What Can You Do Straight After Your SSI Open Water Certification?
Your SSI Open Water Certification
Completing your SSI Open Water Diver course is a huge achievement. In just a few days, you go from never having breathed underwater to becoming a certified scuba diver who can explore the ocean independently with a buddy. At Oceans 5 Gili Air, our SSI Open Water Course is taught over three full days, focusing on comfort, safety, proper buoyancy, and confidence — not rushing through skills just to hand out a certification card.
But once you finish your course and celebrate that first big step into the underwater world, many new divers ask the same question:
“What can I do next?”
The good news is: a lot.
And what you choose depends on your goals, your confidence, your budget, and how much time you have on Gili Air.
Let’s look at the best options available straight after your SSI Open Water certification.
Option 1: Gain Experience with Fun Dives (Up to 18 Meters)
For many newly certified divers, the best next step is simply:
go diving.
As an SSI Open Water Diver, you are certified to dive to a maximum depth of 18 meters, always diving with a buddy. At Oceans 5 Gili Air, new divers typically join our fun dives guided by experienced local divemasters, which is the perfect way to build confidence while still being supervised by professionals who know the dive sites extremely well.
What Are Fun Dives?
Fun dives are exactly what the name suggests:
no skills, no exams, no pressure — just enjoying the ocean.
During these dives you will:
Practice real-world buoyancy in calm conditions
Improve your breathing and air consumption naturally
Learn how to position yourself near reefs without touching anything
Spot turtles, reef sharks, and huge schools of fish
Discover different dive sites around the Gili Islands
This is where many divers truly start to fall in love with diving. You are no longer focused on drills or checklists — you are simply exploring.
Why Experience Matters
While certification means you are allowed to dive, experience is what makes you comfortable. The more dives you log, the more natural everything becomes:
Descents feel easier
Mask clearing becomes automatic
Buoyancy becomes smoother
You relax more, and that’s when you really start enjoying the dive
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we keep our fun dive groups small, so even certified divers still receive personal attention, relaxed briefings, and proper supervision.
For many people, this option is perfect if:
You are on holiday and just want to enjoy diving
You are not in a rush to continue training
You want to explore different reefs and drift dives around the Gilis
Option 2: Go Deeper and Expand Your Skills with the SSI Advanced Open Water Course
If you feel confident after your Open Water course and want to expand your limits, the next step is the SSI Advanced Open Water Diver course.
This course allows you to:
Increase your maximum depth to 30 meters
Improve navigation skills
Experience different types of diving
Become a more confident and versatile diver
How the SSI Advanced Open Water Course Works
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, the SSI Advanced Open Water course is taught over two days and five dives.
Two of these dives are required:
Deep Diving – learning how to manage depth safely, recognize nitrogen narcosis, and plan deeper dives
Navigation – using a compass and natural navigation to find your way underwater
The other three dives are elective specialties, and this is where you can really tailor the course to what you enjoy most.
Possible elective dives include:
Peak Performance Buoyancy
Drift Diving
Wreck Diving (at the famous Glenn Nusa wreck)
Fish Identification
Perfect Buoyancy
This means the course is not just about going deeper — it is about becoming a more skilled and aware diver.
Why Many Divers Choose Advanced Right After Open Water
Doing your Advanced course soon after Open Water has several advantages:
Your skills are still fresh
You are already in “learning mode”
You gain confidence quickly with instructor supervision
You unlock access to deeper and more exciting dive sites
Many divers who start with fun dives eventually realize they want to go deeper or try new environments — and that is exactly what the Advanced course is designed for.
Option 3: Start Exploring Specialty Courses
After Open Water, and sometimes even during the Advanced course, many divers discover that certain types of diving really interest them.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we offer a wide range of SSI Specialty Courses, which allow you to focus on specific skills or environments.
Some popular choices include:
Perfect Buoyancy Specialty
Ideal if you want to:
Hover effortlessly
Improve air consumption
Protect the reef by avoiding contact
Look more relaxed and controlled underwater
This is one of the best specialties for building long-term diving skills and confidence.
Enriched Air Nitrox
Learn to dive with higher oxygen mixes, allowing:
Longer bottom times
Shorter surface intervals
More comfort on repetitive dives
Nitrox is extremely useful if you plan to dive a lot during your holiday.
Wreck Diving
Explore the Glenn Nusa wreck near Shark Point, learning:
Proper wreck approach techniques
Finning styles to avoid silting
Safe navigation around structures
Marine Ecology and Identification Specialties
For divers who love marine life, these courses help you:
Identify fish and invertebrates
Understand reef ecosystems
Dive with more awareness, not just sightseeing
Specialty courses are perfect if:
You have limited time
You want to improve specific skills
You want to dive with more purpose and knowledge
Option 4: Build a Path Toward Becoming a Divemaster
For some people, Open Water is not the end of the journey — it is the beginning of a new lifestyle.
If you feel that spark and start thinking:
“I want to spend more time underwater, maybe even work in diving,”
then there is a clear professional pathway ahead of you.
The typical progression is:
Open Water Diver
Advanced Open Water Diver
Stress & Rescue Diver
Divemaster
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we offer SSI Divemaster Internships, where candidates are trained not only in diving skills but also in:
Assisting instructors on real courses
Leading certified divers
Understanding dive shop operations
Conservation activities and clean-up leadership
While this is not something you start immediately after Open Water, many people begin planning this path very early — sometimes even during their holiday.
And because Gili Air is small, relaxed, and affordable, it is one of the best places in Indonesia to stay longer and train professionally.
Why Gili Air Is the Perfect Place to Continue Diving After Open Water
Location matters. A lot.
Gili Air offers conditions that are ideal for newly certified divers:
Calm seas most of the year
Easy boat entries and short travel times
Many dive sites suitable for beginners and advanced divers
Excellent visibility, even in low season
Large populations of turtles and reef fish
Unlike busy party islands, Gili Air has a relaxed atmosphere that helps new divers feel comfortable and focused. You are not rushed from dive to dive. You have time to rest, learn, and enjoy the island.
And when you are not diving, you can enjoy:
Yoga and meditation
Beach cafés and sunsets
Snorkeling straight from shore
Local and international food at all budgets
This balance between diving and island life is why so many people extend their stay after their Open Water course.
Why Continue Your Training at Oceans 5 Gili Air?
Choosing where you continue your diving is just as important as choosing what course you do.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air:
Courses are taught in small groups
We strictly follow SSI standards
No rushed schedules
No cutting corners
Strong focus on buoyancy and environmental awareness
Highly experienced local divemasters and instructors
On-site facilities, pools, classrooms, and equipment service
We are not focused on pushing people through fast certifications.
We focus on building confident, comfortable, and responsible divers.
Whether you choose fun diving, Advanced Open Water, specialty courses, or start planning a professional path, you will always receive the same philosophy:
quality over quantity.
Your Certification Is Not the End — It’s the Beginning
Finishing your SSI Open Water course is not a finish line.
It is the moment when real diving starts.
From relaxed fun dives with turtles, to deeper adventures, to specialty training, to even professional pathways — the ocean now becomes your classroom.
At Oceans 5 Gili Air, we see many guests arrive thinking they will just do their Open Water course.
A week later, they are still here, booking more dives, learning more, and discovering just how much there is to explore beneath the surface.
So if you are asking yourself what to do after your SSI Open Water certification, the answer is simple:
Keep diving. Keep learning. Keep exploring.
And we would be happy to guide you on every step of that journey here on Gili Air. 🌊🐢
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