By Blaise Jaeger — PADI Master Scuba Diver, based in Nusa Penida · Updated July 2026
The PADI Advanced Open Water course
The PADI Open Water course teaches you to dive safely, but it focuses mainly on you, the diver — how to behave underwater and build the right reflexes. The PADI Advanced Open Water course completes your training by opening your eyes to the underwater world, so you can explore much more of what it has to offer. Here’s how it works at the Dune Penida dive centre in Nusa Penida, Bali.
It all starts with a conversation with your instructor before you even travel to Bali, discussing your experience as a diver and what you’re hoping for. You build your course together, based on your experience and your goals — which shapes the theory part that you complete online, at your own pace, in the language of your choice.
Your choice!
The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course lets you choose from 15 types of adventure dive — for example deep diving, drift diving, underwater navigation, peak performance buoyancy and many more. Nusa Penida is the perfect setting for this training: its sites are world-famous for their beauty, but also for their technical challenge. Dune Penida’s instructors know every dive site around Nusa Penida perfectly, so you get the very best out of your course.
Exploration, emotion, experiences
These are the three keywords of the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course. You don’t need to be especially “advanced” to take it: the course is designed to improve your diving technique as soon as you’ve earned your PADI Open Water Diver certification. It builds your confidence and develops your skills through a series of adventure dives.
You try different specialties while gaining experience under the supervision of your Dune Penida instructor. You’ll feel more comfortable underwater — and enjoy your dives even more.
Who can take the PADI Advanced Open Water course?
Open Water divers aged at least 12 can take the Advanced Open Water Diver course. Note that younger divers can only take part in certain adventure dives, so check the age limits for each specialty beforehand. You’ll need to hold a PADI Open Water Diver certification (or a recognized equivalent).
What will you learn during the PADI Advanced Open Water course?
By earning your PADI Open Water certification, you’ve sparked a real passion for scuba diving — and, like most of us, the urge to discover more of this world and keep improving. By continuing with the PADI Advanced Open Water course, the Dune Penida team guides you through 5 adventure dives.
These dives are chosen with your instructor according to your wishes and goals. There’s less classroom theory here — the learning is based on an exchange between enthusiasts, and each dive briefing is a chance to quickly review your knowledge together.
Hands-on feedback
Full debriefings let you go over every aspect and detail of the adventures you’ve chosen, with concrete, hands-on feedback. On each dive you’ll practise fun exercises that put new techniques into action, or that demonstrate scuba concepts in a simple way — an effective way to keep exploring Nusa Penida’s dive sites while combining fun, learning and safety.
Choosing your 5 adventure dives
Two dives are mandatory: the deep dive and the underwater navigation dive. You choose the other three, for a total of five. Here are our favourite adventures at Dune Penida.
On the deep dive, you learn to plan your dive to cope with the physiological effects of deeper diving. A favourite exercise: you do a simple timed task on the surface, then repeat it at 30 metres — and feel first-hand how your brain works a little slower at depth (the onset of nitrogen narcosis). An Open Water diver’s maximum depth is 18 metres; the Advanced course takes you beyond that (down to 30 metres). It’s great preparation for going to see the Mola Mola, the iconic ocean sunfish of Nusa Penida, usually found between 25 and 40 metres deep.
The underwater navigation dive sharpens your compass navigation, and helps you find your way using kick cycles, visual references and time.
Our other favourite adventure dives
- Drift dive — Nusa Penida’s sites are famous for currents that can be strong and that feed a very rich marine life, so being properly trained in drift diving is essential here.
- Peak performance buoyancy — good buoyancy control means maximum comfort and ease underwater, and better air consumption.
- Fish identification — learn to recognize the different fish families you’ll meet.
A night dive is also possible — but only when the tide and currents allow. Nusa Penida is famous for strong currents, so night diving depends on the tide times and can’t be run every day; your instructor will tell you if the conditions line up during your course.
Price of the Advanced Open Water course in Nusa Penida
The PADI Advanced Open Water course in Nusa Penida with Dune Penida costs 5.8 million IDR (about €300). The price includes the e-learning and the PADI certification, five adventure dives, full equipment, and a certified PADI instructor (French, English or Indonesian), plus transfers from your hotel if it’s within 5 km of the centre. Also included: dive insurance (hyperbaric chamber only), a towel, water, tea, coffee, fruit and cakes on board, and lunch on the first day.
