PADI Advanced Open Water Dive Course
@ Simple Life Divers | Koh Tao, Thailand
- 10000 THB
- 2 days
- Includes PADI Manual & Certification
- Includes all scuba gear
- 5 dives
- Free online theory
PADI Advanced Course
Ready to take your next step? The PADI Advanced Open Water Course is a lot of fun, extending your scuba diving skills and experiences into specialized diving activities.
Under the guidance of our experienced western instructors you’ll make five training dives over two days.
This includes two mandatory dives; the deep dive and underwater navigation dive. Plus you get to choose three more dives such as:
- Peak performance buoyancy dive
- Wreck Dive
- Search and recovery dive
- Underwater Photography
- Dive Propulsion vehicles
- Fish identification [ID]
- Multi level and computer diving
- Night dive
- Underwater naturalist dive
- Drift diving
What our Customers Say
“Couldn’t have chosen a better place than Simple Life Divers.
Big thanks to Davy and Ciaran Harris for my Advanced Open Water and Rescue, both are awesome instructors who keep it fun but take safety seriously. I’m now doing my Divemaster, and the whole team, especially Julian and Steve, have been unreal. Super supportive and genuinely focused on helping you improve.
The gear is top quality, and their safety standards are strict in the best way, you always feel looked after. Plus, Koh Tao has such a great variety of dive sites that you can dive anytime and still get something different.
Highly recommend. Karl is a legend”
Oscar Trisley
“One of the best experiences in my life – hands down.
I ended up doing my Open Water, Advanced Open Water, as well as the Wreck, Deep and Nitrox specialties in pretty much one go with the guys from Simple Life and I couldn’t have been any happier with how everyone handled it.
The OW I did with Mo, who’s been part of the crew since he was a little kid, and you definitely can tell. He was super attentive and encouraging, and through his incredible chill energy made me immediately feel even more at home under water than on land.
It was also during that course with Mo that we encountered the mighty whale shark and a friendly turtle – on only the 3rd and 4th open water dive of my life! Insane experience…
Huge shout-out here to Jack (@jackvicary93) who shot these absolutely amazing underwater images/video you see above!
Taylor was our instructor on the Advanced course on which I continued just the other day. Super cool, laid back guy – reminded me of that turtle dude from Finding Nemo. We learned a whole bunch in practical skills on those 5 dives with him. Especially his tips and drills regarding buoyancy control made a huge impact. We then continued the course with various adventure dives around some of the most beautiful dive sites of the island – even going to the famous Sail Rock (a due to it’s slightly further location usually more rare destination for Koh Tao dive centers), which we circled at depths down to 30m, alongside cloud-like swarms of meter-long barracudas, among myriads of other tropical fish, corals and what not. Again – just amazing.
After the Advanced course I still couldn’t get enough, so Karl and Olli got to be my instructors for the combined 3-specialty course. This one was definitely more technical and demanding, as it involved going down to the recreational diving limit of 40m and exploring the insides of a wrack on enriched air.
Even with my seemingly tiny experience in diving, under the incredibly knowledgeable supervision of the two I felt absolutely safe and in good hands at any moment. We planned all the dives together, got a bunch of information and hands-on practice on the techniques and safety aspects. Karl later also gave me a bunch of recommendations for where to go next on my diving journey, dive sites in other corners of the world AND affordable culinary experiences. Had some quality conversations on Chinese medicine, interior design,… I surely stole a good portion of his lifetime these days.
And that only to mention my direct instructors, though everyone in the team was super nice, friendly and helpful all the time – from backoffice to the boat crew, they all feel like a big family, with a collective goal of also getting their customers to live their best, simple life :)”
Leon HG
“I completed both my Open Water and Advanced Open Water with Isla, and honestly I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor. Since I was the only student, I got the full Isla experience 😄. She brought so much energy and positivity to every dive, made learning fun, and somehow managed to keep me calm even when I was making things harder than they needed to be.
From sorting out my buoyancy and trim struggles to celebrating the small wins, she was incredibly patient, encouraging, and genuinely invested in helping me improve. I arrived in Koh Tao as someone who’d never dived before and left with certifications, confidence, and some amazing memories. Thanks for everything, Isla – you’re an absolute legend!”
