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SSIAdvanced OpenWater Diver
Five specialty dives, each credited as the first dive of the full specialty course, chosen to match your interests and the conditions of the week.
It follows Open Water Diver and gives you supervised experience in five kinds of diving before you go on to full specialties.
Written by The Scuba Duka team · Reviewed by Ali, founder and Divemaster Instructor · October 2026
Minimum age
12
Prerequisite
Open Water Diver
Sessions
5 academic · 5 open water
Maximum depth
30 m / 100 ft
Typical duration
2–3 days
Credit
Each dive counts towards the matching specialty
Session counts, depths, ages and durations above are the public SSI programme figures. Your exact schedule, prerequisites and route are confirmed against current SSI standards, your instructor's ratings and the conditions of the week before your course begins.
How the five dives are chosen
Deep Diving and Navigation are the fixed pair. The remaining three come from the specialties our instructors are actively rated to teach and that Diani can support in the week you are here — Perfect Buoyancy and Waves, Tides and Currents are the two that make the most sense on this coast.
Night diving is offered only when a documented site plan and risk assessment are in place. We do not advertise it as a routine option.
What you gain
—Real depth experience to 30 metres with an instructor, not a certificate that assumes it
—Underwater navigation you can actually use on an unfamiliar reef
—Trim and buoyancy good enough to hover over coral without touching it
—Current and conditions judgement specific to the South Coast
Recommended Diani package
Build the five dives around Deep, Navigation, Buoyancy and a current-focused dive, and add the fifth from whatever the reef is doing that week. Divers who take this route tend to come back for the full Perfect Buoyancy course afterwards, which is the strongest sign it works.
Where you will train
MV Alpha Funguo wreck
Kisima Mungu
New Place
Milele Reef
Sites are chosen on the day for the conditions and for your stage of training, with a primary site, an alternate, and clear criteria for postponing. Tide, wind, visibility, current and entry condition are logged before every course day.
Before you arrive
Digital learning in MySSI
You create a MySSI profile, select The Scuba Duka as your Training Centre, and work through the digital materials on your phone at your own pace. Your training record, logged dives and certification card are kept in the app.
Medical disclaimer before you dive
A medical disclaimer forms part of the form you complete before diving. If anything on it applies to you, it goes to a physician — we are not doctors and will not clear you medically. Disclosures are kept confidential, and no schedule will be allowed to rush that.
What to bring
Swimwear, a towel and reef-safe sunscreen. Certification and logbook details if you already hold a qualification. Everything else — equipment, tanks, weights — is provided and fitted at the centre.
Two to four students
Small groups let the instructor watch your breathing, buoyancy and comfort, and repeat a skill until it feels easy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pick my five dives?
Within what the instructor is rated to teach and the conditions allow, yes. We agree the menu before the course starts.
Do the dives count towards specialties?
Yes. Each adventure dive can serve as the first required dive of the corresponding full SSI specialty.
How deep will we actually go?
As deep as 30 metres on the Deep dive, if conditions, your comfort and instructor judgement all agree.
How much does it cost?
$450 per person, with the instructor, equipment, SSI digital materials and hotel pickup included. Certification and any park fees are confirmed at booking.
Where this sits in the pathway
Try Scuba→
Basic Diver→
Scuba Diver→
Open Water Diver→
Specialties & Advanced→
Stress & Rescue→
Dive Guide→
Divemaster
From the dive log
"Amazing experience. Took my advanced Open Water with them. Highly professional instructors provide detailed diving instructions and felt I was in safe hands at all times." Gabriella, Spain
We ask permission before quoting or photographing any guest, and we publish nothing without it.
Who you will dive with
Seven people run the centre, four of them born and raised in Diani Beach. Between the four instructors sit more than 13,000 logged dives on this stretch of the Indian Ocean. Two qualified dive guides, Sampuli and Captain Michael, guide dives alongside them.
Ali
Founder · Divemaster Instructor25+ years diving in Kenya and abroad. Born and raised in Diani Beach.
Kassim
Scuba Instructor17+ years and 8,000+ logged dives, from Diani to Kisite Mpunguti. SSI and PADI certified.
Salim Swaleh
Scuba Instructor4,000+ logged dives on Diani sites. Teaches SSI beginner to specialty courses.
Omari
Scuba InstructorSSI and PADI Open Water Instructor, 1,000+ logged dives. Shoots underwater photo and video.
Sampuli
Dive GuideBorn and raised in Diani Beach. 100+ logged dives. Guides guest divers and runs equipment checks.
Michael
Dive Guide · Captain20+ years scuba diving and captaining boats. Handles the boat and guides dives.
