A BSAC Advanced Diver is a diver who is comprehensively trained, experienced and responsible and who can manage and supervise a wide range of adventurous and challenging diving activities. This will include organising branch diving expeditions to explore unfamiliar locations, and branch diving activities including dives utilising developing technology and techniques.

Training towards Advanced Diver relies much more on the progressive build up of experience than on 'formal' lessons.

The Advanced Diver course consists of :

• 4 Classroom lessons
• Theory assessment
• 2 Dry practical lessons
• 2 Open water lessons
• 20 dives post Dive Leader- (which may include open water lessons) and a minimum 600 minutes underwater time

Open water diving should encompass each of the following, each on at least three occasions: planned two stop decompression dive, drift dive, dive in tidal waters. In addition a further six dives should include at least three of the following conditions: navigation dive, search dive, no clear surface dive, mixed gas dive, advanced decompression dive, surface location dive.

Of the 20 dives at least 10 should be carried out from boats, on at least 10 the student should act as dive leader and at least six dives should show experience of depths greater than 30m. On at least five occasions, including at both known and unfamiliar sites, the student should act as Dive Manager.