Malapascua is an ideal place to do your PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) course.

You’ll see amazing sights, and we have dive sites that are perfect for the themed dives of the AOW course, including our famous thresher shark dive.

The dives and schedule are flexible, although you’ll generally complete the 5 dives over 2 days. For the themed dives, PADI requires you to complete Deep Dive and Navigation, and you can choose the others. We recommend starting with Peak Performance Buoyancy. Buoyancy is probably the most important skill you’ll learn in diving, as good buoyancy greatly improves your comfort and safety underwater. In the following dives, you’ll build on what you’ve learned, and by the end of the course, you’ll be a buoyancy expert!

The Night Dive will teach you very useful skills, and as a bonus, you may see mandarin fish, seahorses, and much more. Of course, you can’t miss our thresher sharks, which will usually be two of your dives: Deep Dive and one of the following: Drift, Naturalist, or Photography*. This way, you can take home precious memories of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Once you’re in Malapascua, you’ll discuss your schedule with your instructor and finalize your dive plan together.

The AOW course includes:

• Manual — online version, available in advance.

• 5 dives, generally over 2–3 days (if time is tight, it can be done in one afternoon and the following morning).

• Instructor and certification fees.

• Free equipment rental if needed.

• Free dive computer rental if needed.

• 10% discount on equipment purchases.

• Celebration Shark Bite shot at our bar!

• Free thresher shark T-shirt, mask strap, logbook, or tumbler.

• Free additional bonus!

If it’s been a while since your last dive or you feel like you need to refresh your skills, we include a basic refresher for free during your first dive. If you’d prefer a more complete refresher, you can do it as an additional dive. We’ll also send you a link to watch the PADI Open Water videos, which will be a great refresher if you have time.

Online Learning in Advance

We offer an online manual (eLearning) option. This allows you to complete the study before you arrive, giving you more time to dive and enjoy your vacation. Best of all, there’s no extra charge! You’ll have lifetime access to the online manual, so you won’t need to carry a physical copy. Plus, it’s environmentally friendly! It’s available in many languages.

We have instructors who speak several languages. If you’d prefer to take the course in a specific language, please let us know. Once you’ve paid, we can send you the online manual.

Duration: 2–3 days.

Not Included in the Course Price:

Expect to pay approximately P1,250 in additional fees for a 2-day course:

• Government marine user tax: P300 per day.

• Shark dive fee: P150.

• Kimud Shoal thresher shark dive: This site is an hour away, and a fuel surcharge of +P500 applies.

• Camera rental: +P1500 if you need to rent a GoPro Hero 12 for the optional photography dive.

Additional Options to Expand Your Skills:

A very popular option is to complete the Nitrox course to save time and money 😊. This includes 5 dives, with at least two of them using Nitrox. Once certified (you can do this before starting the AOW course), you’ll receive free Nitrox fills for the duration of the course and the rest of your stay.

Deposit: If you prefer to make only a deposit or are not yet ready to commit to TSD, you can pay the course deposit only. This covers the cost of the PADI Manual, which you can then use at any PADI Dive Center around the world.