I'd suggest emailing Bret or his replacement if he's no longer there.
advanced open water with padi or naui
- Thread starter danielprasch
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Page 95 in the 2021 English PADI Instructor manual describes the Search and Recovery Adventure Dive as part of an AOW course. Page 81 does note divers must be at least 12 (not 10) to do this adventure dive.
Further, the AOW textbook has a chapter on the S&R dive. And the student record form from PADI lists it among all the other "Adventure Dive" options.
I'm looking at the 2017 IM, and yes, on page 80 it lists S&R as an adventure dive. I rescind my earlier statements.
ginti
Contributor
Hi @danielprasch, I agree with previous statements; for these classes, the instructor is more important than the agency. I would go with an instructor that teaches the entire course in neutral buoyancy and a decent trim, and who dedicates the right amount of time to do a proper weight check.
However, to give you good advice, we first need to understand what you expect from the class. What do you want to learn? Why are you thinking about a new course?
scubaozy
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Capt Jim Wyatt
Hanging at the 10 Foot Stop
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It is never about the agency, its all about the instructor. Choose an instructor and not an agency.
i took the padi adv course because it almost cost nothing. when i factored in the cost of the dives i think the course itself ended up being like 50 bucks.
i won't say it was a "waste of time" because i think any decent training is a good thing. i was also on vacation and it was fun.
but the only reason i would advocate for this is if you plan on trying to reach certain certification goals within that agency. i belive with padi you need that cert to move forward. not sure about naui.
otherwise, i think taking idivdual specialties just makes more sense.
i won't say it was a "waste of time" because i think any decent training is a good thing. i was also on vacation and it was fun.
but the only reason i would advocate for this is if you plan on trying to reach certain certification goals within that agency. i belive with padi you need that cert to move forward. not sure about naui.
otherwise, i think taking idivdual specialties just makes more sense.
Since most people do not understand the history and purpose of the AOW certification, I will provide a quick summary.
In the early 1960s, there were few organizations of any kind offering scuba instruction--it was more individuals acting on their own. Those organizations offered two certifications--diver and instructor. One of them, Los Angeles County, was concerned that so many people were getting OW certification and then stopping diving altogether. They decided to do something about it, so they created an "advanced" certification. Their idea was to combine a little more skill instruction with experience in adventure dives in a variety of experiences in the hope that introducing them to different kinds of diving would pique their interest and keep them diving. The former director of the Los Angeles program was then a leader of the new NAUI agency, and they followed along almost immediately.
So the primary purpose of the class was to introduce students to different kinds of diving opportunities. It was named "advanced" because it was the most advanced class you take prior to being an instructor. There were no specialty classes in existence.
In the early 1960s, there were few organizations of any kind offering scuba instruction--it was more individuals acting on their own. Those organizations offered two certifications--diver and instructor. One of them, Los Angeles County, was concerned that so many people were getting OW certification and then stopping diving altogether. They decided to do something about it, so they created an "advanced" certification. Their idea was to combine a little more skill instruction with experience in adventure dives in a variety of experiences in the hope that introducing them to different kinds of diving would pique their interest and keep them diving. The former director of the Los Angeles program was then a leader of the new NAUI agency, and they followed along almost immediately.
So the primary purpose of the class was to introduce students to different kinds of diving opportunities. It was named "advanced" because it was the most advanced class you take prior to being an instructor. There were no specialty classes in existence.
The language used now is that the diver who takes it has "advanced beyond OW." Language evolves...
I did AOW with PADI. My daughter did the equivalent with NAUI, but I was able to observe what she was taught. It definitely is the instructor, and I learned more by watching her instructor than I did working with mine.
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