Many people think that Similan Island liveaboard and Myanmar liveaboard trips are only for experienced divers, but this is not the case. On our Deep Andaman Queen trips we cater for all experience levels. It is true, however, that the majority of our liveaboard guests are certified PADI Open Water Divers (or equivalent!) already, and our Andaman liveaboard itineraries provide the perfect opportunity to upgrade your certification level and become a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. In fact, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is one of the most popular scuba diving courses we teach. Here’s why….
Value for Money
Because your dives have already been paid for as part of your Thailand liveaboard package, the cost to upgrade and get your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver license onboard will be less than if you took it as a stand-alone course at a regular dive center. Normally your dives on a fun diving liveaboard trip would be led by a PADI Divemaster, but in order to gain additional qualifications, you need to be taken through certification programs by a PADI Instructor. The course surcharge simply covers having an Instructor on the boat to conduct your theory and training dives, and the cost of your PADI materials and certification fees. Our 5 dive PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course costs just 8,000THB and will introduce you to a variety of new diving experiences. The Deep Dive (to a maximum depth of 30 meters) and Navigation Dive dive are mandatory, and you can select your preferred electives for the remaining three dives from a list of options including Naturalist Dive, Multilevel Dive, Night Dive, and Wreck Dive.
A Personalized Experience
While the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver program is one of the most popular dive courses we teach onboard any of our Andaman liveaboard itineraries, we always tend to have a mix of newer and more experienced divers on any given trip. So while group sizes can vary, the odds of having a course with more than one or two other students with you are very small, and in many cases, you may even find yourself with one of our professional and experienced PADI Instructors all to yourself! Either way, we cap all of our courses at a maximum of four students per instructor to ensure your safety, comfort, and enjoyment. This also allows you plenty of one on one time with your instructor, more practice time without having to wait for other students to complete their skills and drills, and generally a more personalized experience overall.
Dive Deeper and Explore the Best Dive Sites
To get the best value from your North Andaman Liveaboard booking with us, you’ll want to dive the best Similan Islands, Surin, and Myanmar dive sites – and we can certainly make this happen! Each and every one of our departures is meticulously planned to ensure that all divers can get the most out of their time with us. However, some of the standout sites around the Similan Islands in Thailand and the Mergui Archipelago of Myanmar, are best dived below 18meters. Specific examples include Richelieu Rock in the Surin Islands and Black Rock in Myanmar. So to get the most out of these sites and get your 30meter rating at the same time, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is a great option.
Build Your Confidence
The more time you spend in the water and the more varied your experiences are, the more confidence you will have, and you will become a more competent diver as a result. The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course is a fantastic way to get more dives under your weight belt (pun totally intended!) while still under the direct supervision of one of our experienced PADI professionals. During the course, you’ll build on the skills you learned in your PADI Open Water Diver training, and develop new skills and techniques in each of the specific topics covered in your five PADI Adventure Dives.
The Fun Factor
Our crew works hard to ensure you have the best Thailand liveaboard experience, which always includes making sure you have plenty of fun, as well as having a safe and enjoyable time in general. One of the biggest advantages of the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver program is that there is minimal self-study, and unlike in your PADI Open Water Diver course, there are no course videos to watch and no final exam to sit. All you need to do is go through the relevant five knowledge reviews from your PADI Adventures in Diving manual with your Instructor, and that’s it – the rest is all about diving! And with multiple exciting new adventures awaiting you in night diving, wreck diving, fish identification and more, we guarantee the fun factor will be cranked to the max!
We hope to have you join us for your PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course aboard one of our West Thailand liveaboard dive trips on the MV Deep Andaman Queen soon. If you would like any help planning your trip, PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course, or require any further information, please do get in touch on info@deepandamanqueen.com. Our friendly and helpful team are waiting to assist you in making your booking. You can also check trip availability and book online to secure your place.