PADI Advanced Open Water Hurghada: Complete Guide 2026

Q: What does Advanced Open Water actually unlock?

A 30-metre depth limit instead of the Open Water 18-metre limit — the practical difference between looking at a deep wall from above and diving it. Eligibility for Rescue Diver, the next rung, and eventually Divemaster. Access to dive sites that operators reserve for Advanced-and-above divers, including several of the harder Hurghada reefs and the El Minya Wreck (see our wreck diving guide). A taste of three specialties without committing to the full certification card for each.

PADI Advanced Open Water in Hurghada: The Complete 2026 Guide

Five dives, no exam, and 30 metres instead of 18. Everything about the Advanced Open Water course in Hurghada — the five dives, the price, what it actually unlocks, and whether you are ready for it.

Egypt X Diving Team 12 September 2026 2 min read

Advanced Open Water is the course that changes the most about your diving for the least time invested: two days, five dives, no exam, and a 30-metre depth limit instead of 18. Here is everything about doing it in Hurghada.

What the course actually involves

Five "adventure dives" — real dives that count toward the certification, not classroom exercises. Two are compulsory:

Deep Adventure Dive: to around 30 metres, with an introduction to what nitrogen narcosis and gas consumption feel like at depth.
Underwater Navigation: compass and natural navigation, planning and following an underwater route.

The other three are yours to choose, typically from: night, wreck, drift, fish identification, peak performance buoyancy, or boat diving — whichever your centre offers that week. There is no final exam, only a knowledge review you work through between dives.

What it costs and how long it takes

In Hurghada: two days, from EUR 243, minimum age 12. That includes the PADI instructor, materials, equipment and the certification fee — see the Advanced Open Water course page for the current price and dates.

What does Advanced Open Water actually unlock?

A 30-metre depth limit instead of the Open Water 18-metre limit — the practical difference between looking at a deep wall from above and diving it.
Eligibility for Rescue Diver, the next rung, and eventually Divemaster.
Access to dive sites that operators reserve for Advanced-and-above divers, including several of the harder Hurghada reefs and the El Minya Wreck (see our wreck diving guide).
A taste of three specialties without committing to the full certification card for each.

Do I need Advanced Open Water, or is Open Water enough?

If your holiday is reef days at typical Red Sea depths, Open Water's 18 metres covers most of what you will actually dive. Advanced is worth it specifically if: you want to try night or wreck diving, you are planning to continue toward Rescue Diver and beyond, or you simply want more of the reef available to you on this trip rather than next time. It is not a difficulty test — most certified divers who try it find the dives comfortable, since an instructor plans and runs each one.

How soon after Open Water can you do it?

There is no mandatory wait, but arriving with at least a handful of dives since your Open Water certification — rather than the day after — means you spend the course refining skills instead of re-learning basics.