Level up your diving skills and possibilities with Advanced Diver Courses

Left wanting more after your open water course? An adventurous dive site in mind? Then it’s time to get your Advanced diving ticket!

Enhance Your Skills 🤿 – Advanced diving courses help divers refine their buoyancy, navigation, and deep diving techniques.

Specialty Adventure Dives 🎒 – Choose from different adventure dives such as drift diving, search & recovery, underwater photography, and more.

Dive Deeper 🌊 – Gain the certification to dive up to 30 metres (100 feet), expanding your access to more dive sites.

Quick Certification ⏳ – The course usually takes 2-3 days and includes five adventure dives under instructor supervision.

No Formal Exam Required 🧠 – Most advanced courses focus on hands-on experience with knowledge reviews instead of a written exam.

Improve Buoyancy & Air Consumption 🏊‍♂️ – Mastering buoyancy control allows you to conserve air, move effortlessly, and avoid disturbing the marine environment.

Pathway to Professional Diving 🎓 – Completing your Advanced Diver Certification is a stepping stone toward Rescue Diver, Divemaster, and technical diving courses.

Prerequisites

To enrol in an Advanced Diver Course, you must meet the following criteria:

  •  Hold an Open Water Diver certification (or equivalent from a recognised training agency).
  •  Be at least 12 years old (age requirements may vary depending on the certifying organisation).
  •  Be in good health and have a reasonable level of fitness to participate in multiple dives.
  •  Meet medical requirements – Some medical conditions may require a diving medical clearance before participation.

FAQ’s

PADI or SSI?
SSI’s Advanced Course is the Advanced Adventurer, and PADI has the Advanced Open Water Certifications below master level are interchangeable between the two, meaning it’s not a problem if you start as an SSI Open Water and then go to being a PADI Advanced or vice versa.  In Cairns, most learn-to-dive courses are with PADI, with Reef Encounter being the only SSI Diamond Facility in the area. At this stage, choosing a program that fits your learning style/ schedule is better than a preference for either organisation.

What will I learn?
In this course, you will do five different types of diving chosen from the following list. Please note that not all of these are available at every dive centre, please enquire directly to check if a particular specialty is offered.
  • Deep *
  • Underwater Navigation *
  • Fish Identification
  • Drift
  • Peak Performance Buoyancy
  • Night
  • Search and Recovery
  • Underwater Naturalist
  • Digital Underwater Photography
  • Boat
  • Wreck
Plus more! Check with who you want to go diving to see all their options *Required for the PADI certification

How deep will I be able to dive after certification?
Upon completing the course, you’ll be certified to dive up to 30 metres (100 feet) with most agencies, such as PADI and SSI. Some organisations offer additional training to go deeper with further certifications.

Do I need to complete a written exam?
Unlike the Open Water course, the Advanced certification typically does not have a formal written exam. Instead, you’ll complete knowledge reviews for each specialty dive, ensuring you understand the key concepts.

How long does the course take?
The course usually takes two days, depending on the dive centre. It consists of five adventure dives, including a deep dive and navigation dive, plus three additional dives of your choice.

Book your Advanced Diver Course with any of the following vessels

REEF ENCOUNTER

The only SSI Diamond Dive Centre in Cairns, Reef Encounter offers maximum flexibility with daily departures.  It is a minimum 2-day and 1-night trip to do your certification. Class sizes are capped at four students to one instructor, and those wanting a personal one-on-one experience can do so when booking the exclusive Top Deck option.

OCEANQUEST

A PADI dive centre with multiple ways to learn.  You can complete the course in a minimum 2-day trip on Ocean Quest or two separate day trips on their day vessel.

PRODIVE

You can get your PADI Advanced Open Water over 3 days and 11 dives whilst exploringtheir exclusive sites. 

SPIRIT OF FREEDOM

This course is perfect for adventure seekers looking to enjoy guaranteed drift dives. It takes place entirely on board and can be completed during their 3, 4, or 7-day trips. On Spirit of Freedom, some dives are exclusively for advanced divers, making this certification especially valuable!

Learn more about dive courses here!

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