What really is an "Advanced Open Water" diver?

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PADI recommends that divers stay within the limitations of their training and then extend those limits through some combination of training and experience. Since the maximum depth allowed for OW training dives is 60 feet, it makes sense for OW divers to see that as their current recommended limit. In reality, some OW divers have not been much bellow 20 feet (a popular OW training site near me has a maximum depth of 21 feet), so 60 feet might be pushing it for them. As divers gain more experience and training, they push those depths. A diver who takes OW soon after OW will have done a deeper dive, with a maximum depth of 100 feet, so that person has had training and experience to go deeper.

If someone were to do a bunch of deep dives on their own before taking AOW, then that person will also have deeper training and experience. The problem is that unless that person also has a certification card indicating some experience with deeper dives, a dive operation might not accept it, likely because their insurance policy specifies certification. It is easy to understand why. If you accept someone's word for it or an easily-faked logbook, then you are making a judgment. If something goes bad, then your judgment can be challenged in court. If you require a certification card, then that card, not your judgment, was the determining factor in allowing the diver to dive.
 
Gone are the long open water courses with the exceptions of universities and instructors that teach for agencies that allow instructors to add dives/skill requirements.

I did all 4 of my certs through my college over 2 years and worked classes for about 12 and I am thankful the training took that long. But yeah, it seems cattle car these days, how fast can we crank these students out?
 
I did all 4 of my certs through my college over 2 years and worked classes for about 12 and I am thankful the training took that long. But yeah, it seems cattle car these days, how fast can we crank these students out?
That's what most people want and what most agencies provide. It is unfair to single out PADI on this.
 
That's what most people want and what most agencies provide. It is unfair to single out PADI on this.

I'm PADI. I'm just saying I am thankful that I had long semesters to do my courses.

Those are OW training dives. Those are not dives after certification.

You are correct. My apologies. SOMEWHERE I was told incorrectly - probably @ Sandals Negril

in the FAQ: "How deep do you go?

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres/60 feet. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is shallower than 12 metres/40 feet, where the water’s warmer and the colors are brighter."
 
I'm PADI. I'm just saying I am thankful that I had long semesters to do my courses.



You are correct. My apologies. SOMEWHERE I was told incorrectly - probably @ Sandals Negril

in the FAQ: "How deep do you go?

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres/60 feet. Although these are the limits, some of the most popular diving is shallower than 12 metres/40 feet, where the water’s warmer and the colors are brighter."
Read it carefully. Nowhere does it say that there is any kind of requirement that must be obeyed. It talks about the limits of your training and experience, and it says that with "necessary training and experience," the limit is 40 metres/130 feet. In reality, those "limits" are not a true requirement. What is to stop you? When I dived on Andros Island in the Bahamas, they regularly had DMs leading dives to 150 feet for those who wanted to go there.
 
Understand that. i've never been that far, only dipped to 136 in Maui and 137 in Belize Blue Hole. I've never seen the need to go much past 80 unless there was a specific reason.
 

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