After Open Water, should you choose the Advanced Course or go deeper with Deep Diving + Nitrox 40?

1 day ago
4 min read

Congratulations! You are an Open Water Diver. But what comes next?

For many divers, the next logical step is the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver course. It is a popular option that allows you to experience different types of diving and discover which areas interest you most.

But there is another option that many divers do not immediately consider: combining the SSI Deep Diving Specialty with the SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 40 Specialty.

Both options can be excellent choices. The right one depends on what you want from your diving career and where you will be diving next !

Option 1: SSI Advanced Open Water Diver Course

The SSI Advanced Open Water Diver course is ideal for divers who want to explore different types of diving before deciding which specialties they would like to pursue further.

During the course, you complete five elective training dives. These are the first introductory dives from different SSI Specialty programs, allowing you to experience several areas of diving.

Depending on the location and conditions, you may be able to choose from different specialty dives like deep diving, navigation, perfect buoyancy, night & limited visibility diving, search & recovery and others.

The academic portion includes reading the corresponding digital learning chapters and completing the review questions. There is no final exam with the advanced open water diver course and completing the 5 chapters will take you about 2 hours. You can start before you go on holiday at home or study offline in the airplane. Everything is possible and easily accessible with the MySSI app.

Upon completion, you will be certified to dive to a maximum depth of 30 meters / 100 feet.

At Rich Coast Diving, the SSI Advanced course costs $475 USD, including taxes.

The Advanced Open Water Diver course is a great choice if you:

Want to try several different types of diving
Are still discovering which specialties interest you
Enjoy learning through experience
Want an introduction to multiple specialty areas
Want to progress beyond Open Water without focusing on one particular area

Option 2: SSI Deep Diving + Nitrox 40

If you already know that you are serious about diving and want to expand your knowledge and capabilities, the combination of Deep Diving and Enriched Air Nitrox 40 is an excellent next step. During the Green Season we offer a special Promo !

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This combination focuses on two areas that are great for divers who want to explore more dive sites, plan deeper dives, and make multiple dives over several days.

SSI Deep Diving Specialty

The SSI Deep Diving Specialty teaches you how to safely plan and conduct dives between 18 and 40 meters / 60 and 130 feet, which is the maximum recreational depth limit.

The course includes academic learning online and four open water dives over two mornings, including three training dives and one fun dive. The digital materials accessible from the MySSI app or on desktop take approximately two hours to complete.

After certification, you will be qualified to dive to the maximum recreational diving depth of 40 meters / 130 feet, within the limits of your training, experience, and local diving conditions.

Being able to explore the full recreational depth limit opens up the major dive sites around the world. For some dive destinations a deep diver certification is mandatory.

SSI Enriched Air Nitrox 40

The Nitrox 40 Specialty expands your knowledge of diving with enriched air mixtures containing up to 40% oxygen.

You will learn how to safely plan and conduct Nitrox dives while understanding the benefits and limitations of using different Nitrox mixtures.

The course includes approximately two hours of digital learning and a one-hour classroom session. No dives are required for the Nitrox course itself. Both the Deep Diving and Nitrox 40 Specialty courses include final exams. Upon completion you receive your certification which available in the MySSI app.

Together, these two certifications give you more in-depth training in deep diving and enriched air diving.

At Rich Coast Diving, our Deep Diving + Nitrox 40 Combo, During the Green Season we offer a special Promo FOR ONLY $465 USD!

Which Option Is Right for You?

Advanced Open Water Diver Course vs Deep + Nitrox Course

Choose Advanced Course if... You are not yet sure which areas of diving interest you most.

The Advanced course gives you the opportunity to experience five different types of diving and discover what you enjoy. It is an excellent introduction to the world of specialty diving.

Choose Deep Diving + Nitrox 40 if...

You already know that you want to take your diving further. The combination gives you focused training in planning and conducting deeper dives while also learning how to safely use enriched air mixtures up to 40% oxygen.

You will gain access to the maximum recreational diving depth of 40 meters and earn a separate Nitrox certification that can be useful at dive destinations around the world like liveaboards and dive resorts where you dive multiple days in a row.

For divers who are serious about continuing their diving education, this combination can offer a more focused next step after Open Water.

Continue Your Diving Journey

There is no single correct path after becoming an Open Water Diver. The Advanced course is perfect for exploring different possibilities and discovering what type of diver you want to become.

The Deep Diving + Nitrox 40 combination is a strong option for divers who already know they want more focused training in two important areas of recreational diving.

Whichever path you choose, continuing your education will help you gain more knowledge, experience, and confidence underwater.