Requirements for NAUI Advanced Diver Cert?

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Hi, Jill.

When did they change the name from Advanced to Master?

Advanced used to be named Openwater 2. This promoted divers taking the 'Advanced' course immediately after 'Openwater 1' since it is the next logical progression. Then the wait was promoted more before Master which was formerly called 'Advanced'.
 
The NAUI Advanced Course that you get will depend much on the instructor and the location where you take the course. Many NAUI instructors take great professional pride in the AOW certification they offer, providing students more than the minimum standards. I suggest taking the course in the area where you do most of your diving, eg. don't try to take it on a week vacation in a diving area that's very different than your home diving environment.

And to the OP, continue to work on your swimming skills.
 
The post was a few years old, and I think I've come a long way since then. It wasn't all that great of a class. We used the manual and test for "Master scuba diver" but I paid for and was issued the "advanced scuba diver" card. It was done deliberately, as the instructor thought the information in the advanced manual just wasn't that great compared to the Master book. The book did have good information in it that I've referenced over the years. I later progressed into some cave training with NASE.
 
The NAUI AOW book has been recently updated. Again, the quality of AOW course offered by any agency is dependent on the interests and skills of the instructor.
 
The post was a few years old, and I think I've come a long way since then. It wasn't all that great of a class. We used the manual and test for "Master scuba diver" but I paid for and was issued the "advanced scuba diver" card. It was done deliberately, as the instructor thought the information in the advanced manual just wasn't that great compared to the Master book. The book did have good information in it that I've referenced over the years. I later progressed into some cave training with NASE.

I think a lot of it depends not only on the instructor, but on where you dive. In my local waters, divers have to contend with current, low visibility, and there are no such a thing as dive guides. At some sites, divers can get crazy deep in a hurry on what might start out appearing to be a very benign dive site. For this reason, I have always advocated that divers restrict themselves to shallow dives right after OW classes, seek mentors or join a dive club ASAP, and get some dives before taking the Advanced Scuba Diver (NAUI's version of AOW) class. The reason is because that's the class where you'll begin doing deeper dives and working on acquiring low-vis diving skills ... and before I take a student to 100 feet or start working on the type of task-loading that typically comes from diving in low vis conditions I want them to have adequate comfort with their basic skills to not be struggling or stressing out, so they can devote their mental bandwidth to learning the new things they need to know in order to do these dives safely.

I agree with your instructor that the NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver manual wasn't very comprehensive. But one thing I'll give NAUI credit for is their "freedom to teach " philosophy that allowed me to add material as I saw fit in order to produce competence in my divers at the intended level. I used elements of the Master Scuba Diver manual, supplemental materials from other sources, and wrote my own handbook that went into more detail on topics like dive planning, buddy skills, gas management, navigational techniques, and other topics that a diver should be able to use competently for planning and executing deep dives, low visibility, or other conditions that a diver in our area would commonly have to contend with. NAUI's material ... like that of other agencies I've familiarized myself with ... does tell you that you should have these skills, but is a bit short on giving you the specifics of how to achieve them. The one section in the NAUI ASD book that I thought was well done was Search & Recovery. Otherwise, it was essentially a review of what you should have learned in the basic Scuba Diver class, with a few extra tidbits tossed in. Hopefully they'll have addressed those (what I consider) deficiencies in their new manual ... but I've retired from teaching, so I really haven't seen the new book.

I support any diver who wants additional training in order to improve their skills and technique. But the rule of thumb I use when offering advice to newer divers is get in some dives between classes, and get comfortable with the things you will have learned in that class before signing up for the next class. That way you're more ready to push your limits without undue stress, and will get more out of the class (assuming a competent instructor). All too often we hear from people who go straight from OW to AOW that they "didn't learn anything". That has less to do with what was offered than it does your ability to integrate new skills on top of skills you're still struggling to get comfortable with.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
It's my understanding that with the regular "Scuba Diver" cert, I'm not supposed to go beyond 60'.

That is true. If you encounter problems under water and need to surface (possibly without breathing) then this is easier from 60 ft than it is from 90 ft. Air consumption also is less at 60 ft than at 90 ft so there is more room for error. The depth limit is not a law, but it is a very wise recommendation (and could affect your or the service providers insurances, which again could affect your ability to purchase services).

The increase in depth to 90 ft after an "advanced" course is possible because at that point you should have gained a small amount of experience and learned to control your buoyancy and so on.

Although there may be no further swimming tests, I would recommend free diving courses (if any are available). You would learn to relax under water and to dive 160 feet on breath hold. It is a lovely skill to hold in case you need to do a two second regulator switch :D
 
So, after 45 years of diving and 500+ dives I have to call it quits at 60' ? If I can come up with $300. to make AOW I look forward to making that free ascent from 90' .
 
So, after 45 years of diving and 500+ dives I have to call it quits at 60' ? If I can come up with $300. to make AOW I look forward to making that free ascent from 90' .

I'm assuming that's a rhetorical question. But to provide a reasonable response, no that's not at all what you have to do. Many people dive their entire lives with no more than their initial OW certification. There's this thing called "or equivalent experience" that comes into play. I personally know people with nothing but an OW card and hundreds of dives who are far better divers than some instructors I've met with far less experience. So it's not as simple as the cards you own.

That said, more often than not the card gains you access to dive sites frequented by charter operations that are more concerned about their liability than they are about your skill set ... and what the card will often gain you is access to those sites by those operators.

What you actually learn from the class is an entirely different conversation ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
The diving sport is self regulated, and that's a good thing. When people categorically say you are OW and that limits you to 60' I think that's a bad thing. I can assure you that I've overstepped the theoretical limits of my OW cert many times. And I've been lucky that the operations I've dealt with go to the trouble to check me out and let me dive, even though I don't have the proper paperwork.
I just hope the regulatory agencies can remain flexible and deal with individual divers as individuals.
 
The diving sport is self regulated, and that's a good thing. When people categorically say you are OW and that limits you to 60' I think that's a bad thing. I can assure you that I've overstepped the theoretical limits of my OW cert many times. And I've been lucky that the operations I've dealt with go to the trouble to check me out and let me dive, even though I don't have the proper paperwork.
I just hope the regulatory agencies can remain flexible and deal with individual divers as individuals.

The only regulatory agency that has anything to do with the scuba industry is the Department of Transportation ... that requires scuba cylinders to be hydro'd every five years. Everything else about scuba diving is either recommendation or done out of concern for potential liability ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
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