Deep
Down to 30 metres with your instructor: planning your air, recognising narcosis, and watching colours fade with depth.
Home / SSI courses / Advanced Open Water
SSI Advanced Open Water
in Koh Phangan
Two days and five adventure dives that take you from new diver to confident diver, certified to 30 metres. You can start the day after your Open Water — 12,500฿ from Chaloklum, Koh Phangan, with everything included.
Exam reviewed, course done
At a glance
The next
step
Open Water teaches you to dive. Advanced Open Water is where you start to enjoy it: better buoyancy, finding your own way underwater, going deeper safely, and paying attention to what is around you instead of to your equipment.
- Duration
- 2 days
- Dives
- 5
- Max depth
- 30 m
- Minimum age
- 12 years
- Price
- 12,500฿
- SSI instructor teaching in English, Spanish or French
- All equipment, new in 2024, sizes XS to XXL
- Boat days with hot lunch, fruit and drinks
- Camera rental 600฿, or have your instructor film your dive for 800฿
- Digital SSI certification the day you pass
The course
Five
adventure dives
Deep and Navigation are part of every Advanced course. The other three are usually Perfect Buoyancy, Photography and Fish ID — the ones that make the most difference to the dives you will do next.
Navigation
Compass and natural navigation, so you can lead the way and always find your way back to the boat.
Perfect Buoyancy
Fine-tuning your weights and breathing to hover effortlessly — less air used, and no touching the reef.
Photography
The basics of taking photos underwater: getting close, staying still and using the light.
Fish ID
Learning to recognise the fish of the Gulf of Thailand, so every dive becomes more interesting.
Sail Rock · where most dives happen
Where you dive
More than
one site
Most Advanced dives take place at Sail Rock, whose walls drop to 40 metres — perfect for the Deep dive.
From January to May, when conditions there are usually better, we also dive Koh Ma or Little Sail Rock. That way you finish the course having dived more than one site, which is good practice in itself.
Who can do it
Straight after
Open Water
You do not need extra dives or experience: the four dives of your Open Water course are enough. Many of our students do both courses back to back and finish with five days of diving.
- Open Water Diver certification
- From 12 years old — 12 to 14 year olds dive to a maximum of 21 metres
- A short medical questionnaire, as for every course
- Maximum four students per instructor
Questions
Advanced FAQ
How much is the SSI Advanced Open Water course in Koh Phangan?
12,500฿ per person, with everything included: your SSI instructor, all the equipment, the boat days with lunch and drinks, and your certification. Underwater camera rental is 600฿ extra.
How long does the Advanced course take?
Two days, with five adventure dives.
Is Advanced Open Water the same as Advanced Adventurer?
Yes. At the start of 2026 SSI renamed the Advanced Adventurer course to Advanced Open Water. The rating you get with four specialties and 24 logged dives is now called Advanced Specialty Diver.
Is SSI Advanced Open Water the same as PADI Advanced Open Water?
They are equivalent: five adventure dives, with Deep and Navigation in both, certifying you to 30 metres. Each agency recognises the other's certification.
Do I need more dives after Open Water?
No. The four dives of your Open Water course are enough, and you can start Advanced the next day.
Which dives will I do?
Deep and Navigation always. The other three are usually Perfect Buoyancy, Photography and Fish ID. If you have a different interest, tell us when you book.
How deep can I dive after the course?
Down to 30 metres, or 21 metres for divers aged 12 to 14. To go to 40 metres, the next step is the Deep Specialty.
What comes after Advanced?
The Specialty Diver course with Deep and Nitrox, which lets you dive the bottom of Sail Rock at 40 metres with longer bottom times, and the Rescue Diver course.
Ready to go
further?
Send us your dates on WhatsApp — on their own or straight after your Open Water — and we will confirm your place.
Not certified yet? Start with the Open Water course, or see all our courses.