Are you a PADI Open Water Diver looking to take the next step? Adventure Dives are the building blocks of the PADI Adventure Diver and PADI Advanced Open Water Diver courses, helping you develop new skills and gain experience as you move toward your next certification level.
Whether it’s hovering over a thousand-year-old reef, peering into a shadowy shipwreck or venturing down into deeper waters, each Adventure Dive blends excitement with purposeful learning.
What Are Adventure Dives?
Adventure Dives go beyond the basics of your Open Water Diver training. They are the next step in your diving journey, introducing you to new skills and environments through hands-on experience.
As you complete each Adventure Dive, it becomes part of either the PADI Adventure Diver (three Adventure Dives) or the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (five Adventure Dives). Each Adventure Dive offers fast-paced, practical learning with plenty of fun discovery built in.
Types of Adventure Dives:
PADI offers a wide range of Adventure Dives. Some of the most common options include:
Deep (Mandatory in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course)
Dive beyond 18 meters (60 feet) and discover a new underwater world. Divers will learn safe practices related to depth, air management and buoyancy, all while exploring the deeper waters. These can include reefs, wrecks or pelagic marine life-filled open ocean.
Navigation (Mandatory in the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course)
Divers will hone their compass skills and learn to read the underwater landscape.
Peak Performance Buoyancy
All dives include practicing buoyancy as a supporting skill, but this dive focuses on mastering it. Every exercise and minute of this dive is dedicated to improving buoyancy control. Perfect buoyancy protects reefs, conserves air and makes the whole dive safer for everyone.
Night
A whole new world wakes up in the ocean at night. On this dive, divers learn how to use dive lights to communicate and spot nocturnal marine life.
Digital Underwater Imaging
Master underwater photography techniques such as lighting and angles and capture memorable underwater moments.
Search and Recovery
Divers work as a team to locate and recover lost items. This dive sharpens focus, coordination and attention to detail.
Wreck
Explore sunken ships and planes. Divers practice safe exploration while uncovering history hidden beneath the waves.
Drift
A literal “go with the flow” adventure. Divers learn to move with the water current efficiently while staying aware of their surroundings and fellow divers.
Boat
Divers learn how to enter and exit the water safely from different types of boats. This includes handling waves and currents at the surface and following boat-specific procedures.
Fish Identification/Underwater Naturalist
Divers gain a deeper awareness of the ecosystem by identifying fish species, spotting patterns and learning how everything is connected.
Other Adventure Dives (Where Available)
In some places, divers can try Dry Suit dives to explore colder waters, Nitrox dives using enriched air for longer bottom time, Altitude dives in high-elevation lakes or Dive Against Debris®, a conservation initiative dive where divers help remove trash and protect marine life.
Choosing Your Path: Adventure Diver vs. Advanced Open Water Diver
Adventure Dives also form the building blocks of two key PADI certifications: Adventure Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver.
Adventure Diver Course:
- Earned by completing any three Adventure Dives.
- A fun, flexible way to try new specialties and gain confidence underwater.
Advanced Open Water Diver (AOWD) Course:
- Complete five dives: two required core Adventure Dives (Deep and Navigation) plus three elective Adventure Dives.
- Builds a comprehensive skill set across several different environments and dive types.
- Results in Advanced Open Water Diver certification — a prerequisite for the PADI Rescue Diver course, several specialty courses and a requirement for traveling on some of the world’s best liveaboard vessels.
Bonus: Each Adventure Dive can also count as the first dive in the corresponding PADI Specialty Diver course at the instructor’s discretion.
Getting Started With Adventure Dives
Adventure Dives are a great way to gain hands-on experience in new underwater environments after completing the Open Water Diver course. Many Adventure Dives are available with accompanying PADI eLearning, an online resource that allows divers to start learning at home and review dive theory and scuba skills at their own pace. Then, under the guidance of a PADI instructor, complete the practical elements required for the dive.
Divers complete any three Adventure Dives to earn Adventure Diver recognition, or complete five dives — including the two required core dives — to achieve Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
Why Adventure Dives Matter
Adventure Dives spark curiosity, build skills and get you on the path to future certifications. They help you discover new abilities, explore new underwater environments and gain confidence that stays with you.
The Advanced Open Water Diver course expands those skills even further, while Adventure Diver recognition gives you a fun, flexible way to try new diving. From drifting over reefs to navigating new terrain, Adventure Dives bring new skills, excitement and discovery together in every underwater venture.
Ready To Level Up?
It’s time to take the next step. Whether you explore the underwater world at night or focus on your buoyancy skills, there’s an Adventure Dive for every diver. If you’re ready to get started on your Advanced Open Water Diver course, click below to begin the PADI eLearning.
