What the Advanced Open Water course costs (and is it worth it?)
Advanced Open Water unlocks deeper dives and five adventure dives — but is it worth doing straight after your first course? Here's the honest cost breakdown.
Once you've got your Open Water certification, the obvious next step everyone pushes is Advanced Open Water (AOW). It sounds intimidating, but it isn't a hard course — it's five guided 'adventure dives', including a deep dive and a navigation dive, designed to build experience under instructor supervision. The real questions are what it costs, what you genuinely get, and whether to do it now or later. Here's the honest picture for 2026.
What you actually get
Advanced Open Water is less an exam and more a guided experience-builder. You complete five adventure dives: two are mandatory (a deep dive, typically to around 30m, and an underwater navigation dive), and you choose three more from options like wreck, night, drift, peak performance buoyancy or enriched air. It extends your depth limit and, more importantly, your confidence.
Typical cost
Where you take it matters more than which agency you choose. In a cheap, high-volume dive hub the all-in price is far lower than in Western Europe. Expect roughly €250–€400 all-in in budget destinations, and €350–€550 in higher-cost regions.
| Budget hubs (Koh Tao, Honduras, Red Sea) | €250–€400 |
| Higher-cost regions (Western Europe) | €350–€550 |
| Agency eLearning materialsPADI charges; SSI usually included | €0–€60 |
| Enriched air as an adventure diveif you pick the nitrox option | €0–€50 |
| Plan all-in for the course | €250–€550 |
What the headline price hides
AOW prices are usually quoted as 'course only'. Ask whether equipment rental, materials/eLearning, certification fees and any park or boat fees are included — these are exactly the extras that turn a cheap-looking course into a more expensive one.
PADI vs SSI for AOW
Both PADI and SSI offer an equivalent advanced course and the difference in price and content is small. PADI usually charges separately for digital materials; SSI typically bundles its app. The dives and the depth limit you earn are essentially the same.
For a full breakdown of the two agencies and their fee structures, read PADI vs SSI: cost and differences.
Is it worth it?
Reasons to do it
- It raises your depth limit, opening up more dive sites and many wrecks.
- Five supervised dives build confidence fast right after Open Water.
- Navigation and buoyancy practice make you a noticeably better diver.
- Some liveaboards and sites expect or prefer an advanced certification.
Reasons to wait
- You can build the same experience cheaply with guided fun dives instead.
- If you only dive shallow reefs occasionally, the deeper limit may not matter.
- Doing it later, somewhere cheap, can cost less than at a premium resort.
The DiveCost take
AOW is genuinely useful, but it's not urgent. If you're already at a cheap, high-quality hub with good conditions, doing it straight after Open Water is efficient and good value. If you're at a pricey resort, consider a few guided fun dives now and the course later somewhere cheaper.
Thinking of going further? See the Rescue Diver cost guide and the Divemaster cost guide. A cheap place to stack courses is Koh Tao.
Not sure the whole pathway is worth it yet? Start with the full certification cost guide and the hidden costs of diving. Always check live verified prices on DiveCost before booking.
Bottom line: Advanced Open Water is good value experience-building, not a difficult exam. Do it where diving is cheap and conditions are good, compare the genuine all-in price, and it's one of the most worthwhile steps after your first certification.