Padi Advanced open Water Diver Courses (Start at Koh Chang)

The Advanced Open Water course requires an existing PADI Open Water certification — this isn’t an entry point for divers who have never been certified. Over two days near Koh Chang, five specialised training dives take certified divers past the standard Open Water depth limit, up to a maximum of 30 meters, with an instructor-to-student ratio capped at three.

Rated moderate rather than easy, the course builds toward the Advanced certification through a set of specialty skills — the kind of navigation, buoyancy and deep-diving practice PADI’s Adventure Dive structure is built around. Hotel pickup and drop-off, buffet lunch, snacks, beverages, coffee or tea, and all activities are included in the $535 price; the one cost called out separately is the entrance fee for Koh Rang National Park, payable locally if the day’s dive sites fall inside the park boundary.

Instruction runs across seven languages — German, English, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, French and Spanish — though which one is available for a given course depends on the instructor rota, worth confirming at booking if a language other than English is needed.

At 5.0 stars across 52 reviews, the course carries a strong and reasonably sized track record for a specialist technical product. Cancellation is standard: a full refund up to 24 hours before the scheduled start.

Watch out: Without a PADI Open Water card already in hand, this course isn’t bookable — confirm certification status before reserving a place.