AOW questions

[scubadada]

How could you have missed this?

I've seen it, thanks

 

[Aloha Joe]

I don't know why this is so confusing to me - maybe I need another cup of coffee. Can someone give me an example of the dives/training that would lead to being allowed to go on 'deep dive' or 'advanced dive' boats w/o an instructor?

It sounds like I'd choose 3 'Adventure Dives', then choose 2 'Specialty Diver Courses'? Or is the suggestion to do all 'Specialty Diver Courses'?

 

[scubadada]

I don't know why this is so confusing to me - maybe I need another cup of coffee. Can someone give me an example of the dives/training that would lead to being allowed to go on 'deep dive' or 'advanced dive' boats w/o an instructor?

PADI site doesn't give a lot of information about the different specialty requirements - like how many dives for each, etc. It sounds like 3 different adventure dives (1 trip?) cover Adventure Diver, then I can sign up for Deep Diver. How many dives/days is that? And upon completion, will I be technically certified to dive deeper than 60ft? Or do I still need to do another course (different from the 3 adventure dives?) to complete req'ts for AOW?

I don't think it is that difficult, one dive in each of 5 categories including navigation and deep is all that is required for AOW. The specialty certs all require additional dives if you want them. See the PADI website. The depth limits are all recommendations, not enforced levels. It depends more on your experience and local dive conditions. The OW 60 ft, AOW 100 feet, Deep Diver 130 feet are artificial. Certified rec divers are advised to stay at or above 130 feet, also artificial, but somewhat practical considering NDLs. Diving my Oceanic computer, running DSAT, my NDL at 130 feet with 28% nitrox is just 15 minutes.

 

[Scubatude]

The PADI Advanced Open Water course is the first dive of 5 specialties, with the first dive of Deep, and the first dive of Navigation required.

If you only do the first dive of 3 specialties, including Deep and Navigation, you may earn your Adventure Diver Certification.

The complete Deep Diver Specialty requires 4 dives. You would only need 3 more dives if you did a deep dive as part of your AOW as required. The Deep Diver Specialty gives you the training and experience to plan and conduct dives past 60'.

 

[boulderjohn]

I don't know why this is so confusing to me - maybe I need another cup of coffee. Can someone give me an example of the dives/training that would lead to being allowed to go on 'deep dive' or 'advanced dive' boats w/o an instructor?

PADI site doesn't give a lot of information about the different specialty requirements - like how many dives for each, etc. It sounds like 3 different adventure dives (1 trip?) cover Adventure Diver, then I can sign up for Deep Diver. How many dives/days is that? And upon completion, will I be technically certified to dive deeper than 60ft? Or do I still need to do another course (different from the 3 adventure dives?) to complete req'ts for AOW?

Some dive operators, especially in Southern California (as the video mocks) require AOW for deeper dives. That is an operator's decision, not PADI's. PADI recommends that you take AOW to go to a maximum of 100 feet, and it recommends that you get the deep diver specialty to go to 130 feet. That is stated in the OW course. Those are really only recommendations, because neither PADI not any other agency has the legal authority to enforce anything like that outside of instruction.

 

[COMPASS DIVERS]

I figured I'd do AOW as it's the next step in the PADI progression. Around here (SoCal) one needs deeper water certification to go on the 'advanced' dive boats. I just came online to find out which is the right book, and my search brought me to people questing the need or logic for AOW, as opposed to individual adventure dives or some kind of custom package. So...

1) What's the right book for AOW - Adventures in Diving, or Advanced Open Water manual? It seems obvious but the packets I see sold online seem to have the Adventures in Diving book

2) What is the most common alternative to AOW, if there is such a thing? Deep water, buoyancy control, search/rescue, navigation, and wreck diving are all things I'm interested in expanding on. I don't know much about enriched air but I assume that will need to fit into the equation at some point.

Advanced open water manual and there is no alternative. But you can start with adventure dive which is the beginning of AOW and you can deep diver if you do the deep speciality!

 

[tursiops]

Advanced open water manual and there is no alternative. But you can start with adventure dive which is the beginning of AOW and you can deep diver if you do the deep speciality!

There is no AOW Manual; there is an Adventures in Diving Manual, and there is an AOW eLearning pack.

ADDED: this statement is wrong. See post #31.

As previously mentioned, you cannot do the Deep specialty directly from OW. You need to go through additional training first. That additional training at a minimum is three adventure dives and the related Knowledege Reviews, thus giving the Adventure Diver certification, or is five adventure dives, two of which are Deep and Navigation, thus the AOW certification.

 

[boulderjohn]

The confusion, I am guessing, comes from the fact that the OP looked online for people selling used version of the book and he saw "Adventures in Diving" advertised, and he saw the PADI AOW manual advertised. The problem is that the book named "Adventures in Diving" is the PADI AOW manual. They are the same book.

 

[Bob DBF]

2) What is the most common alternative to AOW, if there is such a thing? Deep water, buoyancy control, search/rescue, navigation, and wreck diving are all things I'm interested in expanding on. I don't know much about enriched air but I assume that will need to fit into the equation at some point.

Depends, ask the dive operator if there is any other training that will satisfy their requirements. It could be that the deep specialty would work, but they might want you to also know some basic navigation which would add another specialty. Or they might just have a rule and only AOW will get you on board. And this could vary between operators.


Bob

 

[Aloha Joe]

This is why I'm asking about the book. I've seen "2016 and on" for the top book, however most places seem to carry/show the bottom book.