Maaz Javeed
“I had an amazing experience with Simple Life Divers! I completed my Advanced Open Water course with Ciaran and my Rescue course with Sina after not diving for quite a while, and they both made me feel comfortable and confident again from the start.
Both instructors were incredibly kind, patient, and professional. Their teaching styles worked really well together, everything was explained clearly, and there was never any confusion between instructors.
The whole academy had such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone I met there was awesome and made the experience even better.
Highly recommend Simple Life Divers to anyone looking to continue their diving education or get back into diving!”
Arlia Bunning
“Got our advanced PADI diver with simple
Life. Instructor Dave Webber was excellent, endlessly knowledgeable and a great teacher.
Stay and boat crew were fun and efficient! Great place to dive, can’t recommend enough!
Saw whale sharks twice!!!”
David Wilson
“Absolutely great place to learn and experience diving!
I started with the Open Water Course and learned a lot from the experienced and patient dive instructor Karl. He explained everything clearly and made sure I felt safe and confident in the water.
I also dived with professional and chill Matthew, with whom we explored amazing sites. He made the dives a lot of fun!
I enjoyed my time so much that I decided to continue with the Advanced Diver Course.
This time, I was instructed by professional an passionate Dave, who not only showed me lots of fascinating marine life but is also an excellent photographer and provided us with amazing underwater shots.
Thank you!!!
All in all, it was a fantastic experience, stunning dives, perfect teaching, and great people! I would definitely come here again and recommend this dive school to everyone!”
Chesca Yoneg
PADI Advanced Course: More Info
How long does the PADI Advanced Course take in Koh Tao?
PADI Advanced Dive Course: Schedule
We’re flexible on schedule and can fit the dive course around your other plans, and to fit with the elective dives which you chose. But usually, the PADI Advanced Course runs something like this:
Day 1: Advanced Course Orientation & Training Dives
First you’ll meet your instructor and browse the course manual (called PADI Adventures in Diving). You’ll choose three elective dives which interest you and together will set a schedule for the coming of days. The good news is that unlike the open water course, the PADI Advanced Course is more diving focused and no there is no exam. (You’ll only need to make a short knowledge review for each dive).
Next, we’ll be out on the boat making two dives at two of Koh Tao’s dive sites during the afternoon. Typically we depart around 12:30 and return in the evening. Most likely we will begin with the Underwater Navigation dive. This involves using natural navigation techniques (observing depth, contour and coral formations) combined with compass work to navigate around the dive site. You’ll first practice you skills with a few exercises, then attempt to lead your instructor around the dive site and guide the way back to the boat. (Sounds easy?). The second dive of the afternoon will be one of the elective dives.
Assuming you choose the night dive (not to be missed), we’ll run it on either the first or second day. We will meet up at 18:00. Following the dive briefing as the sun goes down we’ll head out to Koh Tao’s White Rock dive site to the west of the island. Expect to see Great and Chevron barracuda hunting small reef fish, lots of crabs and nocturnal sting rays foraging in the sand for food.
Day 2: Koh Tao PADI Advanced Course – 2 dives
Next comes one of the highlights of the PADI Advanced course; we’ll visit the famous Chumphon Pinnacles dive site, approximately 12KM north-west of Koh Tao where we will conduct your Deep Dive.
Under the close guidance of your instructor you’ll descend to a maximum depth of 30 meters, experiencing nitrogen narcosis for the first time. We’ll make a couple of tests to appreciate the surrounding 4 atmosphere’s of pressure then explore the site. Chumphon Pinnacles is a spectacular site, with many batfish, giant grouper, barracuda and a carpet of anemones. And you have a chance of seeing some of Koh Tao’s larger species such as the reef sharks and even occasional whale sharks. The dive finishes with a safe, slow ascent back to the boat, performing a safety stop at 5 metres.
The second dive be your final elective dive of your advanced PADI course. The dive site will depend on your choice of dive combined with an assessment of the diving conditions around Koh Tao, to get the best possible diving experience.
What are the mandatory dives in the PADI Advanced Open Water Course?
As part of the PADI Advanced Open Water Course you’ll make five training dives.
Two of the dives are mandatory:
- Underwater Navigation Dive: Learn more about using a compass and timing device combined with natural navigation techniques to find your way round the dive site.
- Deep Dive: Dive right down to 30m – experience nitrogen narcosis for the first time.
