Congratulations on taking your next step into the aquatic realm!

Adventure Outfitters is a PADI 5-Star Dive Center, and an SDI, IANTD Facility and a family-run, veteran-owned business that prides itself on quality, customized small group and private classes. All our instructors are highly qualified and experienced. We lead the way in safe practices and standards in our local area. We make sure that each student diver receives the utmost attention when it comes to personal instruction, high-quality rental gear, unique dive sites, and overall experience. We spend as much time as it takes to ensure that you not only master each skill but become a confident and informed diver, ready for today’s high-tech dive scene. By teaching only private and semi-private lessons, we can accommodate your busy schedule and give you the dive time to be a safe and successful diver. We typically cap our Advanced Course to a 3:1 student: teacher ratio. We also typically have a divemaster with us during dives to give you the utmost attention during this popular course.

We conduct five specialty dives for the Advanced Open Water Certification. Below we have listed our most popular – we customize each of our Advanced Courses for all students, if you want a particular specialty dive, please let us know and we will try our best to make it work!

(1) Deep Diving and (2) Underwater Navigator are the two required dives for Advanced. These skills are extremely important and useful. After completing your Deep Dive, you will be able to complete recreational dives up to 100 feet and this skill will enable you to dive more places. Underwater Navigator allows you to comfortably and knowledgeably use a compass to know where you are going underwater.

(3) Search & Recovery is very compatible with Underwater Navigator. This skill teaches various search patterns to find things and/or people. You will also learn how to use a lift bag to bring items safely to the surface such as an anchor or lost SCUBA equipment. You will learn how to use a reel and useful knot-tying techniques as well.

(4) Peak Performance Buoyancy is extremely valuable to an advanced diver. Do you want to have more bottom time and use your air more proficiently? We teach you to be properly weighted, efficient fins techniques, hovering and breathing techniques for you to use your air more efficiently, how to use your inflator properly, stay off the bottom, inflate/deflate less, have longer bottom time and a more relaxed dive.

[5] Additional Specialties: After the two required dives (deep and navigation) we help you choose three others There are many to choose from, such as; wreck, drift, boat, night, fish identification, dry suit, digital underwater imaging, nitrox, fish identification, night diving, dive against debris, shark conservation, delayed surface marker buoy diving, cavern, sidemount rig, and full face mask.

[6] Optional Enriched Air Course: To help our students continue their diving education, we offer a discounted rate for taking the Enriched Air Course during your Advanced Course. The most popular specialty class, Enriched Air Diver is on sale for $175 off when taken with the Advanced Course. Purchase the study materials prior to your AOW class and read and complete the knowledge reviews along with your AOW course material. You can also rent an Enriched Air tank for you deep dive.

Our Advanced Open Water Course consists of two days of diving with either a short classroom session a day or two prior or at the dive site prior to each dive. We typically meet at one of our Florida freshwater springs on the first day and then either a spring-fed lake, river or a Gulf dive for the second day depending upon the specialties chosen and weather conditions.

Since this in an Advanced Course, it is recommended that you provide your own gear, however we do have premier rental gear and tanks available. If you purchase any gear for this course, we will give you a student discount. The gear you will need to either own or rent is a complete scuba kit, compass, slate, wetsuit, SMB (safety sausage) and light (at least 1000 lumens).

What to do prior to class:

1. Prior to your course, either read the AOW manual and complete the knowledge reviews at the end of each chapter. If you live out of state, we recommend the e-Learning option for your independent study. There are no quizzes or tests required for this certification. The book is an extremely handy reference book for future dives and classes. For instance, if you were going to go on a drift dive, you could read the chapter on drift diving or if you are interested in underwater photography or fish identification, the manual can give you information on picture taking techniques or the difference between an angel fish and a parrot fish. So please keep this book on hand for future reference.
2. Complete the required Continuing Education Administrative Document. If you answer “yes” to any question on medical statement questionnaire, please let us know ahead of time and we will email you an additional Physician Form which your doctor will need to sign verifying you are medically fit to dive. This is a standard form that doctors usually fill out if they know your medical history and email/fax back to you.
3. Perform your own personal gear check prior to class. You will need all serviceable basic gear – mask, snorkel, fins, boots, BCD, dive computer, regulator set, weights, suitable dive light, slate, and compass. You can rent BCD, regulator sets, wetsuits, etc…
4. Optional Gear Concierge Service can be provided for $20 per day per person – includes rental gear delivered to and from the shop to dive site as well as cleaning fees.
5. Download and complete our Continuing Education Form. If you are renting gear, please download and complete the Equipment Rental Agreement, as well.

We are honored that you have chosen us as your local dive shop. We will try our very best to assist you will all your learning, diving and gear needs. We learn so much from our divers and love diving with you and getting to know each other. Let’s dive together!

Since we schedule courses, based upon availability and are limited in space, a deposit of $200 will hold your dates that you have selected. Full payment is due prior to the first day of your course. The deposit is non-refundable since it is for your study materials or e-Learning and to save your specific dates based on your schedule. We limit this course to only 3-4 people.

Once you have completed your course, we will take a photograph for your certification card, fill out your logbook, and register your certification with the chosen certifying agency. You will immediately receive a temporary card via email and your permanent card will be delivered to the shop, usually within two weeks. We will then email you to stop by the shop and pick it up at your convenience. Once you become an Advanced certified diver, we will add you to our mailing list so you can learn about our current local dive trips, cleanup dives, free guest speaker series, continuing education courses and sales, dive club meetings and parties!

Please reach out to info@adventuretampa.com or 813-832-6669 to register or learn more!