PADI Advanced Open Water Course — Marsa Alam

There is no classroom exam and no pool in the Advanced Open Water course — it is five real adventure dives over two to three days, each introducing a new type of diving. Two are fixed: the deep adventure dive (to a maximum of 30 metres) and the underwater navigation dive. The remaining three are chosen with your instructor from options such as wreck, drift, night, peak performance buoyancy, fish identification and underwater photography — and Marsa Alam's site variety means every option is taught on a reef that suits it. The certification extends your licence to 30 metres, a prerequisite for Rescue Diver and for many of the region's spectacular deep sites. Prerequisite: PADI Open Water (or equivalent); minimum age 12.