"Advanced" in quotations in light of the fact it has nothing to do with being advanced. I meet the PADI criteria for AOW now after having taken the course and accumulated 30 dives, but in no way feel this makes me an "advanced diver", as the name suggests (and is used within our club). A quote from the PADI website:
Exploration, Excitement, Experiences.
They’re what the PADI Advanced Open Water Course is all about. And no, you don’t have to be “advanced” to take it – it’s designed so you can go straight into it after the PADI Open Water Diver course.
Hmmm. One would think it would be more about "skill, safety, and experience" (singular, implying familiarity with the activity rather than "fun times"). The same webpage drops the link to sign up five times throughout the description of the course (five chances to snag potential customers, I guess), ensuring that it's fun, simple, and certain to have the student dying to purchase additional PADI courses. On top of that, links to resorts which feature a PADI outlet are provided, and the course is now offered online, completely divorced from any interaction with an actual scuba-diving DM during the theory section.
Yikes.
Seems like an organisation designed to educate divers and cultivate safety among the community is becoming... McScuba Course? Maybe it always was like that, I can't say I know much about its history, but I found the book to be frusteratingly condescending. At the end of the day, offering a difficult course with a lot of theory, a lot of information, and stiff requirements for skill completion and gear familiarity under the ocean doesn't earn cash like a quick-fix printing press for certification cards. There's no reason an "advanced" course can't exist, done in conjunction with a lot of underwater skill and familiarity building, but that simply doesn't seem like a selling point. A friend of mine is learning to fly right now, and it's interesting how the process contrasts with scuba. Granted, scuba divers aren't likely to slam into a house if they make a mistake, but there's still a distinct lack of professionalism in the whole PADI setup. I did a bit of reading on DIR and it seems to be much more rigorous on preparing divers for mishaps, errors, and accidents. I have no idea what NAUI is like, or any of the others (whichever there are) but it would be nice to see PADI put more emphasis on method and training, less on profit and turnover times. The fact an AOW can be done while on vacation at a resort over the span of a few days no doubt figures into the architecture of their programs.
Fine for some people I guess, but I'd prefer a more in-depth and methodical approach to what can be a very hazardous, but enjoyable activity.