May 12, 2026 | Advanced Open Water Diver Corse
teriyakidiverzToday, we welcomed a guest from Hong Kong and began her Advanced Open Water Diver (AOW) course. Since she chose the boat diving option, we headed out to the stunning Kerama Islands National Park. The AOW course requires five training dives, and today she completed three of them.
During the Deep Dive, we descended to 30 meters, a depth not normally reached during the Open Water Diver course. At this depth, she experienced firsthand how air consumption increases, how red colors gradually disappear, how the risk of nitrogen narcosis becomes greater, and how no-decompression limits (NDLs) become shorter. Learning these concepts through actual experience is one of the most valuable aspects of advanced training.
For the Navigation Dive, she practiced using a compass to travel greater distances underwater and return accurately to the starting point. She also learned natural navigation techniques by using features such as coral formations, sand ripples, sunlight, and wave direction as references. These skills help divers become more confident and independent underwater.
We also completed a Drift Dive, allowing us to cover a wide area by moving with the current. As part of the AOW training, she learned how to deploy and use a Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) with a reel, an important safety skill for signaling the boat crew during drift dives and open-water ascents.
Training in the Kerama Islands National Park offers much more than just skill development. The comfortable diving conditions, exceptional visibility, and abundance of marine life make it one of the best places to advance your diving education. Even during training dives, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the underwater scenery and encounter fascinating sea creatures.
Tomorrow, we'll be back on the boat to complete the remaining dives of the AOW course. We hope she enjoys another fantastic day exploring the underwater world of the Keramas. 🌊🐠🐢🤿✨
