Advanced Open Water

The SSI Advanced Open Water Diver course at Dive Rutland is priced from £250 and builds directly on the Open Water certification. It's the logical next step for divers who want to extend their depth and skill range before heading to destinations like Egypt or Gozo — both of which Dive Rutland runs regular trips to.

Open water sessions for this course take place at UK inland dive sites, giving students practice in the real conditions they'll encounter on club dives and organised trips with the centre. Cold UK water and variable visibility make buoyancy control and navigation more demanding than in warm tropical sites, so completing it here tends to produce divers with solid fundamentals.

The centre's small-group approach applies equally at this level. Instructors adapt the session to what each diver needs — whether that's working on buoyancy, navigation, or building comfort at greater depth — rather than running every group through an identical programme.

From here, the SSI pathway continues toward Deep Diver (£265), Dry Suit Diving (£250), Enriched Air Nitrox (from £150), and eventually the SSI XR technical range if the diver wants to go further.