Do I really need AOW for diving with charters going to sites for depth below 60'?

[telemonster]

I'm working on the AOW for the purpose of meeting those requirements. I did the classroom part of the course late last summer. It was an epic joke. Pretty much, I'm handing over (a good amount of) my money for the plastic card. I've learned 10 times as much reading forums such as this.

 

[scjoe]

If we are going to criticize the AOW requirement of some charters, why not criticize the requirement to be certified at all. Back in the early 1960s there were experienced divers who had never been certified by an agency. Even in today's world, there are some experienced divers who lack a C card.

 

[RonFrank]

In the FL Keys, you need AOW to do the deep wrecks (Grove, Bibb, Duane, etc.). You could also hire a DM to do those wrecks, but you'd better off just taking the class.

Most places you need nothing but OW to dive. However IMO take advanced if for no other reason than, 1) You are new, and you would learn something, 2) is it a prerequisite for Rescue which is a very good class, 3) If you do 100 dives, you may still want to do rescue, but would likely learn nothing from advanced at that point.

Divers sometimes get stuck with this. They have done a lot of diving, and don't need/want advanced, but they want to progress, and can not without advanced.

So, IMO if you have the bucks, do advanced now, and get it out of the way.

 

[Firefyter]

2) is it a prerequisite for Rescue which is a very good class, 3) If you do 100 dives, you may still want to do rescue, but would likely learn nothing from advanced at that point.

Divers sometimes get stuck with this. They have done a lot of diving, and don't need/want advanced, but they want to progress, and can not without advanced.

So, IMO if you have the bucks, do advanced now, and get it out of the way.

Why do people keep parroting this? You do NOT have to do AOW to get to Rescue.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm working on the AOW for the purpose of meeting those requirements. I did the classroom part of the course late last summer. It was an epic joke. Pretty much, I'm handing over (a good amount of) my money for the plastic card. I've learned 10 times as much reading forums such as this.

Then you did not have a thorough classroom series. What did you cover in it? Stuff straight out of a book I'm betting with a short review and quiz. I agree, waste of time. Mine was like that. It's the reason I spend 6-8 hours going over material and, if I don't know the student, a pool session to assess if you are ready for AOW. Many are not. It is not the time to be working on your basic kick or learning how to get properly weighted out.

I offer Deep, UW Nav, Search and Recovery, Night/low vis, and Advanced Skills(frog kick, helicopter turns, back kicks. All skills while swimming and hovering, and shooting a bag). Buoyancy and trim are worked on, on every dive. We keep track of air supply, and gas management is covered in the classroom sessions. 1/3rds, 1/6s, rock bottom, and SAC rates. I do not offer stuff like Fish ID, Boat diver, or UW Naturalist. If we dive from a boat then that is not a seperate dive. You still do 5 dives from the first group. If you want to spend the extra cash for the boat fees then we'll do a wreck dive for a total of 6 dives. And that will add 2 hours to classroom to cover wreck layout, navigating on one, and hazards plus history and how to research them. If you are going to do an advanced course it should cover advanced material. Want to ID a fish- buy a book from amazon.

 

[Stu S.]

Cousteau told us that the oceans belong to each of us; all mankind. Then somebody decided to set up a toll booth, and got away with it.

 

[Walter]

In the FL Keys, you need AOW to do the deep wrecks (Grove, Bibb, Duane, etc.).

Hmmmm, seems to me some operators (Conch Republic, for example) accept evidence (log book) of a dive to 80 feet or deeper within the last six months instead of AOW.

 

[Walter]

They have insurance companies that specifiy a minimum standard to which the shop must comply in order to keep thier coverage.

Insurance policies do not require AOW to dive beyond 60 ft. I've heard operators use that excuse for lots of things when they didn't want to defend their decision.

 

[The Kraken]

Why do people keep parroting this? You do NOT have to do AOW to get to Rescue.

PADI Prerequisite Certification:

Section #1:

To participate in the rescue training sessions in confined water only, the student must be certified as a PADI Open Water Diver or have a qualifying certification from another training organization. This is defined as proof of certification as an entry-level diver with at least four required training dives.

Section #2:

To participate in the rescue training sessions in open water, and to participate in the open water rescue scenarios, the student must be certified as a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver or have a qualifying certification from another training organization. This is defined as proof of certification beyond entry level (at least two certifications total), with proof of 20 or more logged dives documenting experience in deep diving and underwater navigation.

Certification:

Section #2:

To qualify for PADI rescue Diver certification, student divers must be certified as a PADI Advanced Open WAter Diver or have a qualifying certification from another training organization.

the K

 

[Walter]

You don't have to have AOW to get Rescue, but you do have to have AOW to get PADI Rescue. PADI's not the only option.