Book your Advanced Open Water
Message Roy at Dune Penida with your dates, your certification level and the adventure dives you’d like to try — he’ll send you the e-learning to start at home and organize your Advanced Open Water course.
Plan your adventure dives with Roy
Roy is an Indonesian dive instructor at Dune Penida who runs Advanced Open Water courses year-round and knows exactly which sites suit each adventure dive — deep, drift, navigation or night. Tell him what you’d like to work on and he’ll build the right programme and book your course.
What’s next after your Advanced Open Water?
Once you have your PADI Advanced Open Water certification, several options open up to keep progressing in Nusa Penida:
- 👉 Put your new level to use straight away by booking a day of diving in Nusa Penida to explore the best sites without a depth limit.
- 👉 Don’t miss the manta rays of Bali, seen year-round at the Nusa Penida sites.
- 👉 Go deeper with the PADI Deep Diver specialty, which takes you down to 40 metres — ideal for meeting the Mola Mola at its usual depth.
- 👉 Take the PADI Rescue Diver course — many divers’ favourite course, and in any case an essential step before the Divemaster.
- 👉 If diving becomes a passion, consider the PADI Divemaster course to become a dive guide — or go all the way and become a dive instructor in Bali.
Read some reviews from other divers!
Dune Penida has around 2,000 outstanding reviews on TripAdvisor and Google Maps from divers around the world who tried, trained or dived with us. Read them — they’ll probably make you want to join them. Here are a couple of recent reviews from happy Advanced Open Water divers:
Great club
I took the Advanced Open Water course with Thomas, who speaks French. The teaching was top quality — patience, rigour and good humour are the watchwords. The equipment and the crew meet every expectation when it comes to safety. I highly recommend the club. Thanks to everyone. Sarah
An incredible experience with Dune Penida!
I started with their Discover Scuba Diving and progressed to the Open Water and Advanced Open Water certifications. Their friendly, professional instructors and staff made me feel comfortable and safe throughout the course. The dive centre also has lovely accommodation. I now dive regularly with them because of their excellent service and knowledgeable guides. Highly recommend! Roy
FAQ — PADI Advanced Open Water in Nusa Penida
How many dives are in the Advanced Open Water course?
Five adventure dives. Two are mandatory — the deep dive and the underwater navigation dive — and you choose the other three (for example drift, night, peak performance buoyancy or fish ID).
What are the prerequisites?
You need a PADI Open Water Diver certification (or a recognized equivalent) and to be at least 12 years old. Younger divers are limited to certain adventure dives.
How deep can you dive after the Advanced Open Water?
The Advanced Open Water certifies you to dive to 30 metres, versus 18 metres for Open Water — deep enough to look for the Mola Mola, usually found between 25 and 40 metres around Nusa Penida.
How much does the Advanced Open Water course cost?
5.8 million IDR (about €300), including the e-learning, PADI certification, 5 adventure dives, full equipment, a certified instructor, hotel transfers within 5 km, insurance, snacks on board and lunch on the first day.
Do I need to do the course where I did my Open Water?
No. You can take your Advanced Open Water anywhere with any PADI centre once you’re Open Water certified — Nusa Penida is one of the best places to do it, thanks to its varied, world-class sites.
Plan your trip to Nusa Penida
New to diving? Start with a discovery dive or the PADI Open Water course. For everything about diving here, see our Nusa Penida diving guide and the best dive sites around Nusa Penida. And to plan the rest of your stay, explore our complete travel guide to Nusa Penida.
About this guide
This guide was created by Blaise Jaeger together with Roy, dive instructor at Dune Penida. Blaise discovered Nusa Penida in 2015 and opened the island’s first PADI dive centre in 2017 (created as Warnakali, now Dune Penida); he is a PADI Master Scuba Diver with more than 700 logged dives. Roy is a PADI dive instructor at Dune Penida who runs Advanced Open Water courses year-round. Together, our goal is to give you accurate, first-hand information so you can keep progressing safely as a diver in Nusa Penida.