Quick Details
Advanced Open Water Certification
$ 749
Adventure Diver
Complete your last 2 dives!
$ 249.50
Go Deeper Where It Counts
Hilo is built for advanced divers. Deep sites beyond the bay, lava terrain that tests your navigation, and a reef that comes alive after dark. This is where Open Water divers become confident ones.
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course certifies you to dive to 30 m / 100 ft. You make five Adventure Dives with your instructor: Deep and Underwater Navigation, plus three you choose. No exam in the water. Just real dives with coaching on every one.
You do not need to be “advanced” to start. You need to be certified and ready to get better.
Course Options & Pricing
The course requires PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning, purchased directly from PADI. Start it as soon as you book. It takes most students 6 to 8 hours, and it must be finished before your first dive day.
How to Get Your eLearning
- Open the PADI Advanced Open Water eLearning page.
- Sign in to your PADI account, or create one. Use the same email you booked with us.
- When asked to choose a dive center, search Hilo Ocean Adventures and select us.
- Complete your purchase. Finish the required sections plus Deep and Navigation before your first dive day.
Advanced Open Water Course
$749 per person
Five Adventure Dives over three dive days. You finish as a certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, cleared to 30 m / 100 ft.
How you pay: $249.50 per dive day, charged as each day happens. You never pay for a day the ocean cancels.
Included
PADI instructor. Five Adventure Dives. Boat time for your deep dive. Tanks, weights, and compass. Certification processing.
Schedule
Day 1: Deep and Navigation (boat)
Day 2: Two Adventure Dives of your choice
Day 3: Your fifth Adventure Dive, day or night
Dive days move with conditions.
Dive Gear Rental (Per Day)
Rent only what you need. Full set is $69.
- $18: BCD
- $28: Regulator and computer
- $13: Wetsuit
- $5: Mask and snorkel
- $5: Fins and booties
Need prescription lenses?
Prescription masks are available at no extra charge. Note it when you book.
Choose Your Three
Deep and Navigation are required. You pick the other three with your instructor. Popular in Hilo:
- Peak Performance Buoyancy
- Night
- Fish Identification
- Underwater Naturalist
- Boat
- Digital Underwater Imaging
Every Adventure Dive can count as the first dive of that PADI specialty.
Already an Adventure Diver?
$249.50 per person
If you hold PADI Adventure Diver, you only need two more Adventure Dives to earn Advanced. One dive day finishes it.
Bring your Adventure Diver card and logbook. Choose Adventure Diver when you book, and upload a photo of your card so we can plan your two dives.
Ready for 100 feet?
Book the full course, or finish your Advanced if you are already an Adventure Diver.
Private course upgrade: $349 per student. One on one pacing and a schedule built around you.
Requirements & What to Bring
Requirements
- PADI Open Water Diver, Junior Open Water, or an equivalent certification from another agency.
- Ages 12 to 59. Divers 12 to 14 certify as Junior Advanced Open Water, limited to 21 m / 70 ft.
- PADI eLearning completed before your first dive day, with Hilo Ocean Adventures selected as your dive center.
- PADI Medical Questionnaire completed before arrival.
- Last dive within 2 years. If it has been longer, book a refresher first.
- Able to handle active lava rock entries while carrying gear.
What to Bring
- Certification card and photo ID
- Logbook
- Dive computer, if you own one
- Swimsuit and towel
- Reef-safe sunscreen
- Warm layer for after dives
Next Up: Rescue Diver
Most divers call Rescue the best course they ever took. Two days learning to prevent problems, manage them, and help another diver when it counts. Advanced Open Water covers the prerequisite, so you are already halfway there.
Local divers can join the HOA Dive Club for member rates, continuing education, and a crew to dive with.
Why Advance in Hilo
Deep that is worth it. Your deep dive runs from the boat to sites outside the bay: pinnacles, shelves, and lava formations most visitors never see.
Navigation that matters. Lava terrain has real features and real consequences. Learn to read it with a compass and natural cues, and you can navigate anywhere.
Small groups. Personal instruction from staff who dive these sites every week and teach to build judgment, not to fill a logbook.
Conditions & Post Dive Travel
Hilo’s ocean changes daily. Our instructors check surf, swell direction, visibility, and tides every morning and choose the site and schedule that give you the best training. If the ocean is closed, we move your dives, not your standards.
Following PADI guidelines, wait 12 hours after a single dive and 18 hours after multiple dives or multiple days of diving before flying or traveling above 1,800 ft. That includes inter island flights, Saddle Road, Mauna Kea, Volcano, and driving to Kona.
FAQs
Am I experienced enough?
There is no minimum number of dives. You can start right after Open Water. If your last dive was more than 2 years ago, book a refresher first.
Why isn’t eLearning included?
You buy it directly from PADI so you can start the day you book, from home, at your own pace. Finish it before you arrive and your time in Hilo goes to diving, not homework.
Why do I need to select Hilo Ocean Adventures in eLearning?
It links your eLearning record to our instructors, so we can see your progress before your first dive day. If you already bought eLearning without selecting us, contact us and we will get it linked.
What happens if the ocean is too rough?
We reschedule your dives within your stay. Dive days are only charged when they happen, so a canceled day costs you nothing. Every Adventure Dive you complete is logged. Finish three and you earn PADI Adventure Diver, then complete your last two with us or any PADI shop.
Do my Adventure Dives count toward specialties?
Yes. Each Adventure Dive can credit as the first dive of that PADI specialty, like Deep, Night, or Peak Performance Buoyancy.
Do I need my own gear?
No. Tanks, weights, and a compass are included. Rent the rest by the day, $69 for a full set, or bring your own. If you own a dive computer, bring it. This is a great course to learn yours.
How deep can I dive once certified?
30 m / 100 ft with a buddy, anywhere in the world. Junior Advanced Open Water divers 12 to 14 are limited to 21 m / 70 ft.
Course Policies
Payment. Dive days are charged at $249.50 as they happen. If conditions cancel a day, you are not charged.
PADI Five Star Dive Center. Green Fins certified and committed to environmentally responsible diving.