Cannot find a reason for AOW certification

[scubadada]

Mine was just your standard open water class...we had to tread water for 3 minutes with our shoulders out of the water, swim 100 feet under water, remove our gear (all of it) and surface from 60 feet. Everyone does those tests don't they? My original c card didnt have a certification number which is why i finally got a new card, that and it have my high school graduation picture one it....was funny to watch dive masters look at the card, then look at me 30 years later then try to find the card number ( but then i am easily amused)

Hi @wildbill9

When was this, which agency?

 

[Bogtrotter]

My AOW was a bit of a joke, I basically just went diving and ran through a few simple exercises. So much depends on the quality of the instruction. It did lead to Rescue though which was a very good course and would recommend to anyone.

 

[scrane]

60 feet? That's ridiculous.

 

[wildbill9]

Padi ....was taught by an ex navy seal, he was brutal but I felt very safe after I completed his course!

 

[TMHeimer]

My AOW was OK. Of course, the Nav and maybe Deep skills came in handy (though I think my "Deep" dive was like 63'). I also did S & R, PPB, and the "Nitrox Adventure Dive"--whatever that is. This led me to finish up Nitrox back home (although I had to do the whole course there even though I did the first half in Florida). I also wound up adding 7 specialties, paid my $41 for MSD--so I guess AOW led me down the "card collector" path, for good or evil. Card collecting and courses stopped for good after DM.
A large chunk of all those courses is stuff I'll never really use, but it doesn't hurt to know at least a few extra things. That's why I advised before to try to do the Adventure dives/specialties that will directly benefit the type of diving you will do.

 

[Erich S]

Some of the more interesting specialty courses require an AOW cert so another reason to get it.

 

[RTC'83]

I am working on my AOW, I am glad I am doing it. I have a great LDS ( International Scuba) and their emphasis on safety and making sure I know the material is comforting and reassuring. I chose to persue because being in my 50's I want to be as prepared as I can be.
I will continue to educate myself, have plans for the land training such as first aid, cpr, oxygen and others.
I know it is helping me become a more competent diver, and if I ever need to help someone else I want to be able to do so.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Mine was just your standard open water class...we had to tread water for 3 minutes with our shoulders out of the water, swim 100 feet under water, remove our gear (all of it) and surface from 60 feet. Everyone does those tests don't they? My original c card didnt have a certification number which is why i finally got a new card, that and it have my high school graduation picture one it....was funny to watch dive masters look at the card, then look at me 30 years later then try to find the card number ( but then i am easily amused)

We had to tread water for a while but only had to swim about 75 feet without surfacing, and only had to do a free ascent from about 35 feet. We also had to dive to the bottom of the pool where all of our gear was, turn on the air and put it all on, plus we did the "blindfolded" exercise where they masked our masks with aluminum foil and did things such as yank the regulator out of our mouth, turned off our air etc.

Which agency gave you a card with no number?

My girlfriend recently was certified and the instructor took her picture immediately after her check-out dive. She is still pissed.

 

[TMHeimer]

Being certified in 2005, of course I didn't have to do any of those things aside from the 10 minute tread. I have however at one point done the gear on the bottom drill, which was no big deal (with an instructor from a different shop) and of course the free ascent from, well 30'--are you talking about a CESA or free diving without scuba so you have to swim down without anything, such as fins? Still seems doable for me. Never did the blind folded mask thing--what skills did you have to do blindfolded? Anything complicated like removing/replacing scuba unit? Did you do the uw 75' swim with or without fins? I'm pretty sure I could do that with fins.
Anyway, my point is I think I would've done OK in these long ago courses. But I spent a lifetime in and around water before OW course. When I was DMing OW courses I did see a number of students who would be nowhere near doing some of this stuff. Things have changed in that regard.

 

[Fibonacci]

For my OW course aeons ago we did the free ascent stuff and finished the long swim part by treading water for 15 mins holding the weight belt over our head... slept well that night!
On a later AOW course our ex-RAN Submariner instructor then said "I didn't show you this, but it may come in handy one day" and proceeded to demonstrate how to breathe from a tank without a reg by holding it under your left arm, cupping your left hand into a tube and cracking the valve open for each breath... which we all then practiced of course