Advanced Open Water Disappointment

[tarponchik]

I reject this "if" statement. AOW is a perfectly valid course, if taught to standards by a decent instructor.

I have already asked this and I can ask again: how a 70 ft dive is different from a 50 ft dive, except for the numbers given in dive tables? In fact, the answer to this question is already given de facto by dive operators in resorts in Cozumel, Roatan, GC etc: they will take any diver with any kind of certification to 70-100 ft (and even deeper; we were freshly certified in a quarry, went to GC, and after maybe 4-6 shore dives at Turtle Farm took our 1st boat dive, straight down to 120 ft) group dives, because they know diving deeper than 60 ft does not require any special skills. However, none of them will rent you Nitrox if you are not Nitrox certified because they know that using Nitrox does require special skills.

 

[tarponchik]

This is all I did. Paid for the card, got the cert without a single dive.

Maybe I'll do the same some day I'm not greedy, just lazy.

Look, I have about 975 dives now, including 200+ solo dives, also including about 40 solo night dives, and also including some deco solo dives. I did drift dives, strong current dives, poor vis dives, got entangled in fishing lines couple times, had to use my compass multiple times etc etc. And who taught me all these special skills? Nobody did. I am technically still at the lowest level of certification, except I added Nitrox.

 

[Outbound]

To what extent does PADI care? (Owned by Mandarinfish Holdings of China.)

Mandarinfish Holding is not a Chinese group.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have already asked this and I can ask again: how a 70 ft dive is different from a 50 ft dive, except for the numbers given in dive tables? In fact, the answer to this question is already given de facto by dive operators in resorts in Cozumel, Roatan, GC etc: they will take any diver with any kind of certification to 70-100 ft (and even deeper; we were freshly certified in a quarry, went to GC, and after maybe 4-6 shore dives at Turtle Farm took our 1st boat dive, straight down to 120 ft) group dives, because they know diving deeper than 60 ft does not require any special skills. However, none of them will rent you Nitrox if you are not Nitrox certified because they know that using Nitrox does require special skills.

For me, dives 5-6 right after OW were with another freshly certified buddy on a beach dive, on our own, in cold Norcal waters. Dive # 7-8-9 were on a charter boat out of Monterey and the first dive was on a wall to 95’ on the outside of Point Lobos. The other two dives were 65’ and 45’ respectively. No DM’s in the water, we were on our own.
No AOW asked for either, OW worked to dive off that boat.
Between OW and to when I took AOW was about 6 weeks. I did several dives past 90’ in between that time and was doing fairly complex navigation on beach dives.
When I did AOW the deepest we got was 65’ and most of the other dives were pretty mediocre.
The night dive was pretty cool, that was my favorite.
The rest was Meh.
The instructor did everything he was supposed to do, by the book. But AOW left me wanting.
Everybody was left wanting. AOW just has no guts to it no matter how great the instructor is.

 

[Forbin's Descent]

I have already asked this and I can ask again: how a 70 ft dive is different from a 50 ft dive, except for the numbers given in dive tables? In fact, the answer to this question is already given de facto by dive operators in resorts in Cozumel, Roatan, GC etc: they will take any diver with any kind of certification to 70-100 ft (and even deeper; we were freshly certified in a quarry, went to GC, and after maybe 4-6 shore dives at Turtle Farm took our 1st boat dive, straight down to 120 ft) group dives, because they know diving deeper than 60 ft does not require any special skills. However, none of them will rent you Nitrox if you are not Nitrox certified because they know that using Nitrox does require special skills.

Yea I've never been asked for a card in Cozumel. The CC charge going through is the only certification you need. And with some of the stuff I've seen there it's a wonder there isn't bodies floating all over those reefs. I guess it goes to show how safe scuba really is.

 

[Forbin's Descent]

Maybe I'll do the same some day I'm not greedy, just lazy.

Look, I have about 975 dives now, including 200+ solo dives, also including about 40 solo night dives, and also including some deco solo dives. I did drift dives, strong current dives, poor vis dives, got entangled in fishing lines couple times, had to use my compass multiple times etc etc. And who taught me all these special skills? Nobody did. I am technically still at the lowest level of certification, except I added Nitrox.

If I had to do it over again I wouldn't have paid that money. But as newb I thought I needed that card I've shown to nobody since I got it. I am teaching myself deco diving with the Steve Martin videos and other material. I will get a cert for my Intro to Cave class next month... maybe, if he passes me. I signed up for 7 days of actual training which is far beyond what is required for the card but I want to learn to stay alive and preserve the environment I am diving in, not get a fancy wallet card.

 

[RobPNW]

I read about half way through the post and tapped out. Almost all the PADI recreational classes except for maybe rescue diver is basically an introduction into something and isn't going to make you an expert in anything. They give you a taste of the topic to see if you're interested in pursuing it further on your own, through more study, more dives and mentoring from someone who knows what they're doing.

 

[Forbin's Descent]

I read about half way through the post and tapped out. Almost all the PADI recreational classes except for maybe rescue diver is basically an introduction into something and isn't going to make you an expert in anything. They give you a taste of the topic to see if you're interested in pursuing it further on your own, through more study, more dives and mentoring from someone who knows what they're doing.

My cave instructor clarified a lot of my training to me in this way when I was frustrated with my lack of progress in the cavern portion. He said I’m not going to master it in 3 days. The jist of this thread and the frustrations came from how this stuff is marketed to us as newbs being more than it is as well as the poor quality of instruction. I was happy after my OW but it went downhill from there with that shop. Now when I talk to new divers or folks wanting to get into it I explain it to them in this way.

 

[Celt]

If you want to learn, you have to do it with the right people. After Freediving and basic compressed gas diving I dived with people who actively searched for and explored new wrecks, the same for cave exploration.People with years of experience. You will not meet these people on a diving course, they’re loners and for the most unsociable. 99% of marketed scuba is hype and fake. Certification is about control and making huge amounts of money on gear and complicating a simple, basic activity.

 

[tursiops]

Maybe I'll do the same some day I'm not greedy, just lazy.

Look, I have about 975 dives now, including 200+ solo dives, also including about 40 solo night dives, and also including some deco solo dives. I did drift dives, strong current dives, poor vis dives, got entangled in fishing lines couple times, had to use my compass multiple times etc etc. And who taught me all these special skills? Nobody did. I am technically still at the lowest level of certification, except I added Nitrox.

Well, aren't you special.