For many divers, the Open Water Course is where the addiction begins.
You learn the basics. You discover breathing underwater is somehow both exciting and calming at the same time. Then suddenly one dive turns into ten, and before long you are already thinking about the next course.
That is usually when people start hearing about the Advanced Open Water Course.
And despite the name, it is not really designed for “advanced” divers.
At Divine Divers Gili Meno, we often explain it like this:
The Advanced Course is less about difficult diving and more about discovering what kind of diver you want to become.
What Actually Is the Advanced Open Water Course?
The course includes five adventure dives.
Two are mandatory:
- Deep Dive
- Navigation Dive
The other three are electives. You choose them based on the kind of diving that interests you most.
And honestly, that is what makes the course so enjoyable.
Instead of repeating basic skills over and over, the course feels like a collection of new underwater experiences.
Every dive introduces something different.
The Deep Dive
For many divers, the deep dive is the first time the ocean starts feeling truly big.
Descending below 18 meters feels different. The light changes slightly. The reef becomes quieter. Colors soften into deeper shades of blue.
In the warm tropical waters of the Gili Islands, the deep dive often becomes one of the highlights of the course because visibility is usually excellent and marine life can be incredible.
Divers learn about:
- Pressure changes
- Nitrogen effects
- Air consumption
- Deep dive planning
The Navigation Dive
Nobody dreams about underwater navigation before becoming a diver.
But surprisingly, this dive often ends up being much more fun than expected.
You learn how to use a compass, estimate distances underwater, and navigate naturally using the reef itself. Suddenly you stop feeling like someone simply following a guide and start feeling more independent underwater.
And yes, almost everybody gets slightly lost at least once during training.
That is part of the fun.
Drift Diving in the Gilis
If there is one adventure dive perfectly suited for the Gilis, it is drift diving.
The currents around the islands create some incredibly fun dives. Instead of swimming hard, you simply relax and let the ocean carry you along the reef.
It feels a little like flying underwater.
Sites like Deep Turbo or Shark Point become completely different experiences once divers learn how to properly enjoy current.
For many people, drift diving becomes their favorite dive type after the course.
Night Diving
Night diving changes everything.
The reef you explored during the day suddenly feels mysterious and completely alive in a different way. Sleeping turtles rest beneath coral ledges while octopus, crabs, and hunting lionfish emerge after sunset.
At first, many divers feel nervous before their first night dive.
Then five minutes underwater later, they usually never want the dive to end.
The warm water and calm conditions around Gili Meno make night diving especially comfortable for first-timers.
Wreck Diving: Glen Nusa
The Glen Nusa wreck is one of the most exciting elective dives in the Gilis.
There is something unforgettable about descending onto a wreck for the first time. The structure slowly appears beneath you out of the blue water, covered in coral growth and surrounded by marine life.
Peak Performance Buoyancy & Fish ID
Not every great dive needs adrenaline.
Peak Performance Buoyancy is one of the most useful dives in the entire course. Better buoyancy makes every future dive easier, calmer, and more enjoyable.
And Fish Identification completely changes how people see reefs underwater. Instead of “lots of fish,” divers suddenly start recognizing species, behaviors, and marine ecosystems in much more detail.
You stop simply looking underwater.
You start understanding it.
Why the Gili Islands Are Perfect for Advanced Open Water
Warm water. Excellent visibility. Turtles everywhere. Relaxed conditions.
The Gili Islands are one of the best places in Indonesia to continue dive education because learning here never feels stressful.
At Divine Divers Gili Meno, the Advanced Open Water Course feels less like school and more like five fun dives with purpose behind it.
And honestly, that is exactly how continuing dive education should feel.