PADI AOW Question

[VikingDives]

The bigger question here is, why would you want to apply dives from one class to another?

You're going to likely pay the same price for the course, regardless of how many dives you do.

 

[inquis]

Why would you want to apply dives from one class to another?

+1. Take the opportunity for an intro to something new. DPV perhaps?

 

[tursiops]

He's talking about taking specialties and applying the dives from the specialty course to the AOW, which isn't permitted by standards.

I think you should check with PADI on that. You are, I believe, misreading the standard. An adventure dive is the first dive of a specialty, plus the Knowledge Review, to count for AOW. The Full Specialty is all the dives of a specialty, plus the Knowledge Review(s); how is the adventure dive not a subset of the specialty?
The Training Bulletin discusses this in several places, for example 3Q2006 p3-4, 3Q2011 p7, 3Q2012 p2, 3Q 2016 p2-3, 4Q2016 p7, 1Q2017 p4.

 

[VikingDives]

I think you should check with PADI on that. You are, I believe, misreading the standard. An adventure dive is the first dive of a specialty, plus the Knowledge Review, to count for AOW. The Full Specialty is all the dives of a specialty, plus the Knowledge Review(s); how is the adventure dive not a subset of the specialty?
The Training Bulletin discusses this in several places, for example 3Q2006 p3-4, 3Q2011 p7, 3Q2012 p2, 3Q 2016 p2-3, 4Q2016 p7, 1Q2017 p4.

I'm not saying that adventure isn't a subset of the specialty (and I read all the training bulletins you mentioned). What I'm saying is, the instructor manual says that the only specialty course that one can take, and then apply to the AOW course is AWARE. I agree that this makes no sense, but there's nothing in what you cited that says otherwise.

That's not to say I didn't miss something...

 

[parzdiver]

Best option is to speak with the instructor through which you are getting the AOW certification. If you already have certain specialties, they may work with you to design an AOW course that coincides with other specialties. And, as someone said earlier, you will pay for the course, so get the most out of it. If you have a good instructor and they know you already have the navigation specialty (for example), they can throw in some extra skills (above the standards) during the dive so that you learn some more skills.

 

[tursiops]

You're going to likely pay the same price for the course, regardless of how many dives you do.

This is a problem. One of the reasons to avoid shops that work like this.

What I'm saying is, the instructor manual says that the only specialty course that one can take, and then apply to the AOW course is AWARE.

That is NOT what the IM says! You have interpreted "PADI/AWARE" to mean AWARE only. In fact, look at the "Exception" printed after the material you quoted from the IM: it uses DUP as an example...which is not an AWARE course. Also, all those TB citations I gave indicated that any standardized PADI specialty is OK.

 

[mmerriman]

Actually, the info above is wrong. The only specialty you can use as credit toward AOW is (from the PADI Instructor Manual):

Specialty Diver Courses to Advanced Open Water Diver Course

Dive 1 of a standardized PADI/AWARE Specialty Diver course may credit toward the related Adventure Dive in the Advanced Open Water Diver course if the diver has completed the relevant knowledge review (or vice versa).

Generally, your AOW dives can be credited toward specialties though.

SSI (IIRC) and SDI have ways to become advanced with specialties, you might want to look at those agencies if they are available to you.


not correct at all:
Adventure Dives
The first dives of PADI Specialty Diver courses for which there
are standardized specialty instructor guides (and the PADI
Rebreather Diver course) qualify as Adventure Dives.
Note: The PADI Rebreather Diver course is not a PADI Specialty Diver course,
but the first dive, which is in confined water, may count as an Adventure Dive.

 

[mmerriman]

I understand why there’s confusion regarding the OP’s question. AOW is usually the gateway to specialty courses.

OW divers take AOW either to get a card that lets them on charters requiring the AOW cert or, which is a published intent of the course, to sample different adventure dives to decide which specialty they want to pursue.

I’ve never had the question come up. In fact, I don’t think I’ve never taught AOW to a student who had previously earned any specialty certs other than Nitrox.

I have. PPB, drysuit, UW Imaging are all specialites I've seen before AOW

 

[mmerriman]

He's talking about taking specialties and applying the dives from the specialty course to the AOW, which isn't permitted by standards.

you should read that IM again....

 

[mmerriman]

This is a problem. One of the reasons to avoid shops that work like this.

That is NOT what the IM says! You have interpreted "PADI/AWARE" to mean AWARE only. In fact, look at the "Exception" printed after the material you quoted from the IM: it uses DUP as an example...which is not an AWARE course. Also, all those TB citations I gave indicated that any standardized PADI specialty is OK.

yup. critical reading skills are required...