14 Advanced Open Water practice questions
In short
14 practice questions for the Advanced Open Water level, one per lesson of the Octo app, each with its answer and explanation. Tap an answer to check yourself. These are original questions written for the app, not taken from any agency’s exam; the app has six per lesson, spaced review and a 30-question practice exam.
Your deep training dive is this weekend: make sure you know what to do if your computer shows a stop, and how to swim back on a reciprocal heading. Answer these 14 questions, one per lesson, before you open any explanation. Any you miss point to the lessons to review before the dive. Units are shown in metric with imperial in brackets. The theory behind them is on the Advanced Open Water course page.
The 14 questions, lesson by lesson
What Advanced Open Water changes
required training dives
1Which two training dives are required in an Advanced Open Water course with PADI?
Show the answer
Answer B. The deep and navigation dives are required; you choose the other three. Night, buoyancy and boat dives are popular choices, not requirements. Other agencies may organize the course differently.
Planning a deep dive
gas use at depth
2You breathe at the same pace at 10 m and at 30 m. How much faster does your gas run out at the deeper depth?
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Answer B. What counts is absolute pressure: 2 bar at 10 m, 4 bar at 30 m, so twice as much gas per breath. Four times is the comparison with the surface; three times divides the depths instead of the pressures.
Narcosis and other deep-water risks
narcosis depth
3From about what depth do most divers notice nitrogen narcosis when breathing air?
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Answer C. Most divers notice it from about 30 m (100 ft), some shallower, and it varies from day to day. Waiting for 40 m (130 ft) to expect it would be a mistake.
When you overstay your no-decompression limit
stop depth
4During a required stop, at what depth should you stay?
Show the answer
Answer C. The displayed depth is a ceiling: stay at it or just below. Going above it means skipping part of the stop, while staying much deeper slows the release of nitrogen and makes the stop last longer.
Using a compass
lubber line
5On a compass, what shows the direction you’re swimming?
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Answer B. The lubber line shows where you’re heading; the needle points to magnetic north, and the bezel marks are set around the needle to hold a heading.
Natural navigation and patterns
sand ripples
6How do sand ripples usually run compared with the shore?
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Answer B. Waves usually shape ripples parallel to the shore that formed them. It’s a general rule with local exceptions, so cross-check with depth and other clues.
Precise buoyancy and trim
weight check
7During a weight check at the surface, with an empty BCD and a normal breath held, where should you float?
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Answer B. With the water at eye level and a normal breath, you sink slowly as you exhale. Floating higher, chin or shoulders clear, means too little weight for the safety stop; sinking below the surface means extra lead.
Night diving
choosing a night site
8What makes a good site for your first night dive?
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Answer D. Knowing the site by day makes navigation and the exit much easier at night. Current and depth add difficulty when you can see less.
Wreck diving
staying outside
9On your Advanced wreck dive, you see a wide opening into the hold, with daylight inside. What do you do?
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Answer B. Inside, even near an opening, you’re under an overhead: no direct way up, possible silt-outs and confusion. Light, tools and a buddy at the entrance don’t replace training.
Drift and boat diving
boat terms
10Facing the bow, which side is port?
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Answer B. Facing forward, port is left and starboard is right; the stern is the back of the boat.
Enriched air nitrox
ppO2 limits
11What ppO2 limits apply on a recreational nitrox dive?
Show the answer
Answer A. Keep ppO2 at or below 1.4 bar (1.4 ata) while diving, and treat 1.6 bar (1.6 ata) as an absolute maximum for contingencies. Above that, the risk of a convulsion rises sharply.
Search and recovery
expanding square
12Which pattern starts at the last known position and grows outward, with 90° turns and longer and longer legs?
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Answer C. The expanding square uses the compass and lengthens its legs as it goes. The U pattern sweeps parallel lanes, and the circular search uses a line from a fixed point.
Dry suit diving
dry suit warmth
13In a dry suit, what mainly keeps you warm?
Show the answer
Answer B. A dry suit keeps water out; the undergarments, and the air they hold, provide the insulation. A thin layer of warmed water is how a wetsuit works.
Observing and protecting aquatic life
cleaning stations
14At a cleaning station, what are the small shrimp and fish doing?
Show the answer
Answer C. Cleaners remove parasites and dead skin from larger fish, which wait their turn calmly, predators included.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the real Advanced Open Water exam questions?
No. These are original practice questions written for the Octo app. They cover the theory of the Advanced Open Water level, but they are not taken from any training agency’s exams, knowledge reviews or manuals, and Octo is not affiliated with PADI or any other agency.
How many Advanced Open Water questions does Octo have?
Octo has six questions for each of its 14 Advanced Open Water lessons, 84 in all, each with the right answer and an explanation, plus a 30-question practice exam for the level that includes real-life scenarios, with an optional timer. See how Octo works.
What should I do with the questions I get wrong?
Reread the explanation, say in one sentence why the right answer is right, then try the question again a day or two later. In Octo, spaced review does this for you: a missed question comes back the same day, then at longer and longer intervals until you know it.
What theory does Advanced Open Water add?
Deep diving comes first: gas planning at depth, nitrogen narcosis and what to do if you overstay your no-decompression limit. Then compass and natural navigation, and the theory of each specialty dive, including nitrox limits. Octo covers it in 14 lessons; the Advanced Open Water course page has the depth limits and prerequisites.
