Diving in Melbourne: PADI Advanced Course
The PADI Advanced Open Water Course is your chance to develop your dive skills and experiment with new types of diving – it’s exciting and there are a lot of awesome dives to choose from.
Imagine diving a shipwreck, or diving to 30 meters or even mastering the art of drift diving. It’s all possible when you are diving Melbourne and our surrounding area. During your Advanced Course you’ll make 5 incredible dives (two mandatory and three optional), which include 3 shore dives and 2 boat dives as we make a trip to dive Portsea.
Let’s take a more in depth look at the two mandatory dives and some of the options which we offer:
Deep Dive (Mandatory)
Once you are certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver, you’ll be able to dive to a maximum depth of 30 meters, so it’s essential that you practice deep diving procedures during your course. In the theory section you’ll take a more in depth look at decompression issues as well as nitrogen narcosis, you’ll also learn how to plan dives before making one for yourself and discovering the amazing depths of scuba diving in Melbourne!
Underwater Navigation (Mandatory)
Remember the compass skills from your open water course dives? The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills, helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time. You’ll also discover some of the pitfalls of navigating underwater due to conditions and currents.
Wreck Diving (Optional)
Dive on of Melbourne’s famous shipwreck! You’ll learn how to plan a wreck dive as well as learning about the potential hazards which are specific to wrecks. You’ll learn how to identify various parts of the wreck and execute a safe dive, using the plan which you’ll discuss with your instructor prior to the dive. This is an exciting dive into history and many wrecks harbour a wealth of marine life!
Peak Performance Buoyancy (Optional)
Are you still going up and down more than you’d like to? Do you use your air faster than your buddies? Do you have trouble staying still underwater? In the peak performance buoyancy dive you’ll put an end to your buoyancy woes. You’ll learn how to gauge the weights you need for diving, how to use breath control to fine tune your positioning, how to kick efficiently and ultimately how to be more streamlined, comfortable and efficient underwater.
Drift Diving (Optional)
Does the thought of currents concern you? It needn’t! Drift diving is easy when you know how and it opens up a range of new dive sites. You’ll learn how to plan a drift dive and how to (literally) go with the flow. After making a drift diving entry and descent you’ll explore one of our favourite dive sites and learn how to ‘read’ the currents along the way. At the end of the dive, you’ll make a controlled ascent before being picked up by the boat.
Fish Identification (Optional)
Finding ‘that silver fish’ in marine life books is never easy so during the fish identification dive you’ll learn how to identify various families of fish by sight. You’ll learn how to record sightings including which features are most important to take note of in order to be able to identify the species later. You’ll find that the fish books which used to be overwhelming suddenly make sense!
Night Diving (Optional)
Why limit yourself to seeing only the marine life that’s active during the day? As the sun goes down so many of Victoria’s most cryptic critters come to life! You’ll learn how to plan a night dive, communicate with your buddy during a night dive, as well as mastering navigation at night. Be aware though that night diving can become strangely addictive!
Underwater Naturalist (Optional)
Many divers know the names of fish and various species found when scuba diving in Australia but few divers know about the entire marine ecosystem, what it includes, and how it all co-exists. During the underwater naturalist program, you’ll extend your knowledge beyond fish to plants, corals, and the symbiotic relationships which hold the pieces of the puzzle together. This is a great dive for anyone interested in nature and eco-systems.
PADI Advanced Open Water Schedule
We understand that time is precious and that you probably have other commitments to take care of before diving. That’s why we’ve put together a schedule which allows you to get Advanced Open Water certified without needing to take time away from the work and to condense your diving into one neat weekend which includes a boat trip from Portsea:
- Thursday – 6pm-9pm – theory review, paperwork and equipment fitting at the shop.
- Saturday – all day – 3 shore/pier dives, location varies, all day commitment.
- Sunday – all day – 2 boat dives from Portsea, all day commitment.
How Much Does It Cost?
The Advanced Open Water Course is one of the best value PADI Programs, the complete course costs $475 and includes the following:
- Your PADI Advanced Open Water manual and data carrier.
- Knowledge development session, one evening.
- 5 dives, 3 shore based and 2 boat dives.
- Most SCUBA equipment (excluding mask, snorkel, boots, and fins)
- PADI Advanced Open Water certification upon completion of course.
Who Can Take the Course?
Before signing up there are a few pre-requisites which you need to meet. These are as follows:
- PADI Open Water Diver or equivalent rating.
- All participants must complete a Medical Questionnaire. If any of the questions are flagged as “Yes” you must obtain medical clearance from a doctor prior to participating. Please ensure you complete this Medical Questionnaire before the start of your course, no medical, no diving.
Individual items you need for the course:
- Cutting device
- SMB & Spool OR Safety Sausage
- Slate and pencil (can use Data carrier included with manual)
- Compass (included if using our regulator)
- Whistle (included if using our BCD)
- Torch and Cyalume stick (if doing a night dive)
- Log Book
If you are not sure about any of these items, contact us and ask! We are more than happy to help and can usually find a solution to any problems!
Are you ready to take the plunge and become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver? For more information or to make reservation fill in our online contact form or send us an email to info@oceandivers.com.au and we’ll get right back to you.
We look forward to scuba diving in Melbourne with you soon!