Advanced Open Water - SSI vs. PADI

[carlosn]

I'm planning a trip for a few people. The shop we're working on requires that for the dives we are doing all divers must have Advanced Open Water. Some of our divers are PADI and some are SSI, and everyone is looking at getting their AOW cert before the trip. We've run into a serious issue, however.

It seems to get PADI AOW you need two courses (Open Water, and AOW) with a minimum of 10 dives (5 from each course).

For the SSI folks they need 24 dives, the Open Water course, and FOUR specialty courses, since SSI doesn't have an AOW course.

Am I reading the rules right? Seems like the dive shop is punishing SSI folks. One of our divers actually has 20 dives and 2 specialties, but that only qualifies him as a "specialty" diver and not a AOW, even though through PADI he would probably already have gotten his AOW.

Carlos

 

[jonnythan]

That's correct. SSI has a higher standard for their AOW cert. It's not punishment, it's a higher standard.

I believe an SSI OW diver can take the PADI AOW course and get the PADI AOW cert.

 

[miskatonic]

You have 5 from the normal open water. You get 6 with the AOW SSI course. That gives you a total of 11 dives. You get your certification on the 24th dive. You don't need to have 24 dives to take the course.

 

[Lead_carrier]

If the shop is requiring a certification instead of experience then I would seriously question diving with that shop. I have a number of friends that aren't AOW but they all have a few hundred dives each. Experience is much better than a rating.

 

[jonnythan]

If the shop is requiring a certification instead of experience then I would seriously question diving with that shop. I have a number of friends that aren't AOW but they all have a few hundred dives each. Experience is much better than a rating.

I think that most shops that require AOW for a trip will accept "several hundred dives" experience as a substitute.

 

[H2Andy]

I think that most shops that require AOW for a trip will
accept "several hundred dives" experience as a substitute.

they certainly should... if they don't (with logbook as proof), then i'd be
fairly pissed off at them

 

[Lead_carrier]

But the point I was making, if someone is AOW then they can have a 10 dives all under an instructors eye. IMHO that does not make them AOW. If someone had 20 dives and a couple of specialties, according to what the dives were, then I would feel the 20 diver would be more advanced.

All I was saying is if the requirement is an AOW card and doesn't say anything about equivalent experience, then I would be curious about their reasoning. Carlosn didn't say whether experience counted only that they required AOW

 

[jonnythan]

But the point I was making, if someone is AOW then they can have a 10 dives all under an instructors eye. IMHO that does not make them AOW. If someone had 20 dives and a couple of specialties, according to what the dives were, then I would feel the 20 diver would be more advanced.

All I was saying is if the requirement is an AOW card and doesn't say anything about equivalent experience, then I would be curious about their reasoning. Carlosn didn't say whether experience counted only that they required AOW

It says *something* about experience and that is that they have more experience than an OW diver. It guarantees that the person has had dives past their OW certification.

In any case, the requirements are the requirements. AOW is a fine requirement for a dive trip.

 

[carlosn]

Thanks for all the (quick) answers. The shop is not talking about experience, but I'll have to check with them. I think that is just their "I don't have to think about it" answer, though it is surprising that they would allow someone with 10 dives, even if they have the AOW.

Ironically it is our SSI diver who is most experienced (20 dives + 2 specialties). The other divers have less experience, and hence are planning to take the AOW class before our trip. The SSI diver understandably didn't want to take the class.

Miskatonic - I haven't seen any info for SSI AOW classes, just the cert level.

I'm glad I understood this correctly.

 

[Rondo]

I have my SSI BOW,then did my AOW after 10 dives with PADI,PADI will accept most certs for crossing over.