Completing your Open Water diving certification has introduced you to the world of scuba diving, and now it’s time to take the next step and increase the level and variety of your experiences under the guidance of an instructor.

The Advanced Open Water certification entitles you to participate in advanced dive trips to locations such as Farnsworth Bank on the windward side of Catalina, or the Oil Rigs off of Long Beach which are always designated as “Advanced Only." It is also a vital prerequisite for any diver continuing on the path to Master Scuba Diver, professional ratings, and several specialties.

Who can participate…

Any Open Water certified diver in good health. You will be required to verify your health by signing the standard medical statement before class begins. We invite you to review the medical statement here.

What is the class like…

Your Open Water diver course was a strong combination of academic theory, introductory pool training, and verification of skill performance in the ocean. The Advanced program is quite different in how it approaches your training because you’ve already completed the basics!

You have a small amount of academic work to do through self study, which will be reviewed afterwards by your instructor, prior to the start of your training weekend. Then you go straight to the ocean without having to spend time in the pool!

In your open water class you already demonstrated mastery of the basic skills of scuba diving, and now the Advanced program takes it further focusing on and introducing a variety of fun and enjoyable specialty diving activities. You will be required do the Deep dive, Navigation dive and then you pick the remaining dives based on your interest. The specialties offered are: Night, Search and Recovery, Delayed Surface Marker Buoy, Fish ID, Wreck, Photo, Peak Buoyancy or Rescue.

Where will you learn…

Just like your open water program, you have the opportunity to conduct the entire Advanced Open Water class right at Casino Point Dive Park! If you took your Open Water class with PCH Scuba, you explored the western half of the park, spending time in the “Sandy Area” doing your skills. The Advanced Class will open up the rest of the park to you, including Little Casino Reef, the large wreck of the Sue-Jac, and the ultimate goal of 100’.

When is the class offered…

We are happy to teach the AOW class any weekend we are teaching on Catalina, there is no minimum number of students required to enroll in a class.

How much does it cost…

If you took Peak and/or Nitrox with PCH Scuba immediately after your Open Water class then you most likely have 2 dives that already count towards your Advanced certification. Therefore the cost of the class is $399

If you have not taken any adventure dives, you will need 5 dives to complete the course. The price for this is $499.

The price does not include transportation to Catalina or accommodations. You can book a weekend getaway in Catalina with us for $349 for a roundtrip ferry ticket and 2 nights in the hotel.