Is there any reason not to mix and match agencies for different certs? I'm PADI OW certified, say I find an advanced OW class that's from another agency that will customize the class to what I want (more deep dives, and perhaps just more days and more training). Does it matter if my AOW isn't PADI then I do rescue with padi and so on?
Thanks
Before you start any AOW training, have a plan as to how you will finish it, this applies to getting the actual cert and continuing your education.
PADI will recognize you as AOW with 20 logged dives, documented deep and navigation dives and two certifications beyond OW - they are just recognizing it and allowing you to advance on to rescue diver.....
PADI AOW is a class by itself, if you took Deep Diver thru SSI, it doesn't count toward your PADI AOW.
SSI AOW is much more involved than PADI - you must complete 4 specialties for the certification. PADI and other agencies will recognize SSI AOW.
SSI is more money verses PADI for AOW but you get much more instructor time with SSI.
Which one is better??? That's mixed opinions, as a PADI instructor, I was taught to teach a very thorough AOW class, I teach a lot more than the bare requirements. I do like the SSI approach because you just have more in water time with the instructor - which if you took the specialty courses with PADI you'd also have. IMO, two bare minimum AOW divers sitting on a bench with 25 dives each, one is SSI and the other is PADI - I'd lean towards the SSI as being better prepared (in theory) because they've just had more instruction time. A good instructor is teaching raw diving no matter what class they are teaching and it so so much depends on the instructor.
I did SSI OW thru Rescue Diver, switched over to PADI at DM and moved on to instructor. My SSI instructor, knowing what I know now was very lacking but that is one instructor and doesn't define the agency.
The key is, finish what you start, one doesn't transfer to the other and most of all, it's about the relationship between you and the instructor.