Citation: ✅ PADI – Advanced Open Water Diver Course
https://www.padi.com/courses/advanced-open-water
What are the optional (elective) dives in the PADI Advanced Course?
In addition to the deep and underwater navigation dives, during the PADI Advanced course you choose three more elective training dives where you can try specialized diving activities. Options include:
Peak Performance Buoyancy Dive:
Perfect your buoyancy control and improve your air consumption rate, with our buoyancy workshop dive.
Wreck Dive:
Explore the HTMS Sattakut shipwreck – a former Thai naval vessel.
Fish ID:
Learn to identify the tropical reef species of Koh Tao, Thailand.
Underwater photography:
Get your hands on an underwater digital camera, and learn techniques to help you capture that perfect underwater image.
Dive propulsion vehicles:
James Bond style dive propulsion vehicle action – save air and see more of the dive site.
Underwater Naturalist:
Learn more about marine species, appreciating the symbiotic relationships between aquatic organisms.
Computer and Multilevel:
Learn a more sophisticated approach to dive planning, allowing to extend your bottom time and enjoy longer deep dives – head out and execute your dive plan using a dive computer to monitor your profile.
Search and recovery:
Devise and execute a range of search patterns based on varying conditions and size of target, and practice recovering heavy objects by using a lifting device.
Citation: ✅ PADI – Advanced Open Water Diver Course
https://www.padi.com/courses/advanced-open-water
Can I combine the PADI Open Water and Advanced Courses together?
Arriving on Koh Tao as a beginner, we can combine the PADI Open Water Diver & PADI Advanced Courses back-to-back.
The combined PADI training takes five and a half days. The schedule may be condensed, using PADI eLearning to take scuba diving theory online ahead of your arrival. Or, you can proceed at a more relaxed pace, taking a day off between each course.
We can apply a special discount when you take the PADI Open Water & Advanced courses together.
Get in touch to let us know your timeframe and requirements, and we can assemble a plan for you.
Citation: ✅ PADI – Open Water Diver Course
https://www.padi.com/courses/open-water-diver
Citation: ✅ PADI – Advanced Open Water Diver Course
https://www.padi.com/courses/advanced-open-water
Do I need to be an experienced diver to take the PADI Advanced Open Water course in Koh Tao?
No, you can start your PADI Advanced Open Water course immediately after completing your Open Water certification. There is no minimum logged-dive requirement to join this program.
The course is specifically designed to build your confidence and fine-tune your skills directly under an instructor’s supervision, making it the perfect next step for brand-new divers.
Citation: ✅ PADI – Advanced Open Water Diver Course
https://www.padi.com/courses/advanced-open-water
Can I do my PADI Advanced course if I certified for Open Water with SSI or another agency?
Yes, PADI welcomes divers certified by any recognized scuba training agency (such as SSI, RAID, or NAUI). Your qualifying beginner certification counts as the prerequisite.
You just need to show your digital or physical certification card from your previous agency to our team when checking in at the shop.
Citation: ✅ PADI – Scuba Certification FAQ
https://www.padi.com/help/scuba-certification-faq
How deep do you go during the Advanced Open Water course in Koh Tao?
The Advanced course certifies you to dive to a maximum depth of 30 meters (100 feet) worldwide. Your Deep Adventure dive will take you down to this depth under close instructor supervision.
This depth upgrade is highly recommended because it unlocks Koh Tao’s premier deep dive sites, like Chumphon Pinnacle and Southwest Pinnacle, where whale sharks are most frequently spotted.
Citation: ✅ PADI – Advanced Open Water Diver Course
https://www.padi.com/courses/advanced-open-water
Will I get to dive the HTMS Sattakut wreck during my Advanced course?
Yes, if you select the Wreck Adventure Dive as one of your electives, your instructor will take you to explore the HTMS Sattakut wreck.
The top of this historic ex-Thai Navy vessel sits at around 18 meters, and the sand bed is at 30 meters, making it the ultimate training ground for Advanced students to practice depth management and navigation.
Does the Koh Tao Advanced Course price include PADI E-Learning?
Yes, our course pricing completely covers the official PADI Advanced Open Water E-Learning materials. There are no hidden registration fees or material surcharges when you arrive.
We send your digital manual to your email immediately upon booking. This allows you to complete all the light reading on your phone or laptop before you ever step foot on the boat, saving you precious vacation time.
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