Curso Avançado de Mergulho

The PADI Advanced Open Water Diver at Dive Soul covers five adventure dives spread across three non-consecutive days: Deep Diving, Underwater Navigation, Search & Recovery, Night Diving, and DSMB deployment. The selection is not arbitrary — it targets the skills that matter most for diving with more autonomy in real conditions rather than stacking certifications for their own sake. The course follows the same hybrid format as the Open Water: theory and knowledge review are done online at home, and in-person days are reserved for drills and water time.

Day one is the theory and knowledge review session, running approximately three hours. Day two begins with two hours of land drills before anyone gets in the water. Those drills cover compass operation, circular search patterns using a spool, knot tying, lift bag deployment, and DSMB launch technique. Working through these on land — where there's no current, no buoyancy to manage, and no wetsuit restricting movement — removes ambiguity before the skills come up at depth. After the land session, the group heads to open water for three dives: Underwater Navigation, Search & Recovery, and the Night dive. That day runs approximately six hours on site.

Day three handles the remaining two dives: the Deep dive and the DSMB launch in open water. The Deep dive extends the recreational ceiling from 18 to 30 metres, which opens a significant range of dive sites that are off-limits to Open Water certified divers. The DSMB session focuses specifically on correct deployment during a drift decompression stop and on communicating position to the surface. Both dives are done at the sea site, again with approximately six hours allocated on the water.

The school provides all equipment for the Advanced course: personal dive computer, compass, lantern, lift bag, DSMB, and anti-fog mask, in addition to the standard scuba set. Sea sessions typically take place at Ilha dos Papagaios off Cabo Frio, consistent with the school's open water training venue. Flávio Mayrink's approach to the Advanced dives mirrors the Open Water: repetition of land-based skills before applying them underwater, and a focus on understanding what each piece of equipment does rather than just using it.

Requirements are an existing PADI Open Water Diver certification or equivalent from another recognized agency, and a minimum age of 12. Certification is issued within 24 hours of completing the fifth adventure dive. Advanced graduates receive the same priority access to Dive Soul's organized trips that Open Water alumni hold — including outings to Angra dos Reis — which gives the newly certified Advanced diver immediate opportunities to log dives at a different site with a familiar group.