Open Water Certification vs Advanced Open Water Certification: What’s the Difference?

Scuba diving is a great way to explore the world beneath the waves. It allows you to experience the beauty of marine life up close. It’s important however, to get proper training and certification before starting your scuba diving adventure.

There are different levels of scuba certification, with two of the most popular being open water and advanced open water. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the difference between these two certifications, what they entail, and which one might be right for you.

Open Water Certification

Open water certification is the first level of scuba diving certification. It’s designed for beginners who have little to no scuba diving experience. This certification teaches you the basics of scuba diving, including how to use scuba equipment, communicate underwater, and plan and execute a dive. To become open water certified, you must complete a course that includes classroom instruction, pool training, and open water dives.

With an open water certification, you can dive to a maximum depth of 60 feet (18 meters) with a certified dive buddy. This level of certification is suitable for most recreational scuba diving, allowing you to explore coral reefs, some wrecks, and other shallow dive sites.

Advanced Open Water Certification

Advanced open water certification is the next level of scuba diving certification. It’s designed for certified open-water divers who want to improve their skills and knowledge in diving. This certification builds on the skills you learned in your open water course and introduces you to new types of diving, such as deep diving, night diving, and underwater navigation.

To become advanced open water certified, you must complete a course that includes classroom instruction and open water dives. You’ll be required to complete five adventure dives, including a deep dive, a navigation dive, and three other dives.

With an advanced open water certification, you can dive to a maximum depth of 100 feet (30 meters) with a certified dive buddy. This level of certification is suitable for those who want to explore deeper dive sites and gain more experience and confidence underwater.

Which Certification Should You Choose?

Choosing between open water and advanced open water certification depends on your scuba diving goals and interests. If you’re new to scuba diving and want to explore shallow dive sites, then open-water certification is the right choice for you. On the other hand, if you want to explore deeper dive sites and improve your diving skills, then advanced open-water certification is the way to go.

Wrap Up

Open water certification is the first level of scuba diving certification, designed for beginners with little to no diving experience. Advanced Open Water certification is the next level, designed for certified open water divers who want to improve their skills and knowledge in diving. Both certifications have different requirements and allow you to dive to different depths. Ultimately, the choice is yours based on your interests and goals. Look at the places you plan to dive and what you enjoy. If you love diving deep wrecks, you will want to get your advanced open water certification. If on the other hand, you enjoy shallower dives or shore dives like the Blue Heron Bridge, an open water certification is probably all you want. Either way, once you have figured out how you want to dive, and gotten your appropriate certification, you can dive confidently.

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