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Combining a PADI Open Water course with an Advanced Open Water Diver course allows you to progress from complete beginner to a more capable and confident diver in one continuous Great Barrier Reef experience. It fast tracks your dive skills development on the Great Barrier Reef and is a great way to consolidate your learning, theory and practice dives into one comprehensive package. It gives you more time diving, more skills and access to a greater range of diving sites on successful completion. In Cairns this can be booked as one easy package, which includes the PADI Manuals, Dive Instructor, 2 days of theory and pool work, followed by 4 days and 3 nights staying on a liveaboard boat on the Great Barrier Reef, completing up to 13 scuba dives. At the end you will be a certified Advanced Open Water Diver, who has learned the fundamentals of scuba diving, safe scuba practices, including ascent, decent, monitoring air consumption, emergency procedures, underwater communication and navigation, peak performance buoyancy and deep diving. You will be able to buddy dive to a maximum depth of 30 metres / 100 feet, allowing you to explore more dive sites on the Great Barrier Reef and around the world.
I Love Cairns note: If you are just beginning your scuba journey by wanting to learn to dive, congratulations! You are about to enter an amazing underwater world. Scuba diving provides the unparalleled opportunity to see the Great Barrier Reef, on an intimate level. No longer will be you be diving down with a snorkel, just to pop back up again. As a certified diver, you’ll have the freedom to explore the coral walls, gardens and bommies. Swim amongst colourful schools of fish and alongside turtles. The addition of the Advanced Open Water Diver certification allows you to dive deeper, which in some cases is essential to participate in the dive. For example, Osprey Reef trips and Yongala dive trips do require Advanced Open Water Diver certification. Book through us and we’ll lend you a GoPro at no extra cost.
Get a free underwater camera rental when you book tours through us valued at over $750, we’ll lend you a GoPro underwater camera to use for the duration of your tours. Numbers are limited and allocated on a first-come basis. Get in touch with us to claim this deal today.
The combination of Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver gives you more dive skills and the opportunity to explore more dive sites. This is a 6 day course, includes 2 days of theory and pool work in Cairns, 4 days / 3 nights staying at the Great Barrier Reef and up to 13 dives.
This course costs just over $2,000 but delivers a big bang for buck. It takes 6 days to complete and includes all theory, PADI Dive Manuals, Dive Instructor, confined water practise dives and then 4 days / 3 nights staying on the Great Barrier Reef. Divers Den are an established dive operator in Cairns and have been in business since 1974. In this time, they have certified over 150,000 divers and bring considerable expertise to the delivery of your dive training. They have a 5 Star PADI Career Development Centre in Cairns and operate day tours and liveaboard tours to the Great Barrier Reef. In conjunction with their combined course, you will travel to and from the reef on their day boat, before transferring to the liveaboard boat OceanQuest. The two dive courses are delivered back to back, in accordance with the international PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) requirements.
It starts in the classroom, progresses to the pool and then the Great Barrier Reef for 13 scuba dives. The diving component includes 4 Open Water Diver training dives, 5 Advanced Open Water Diver training dives and 4 certified dives where you can explore the reef with your buddy, at your own pace. This includes Night Dives.
Your learn to dive course starts in the classroom in Cairns. Learn the theory and technical aspects of scuba diving, before practicing skills in a heated swimming pool.
The PADI Open Water Diver course is an entry-level course. On successful completion, you will have learned all the knowledge and skills necessary to dive unguided, with a buddy, to a maximum depth of 18m or 60 feet. This is a globally recognised certification, allowing you to dive anywhere around the world. The theory covered in the course includes, but is not limited to, understanding water pressure and its effects on the body, especially the lungs and ears, the importance of equalising underwater, checking air levels and underwater communication. This content is delivered in class in Cairns, with learning guided by a Dive Instructor, supported by videos with quizzes and includes a written examination. From there it’s into the pool to practice core skills, such as mask clearance, regulator retrieval, safe ascent and descent and out to the Great Barrier Reef for 4 training dives. All training dives are completed under the supervision of your Dive Instructor, where you must demonstrate your ability to complete the core skills learned in the pool, in the open water environment of the reef.
Successfully complete 4 training dives to become a certified Open Water Diver. This allows you to buddy dive to 18m or 60 feet.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is the next level of scuba diver training. It focusses on expanding core skills to include specialised aspects of diving. There is still some theory, but it’s not as ‘intense’ and is delivered onboard the boat, while you are on the Great Barrier Reef. It involved reading the relevant chapters in the PADI Advanced Manual and completing a quick test at the end. You will then put the new skills into practice with your Dive Instructor. The Advanced Open Water Diver course includes 5 Adventure Dives. Deep Diving and Underwater Navigation are 2 compulsory components, as per PADI requirements. The remaining 3 are selected from the options offered by Divers Den and may include Peak Performance Buoyancy, Night Diving, Fish Identification, Underwater Naturalist or Boat Diving. The exact schedule and options may vary depending on conditions, instructor availability and operational requirements.
