove
6–14m · All levels

Protected bay, very gentle. Nudibranchs, pipefish, seahorses. Ideal for skill-focused dives without current distraction.

Bounty Bay
5–12m · All levels

Shallow reef for long bottom times. Macro life — nudibranchs, ornate ghost pipefish. Great for photography and hover practice.

Deep dive at Sail Rock: We use Sail Rock for the mandatory 30m deep dive wherever conditions allow — the open-water descent, depth availability, and pelagic marine life make it the ideal site for a first 30m dive.

What's included in this course

5 adventure dives at Grandé Island
Full ScubaPro equipment rental
PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification card
Deep Adventure Dive (mandatory)
Navigation Adventure Dive (mandatory)
3 elective adventure dives
Boat rides and insurance coverage

Not included

  • Optional underwater video editing
  • Personal expenses
  • Damage to rental equipment
Certification: Your digital certification card is issued immediately upon successful completion. You are certified before you leave Goa and can dive anywhere in the world.

After your PADI Advanced Open Water certification

PADI Advanced Open Water opens up the next tier of recreational diving:

Dive to 30m at 6,000+ PADI centres worldwide
Qualify for most recreational liveaboard expeditions
Prerequisite for PADI Rescue Diver — the next major step
Add PADI Enriched Air Nitrox for extended bottom times
Progress toward PADI Master Scuba Diver (5 specialty certs required)
Path to PADI DiveMaster professional certification
Recommended next step: PADI Emergency First Response (1 day) + PADI Rescue Diver (3–4 days). These two together are the prerequisites for PADI DiveMaster — the first professional-level PADI certification.

Why take your course with FlyingFish in Goa

Here's what actually sets us apart.

ScubaPro gear, serviced on schedule

Pro-grade gear serviced every 100 dives or 6 months, not when it fails. MK25/S620 regulator, Hydros Pro BCD, Aladin Sport dive computer. You train on the same equipment working instructors use.

A 4:1 diver-to-instructor ratio, max

Your instructor knows where you are underwater at all times. No crowded groups. If a skill needs more practice, you get the time — not the time left over after 8 other students.

Both SSI and PADI at one centre

We teach both agencies at the same location. You choose which certification fits your future dive plans. We give you honest advice, not a push toward whichever we sell more of.

A proper base at the 5-star Novotel Candolim

Proper briefing rooms, clean equipment rinsing stations, structured course schedule. The difference between a dive school and a beach shack matters when you are doing a multi-day certification course.

Adventure dive credit toward PADI specialties

The adventure dives you complete in the PADI Advanced course can count as the first dive of the matching PADI specialty course. If you later take PADI Wreck Diver, your Advanced wreck adventure dive means you only need one more dive for the full specialty. We track which adventure dives you completed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Both certifications take you to 30m and involve 5 adventure dives with the same mandatory components (deep + navigation). The key practical difference is brand recognition: PADI Advanced OW is accepted at PADI centres specifically (6,000+ globally), while SSI Advanced Adventurer is accepted at SSI centres (3,300+). For diving in the Maldives, Thailand or the Red Sea, both are widely recognised. FlyingFish teaches both — we can help you decide.

Yes — PADI Advanced Open Water is one of the most widely recognised dive qualifications in the Maldives, Thailand, Indonesia, and virtually all major tropical dive destinations. Most liveaboard routes in the Maldives require a minimum of PADI Advanced Open Water and 30–50 logged dives.

Yes. PADI accepts equivalent certifications from other major agencies as the prerequisite. An SSI Open Water Diver certificate is accepted as equivalent to PADI Open Water for entry into PADI Advanced Open Water. We can confirm this with PADI before your course starts.

Each PADI Adventure Dive completed during the Advanced course can count as the first dive of the corresponding PADI specialty. For example, if you do the Wreck Adventure Dive during Advanced OW, you only need one more dive to complete the full PADI Wreck Diver specialty. We record which adventure dives you complete.

Wreck diving at Suzy's Wreck is the most popular — it is a genuinely impressive dive site right on the island. Night diving and photography are close seconds. The mandatory deep dive at Sail Rock is consistently described by students as the highlight of the entire course.

PADI Advanced OW deepens your understanding of diving conditions, depth management, and navigation — all of which are relevant to rescue diving. The increased diving experience and confidence you gain (particularly from the deep dive and navigation) means you approach Rescue Diver with a much stronger foundation. PADI Advanced OW is listed as a prerequisite for Rescue Diver.
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