Redesigning AOW

[MikeFerrara]

Tom ... Mike and I have been "disagreeing" on this subject for the past six years. In truth, I agree with a lot of his sentiments ... I just have a different perspective on what to do about it.

But no ... there's really no point in continuing it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Wow, six years.

The fact is that if you want to teach and certify divers, all you can do is the best you can with what you have. The alternative is to quit teaching. If you teach well, you get to do something you like and maybe help a few divers but contribute to the delinquency of the agency (the instructor is their customer) by pumping your money in. If you don't teach, it's kind of a vote with your wallet but it's you who doesn't get to teach anymore. Personally, I'm not completely happy with either choice.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

When I inquired about it, they said PADI doesn't recognize my TID certs for Nitrox and Cavern, (I got Wreck in PADI),

Hog wash. PADI had no trouble accepting my SDI nitrox cert so I could take my PADI Nitrox instructor.

Ya know, all it takes is a phone call to verify stuff.

BTW, your specialty certs can also count towards your AOW cert.

TwoBit

 

[Thalassamania]

The $64 question that would get the ball rolling here is... What was the AOW course designed to do?

A re-read indicates to me that MIke was one step ahead, as usual.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

[....
There is a particular dive I want to do within the next few weeks, but they require a minimum of AOW and Nitrox certification. When I inquired about it, they said PADI doesn't recognize my TID certs for Nitrox and Cavern, (I got Wreck in PADI), and would have to do my 5 "Adventure dives" before being able to dive this particular dive to get my AOW. I admit I really need (and want) navigation and would pay dearly to learn this skill, but the hoops for the other stuff I disagree with. I guess because I'm a teacher and approach each of my students as individuals and assess their individual needs to teach to their level of competency (or lack thereof) I expect the same when I'm searching to achieve higher learning.

Since I have Nitrox, Wreck, and have dove deep, and WANT to learn navigation, search and rescue, and making the diving environment safe for all, why can't instruction be geared towards the desired outcome for each student? When I inquired about my AOW because of this ONE dive I want to do, I found out that I have to repeat some other stuff I've already done just to appease PADI. This is sad, because I thought I'd like to go all the way and get my instructor's cert. so I could teach diving after retirement from the public school education system. But if this is how they do it, I'm too ethical and demanding to just go through the motions of making someone "feel" like they are accomplished divers.

I know that the instructor I chose would have given me the best instruction I could have if I had time to do it the way it should properly be given. But since time is of the essence for one dive I want to do (that I feel confident I am capable of at my level at this time), I have to get less than what I would like overall in order to dive it. I WILL continue on so I can become the best diver I can be and also be able to help others who find themselves in situations less than desirable, but I feel less confident in the process overall. I see now why we as teachers are looked "down upon" in general.

Sorry for going on so long......just wanted to spew out my feelings (for me AND my kids....lol).

Let me guess.. you want to do the Hole in the Wall? It sounds to me like they are really yanking your chain with the need to get AOW or they think you are incompetant and want to see you get more supervised time. Maybe you need to look elsewhere for training?

 

[TSandM]

I'll bite . . . If you accept that the OW class is designed to give the person who wants to do a couple of dives on his vacation enough information to do so without likelihood of significant harm, then there are a lot of holes in that class for the person who wants to dive as a regular activity.

AOW should be designed to fill in some of those holes: Improve buoyancy and control, consolidate emergency procedures, emphasize information and skills necessary to be a truly independent diver, as opposed to an underwater guide-following tourist. That's my take on it, anyway. To that end, a buoyancy session, a skills session, a navigation module, a night dive, and a deeper dive on the assumption that most divers are eventually going to migrate down there anyway.

 

[Walter]

I was trying to create an AOW that would fit within the existing parameters.

Why ?

 

[TSandM]

Why? So that I wouldn't get a bunch of people jumping up and down and saying, "Well, of COURSE you could make a better class if you make it longer and more involved and more expensive, but nobody will take it and we can't teach it."

 

[Walter]

That's not likely to happen. Make the course longer and folks will tell you it's not as good because you will be task loading your students, that none of the extra things you include are necessary, then they'll start comparing your class to SEAL (or other military type training) and finally, they'll start in on the character assassination.

 

[jupitermermaid]

BTW, your specialty certs can also count towards your AOW cert.

TwoBit

That's what I was referring to. I was told that PADI said my specialty certs CAN'T count toward my AOW (except Wreck, since PADI certified me for that one), because my others were done by TDI.

I'm going to give them a call myself today and post what they tell me tonight.

 

[jupitermermaid]

Let me guess.. you want to do the Hole in the Wall? It sounds to me like they are really yanking your chain with the need to get AOW or they think you are incompetant and want to see you get more supervised time. Maybe you need to look elsewhere for training?

You got it!! A new buddy is visiting this area and wants to do the Hole in the Wall. I have no objection to getting AOW......I was going to do it anyway, but I wanted to chose the areas (or have the instructor assess and determine what I needed) to get it. Now because of time restrictions, I have to do a "deep" dive of 90' as one of my dives (I've done 90' dives with them on rec dives and no one blinked). I have no problem doing another deep dive, but to pay extra to do it in order to say I'm "competent" isn't right.