Successfully complete 5 training dives to become a certified Advanced Open Water Diver. This allows you to buddy dive to 30m or 100 feet.
When you book the Divers Den Cairns PADI Open Water & Advanced Diver Course, you will complete up to 13 dives on the Great Barrier Reef. You will also spend 4 days / 3 nights staying on the reef, aboard their liveaboard boat OceanQuest. Guest cabins are a combination of double and twin, with 1 quad share. All cabins are air conditioned with a private ensuite, including a shower and toilet. All accommodation, linen and meals on board OceanQuest are included in the course price. During your time at sea, OceanQuest runs to a strict schedule. 7.30am Breakfast. 8.30am Diving. 10.30am Diving. 12.30pm Lunch. 3.30pm Diving. 6pm Dinner. 6.45pm Diving. 8pm Dessert. The boat moves throughout the day, visiting different moorings and outer reef locations. Divers Den can access 19 moorings, so you are guaranteed to explore multiple Great Barrier Reef sites during your time on board. All training dives are guided. The cost includes the chance for you to participate in 4 unguided dives, where you can explore the Great Barrier Reef as a certified scuba diver.
OceanQuest accommodates a maximum of 48 guests. All cabins are air conditioned, with private ensuite. Communal areas include the air conditioned lounge, saloon and dining areas. Exterior sundecks too.
Yes you can. There’s no number of dive requirements or time limits between finishing the Open Water Diver course and starting the Advanced Open Water Diver course. With the combined Divers Den package in Cairns, the Advanced training begins immediately after you complete the requirements for your Open Water certification.
This allows you to continue developing your skills while your theory, equipment knowledge and pool training are still fresh. Maximise your time on the Great Barrier Reef with this.
Combining the two is an excellent option for someone who knows they want to continue scuba diving. Completing the courses together provides more supervised diving, more time to improve your buoyancy and underwater awareness, and training in deep diving and underwater navigation.
Someone who is unsure whether they will enjoy scuba diving may prefer to complete the Open Water course first and gain some recreational diving experience before progressing.
No. If you have completed your Advanced Open Water Diver course immediately after your Open Water Diver course, you have only participated in 9 Dive Instructor led dives. This does not make you an experienced diver. It does give you broader training and more supervised dive experience. Continuing to dive regularly after the course is what builds experience.
The biggest benefit is continuity. Instead of finishing your Open Water course just as you are becoming comfortable underwater, you continue diving and practising your new skills under instructor supervision. This can help improve buoyancy, air monitoring, navigation, equipment handling and general underwater confidence.
The certification trains you to dive to a maximum depth of 30 metres, but it does not mean every dive to that depth will be suitable. You should always consider your experience, recent diving activity, air consumption, conditions and comfort. Some operators may also require a minimum number of logged dives for more challenging sites.
Yes. Some deeper reef sites, liveaboard itineraries and specialist diving experiences require or strongly recommend Advanced Open Water certification. Certain trips may also require a minimum number of logged dives, so certification alone does not guarantee access to every advanced dive site.
Yes. The course starts with the full entry-level PADI Open Water Diver program, so no previous scuba diving experience is required. You will complete theory, swimming assessments and pool training before beginning your open-water dives at the Great Barrier Reef.
Yes. It’s a 6 day course that includes 2 land-based training days followed by 4 days and 3 nights of frequent diving. It offers excellent value and experience, but students should be prepared for early starts, theory, pool skills and multiple dives over consecutive days.
The Outer Great Barrier Reef provides warm tropical water, established dive sites and a wide range of coral, fish and marine life. Spending 4 days and 3 nights at the reef also gives you repeated exposure to real ocean conditions and the opportunity to practise your skills at several dive locations.
Yes, subject to availability. A certified diver can book an OceanQuest liveaboard package for the same dates. They will not normally join your training dives, but you can complete some recreational buddy dives together once your course requirements permit.
Yes. Non-divers and snorkellers can stay aboard OceanQuest, subject to package availability. They can snorkel and enjoy the liveaboard experience while you complete your training, although your daily schedules and activities will differ.
All students must complete a diver medical questionnaire before training.
A formal diving medical or written doctor’s clearance may be required if you answer yes to certain questions or have a relevant medical condition. Complete the medical questionnaire early so any required clearance can be organised before the course.
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