Advanced Open Water?

[WheatShark]

I completed my OW, AOW, and Rescue classes within about a 90 day period. I am happy I did it this way, as I really view these three courses as the fundamentals of basic dive training. That being said, you should proceed with your training at a pace that you feel comfortable with.

 

[Max Speed]

Doesn't matter because that card is meaningless as far as proof that you are indeed a 'advanced diver'. It can however, mean the difference in diving some spots here in Fla. though

Think of it like buying a hunting license. Sometimes you need it to get on the boat. And then there's AN/DP to get on the next boat... and then...

 

[spectrum]

I just got my open water about a month ago... and i have logged about 30 dives.
I am wondering how long did you wait to do your advance open water course.
I want to take the class to learn a few more aspects of diving(deep,wreck,ect...)
and to become more comfortable in the water. I just wondering if im going to fast.Any input would be great.
Thanks...

IMO you are right in the sweet spot go for it. Be sure to shop around for an instructir that will bring some level of challenge to the course. The basic requirements are not all that tough. Even though it's a bad idea to do it right out of OW the challenges are largely at that level. With your 30 dives you will absorb much more and will be in a better position to ask questions and extract value.

I had no immediate need. By the time I went at 100+ dives I had studied and been mentored above and beyond and it was anticlimactic at best.


Pete

 

[Beeracuda]

We just got our AOW on Labor Day weekend. I had 40 dives and my GF about the same. There wasn't a whole lot to it. We were diving in a quarry and the visibility sucked. In order to get our deep dive, we had to go down in a pipe. Our buoyancy was already good, but we did the peak performance part anyway. We did the wreck, search & recovery and of course, navigation. I do think our navigation skills improved. We both needed improvement in that area.

 

[ermaclob]

i had done +70 dives and took it about 2 years after i got my open water.

 

[84CJ7]

I personally feel like the PADI AOW cert is just the second half of the basic cert, there was nothing advanced about it, and it was all skills I consider to be critical to basic diving.
I took mine right after basic cert and because I genuinely passed the basic stuff rather than just getting passed through with orders to practice more like so many I see, I felt quite comfortable doing AOW and feel much more competent in any dive now because of it.
I think getting something like rescue requires much more skill and experience because managing yourself has to be totally instinct by that point so you can concentrate on managing someone else, plus it requires you to be in good physical condition.

 

[TMHeimer]

84CJ7: Good points. But I wouldn't put off doing Rescue too long. Lots of debate on that as well as AOW on SB. My thought is it's good to know the skills-- both to assist a buddy or self rescue. If you don't have that total instinct managing yourself yet, you can still learn the skills and keep reviewing them. Without rescue skills you and a buddy are logically more at risk. Just one point of view.

 

[ekremer]

To advanced open water, or to not advanced open water. This is a debate I have seen go back and forth over the years, and it seems like people get hung up on the word advanced. I would not consider AOW advanced in anyway, I think a better name is OW 2. I will say I took AOW right after OW. I will also say my instructor sucked, but I didn't know what I didn't know. So a top notch instructor may make the experience more "advanced", I don't know.

To me in OW I learned how to get comfortable in the water, how to breathe, how to use my gear, and how to complete a dive without getting hurt. If you are comfortable in the water, and are comfortable with those basic skills, the AOW just goes next. it taught me how to "do things" on a dive, like navigate, dive at night, and dive a bit deeper. But I can't say there was anything advanced about it. just the next iteration in dive training.

So when to take it? After you have had enough practice to feel comfortable with the basics, and when you feel it is time to move on. (everyone is different)

 

[PsyWulf]

If you feel you are comfortable with what you've learned in open water,skills and buoyancy definitely then go for AOW,you'll get an intro to some specializations you might like to try and be allowed to dive a bit deeper which is win

Think I had about 10 ocean dives after my OW before I did AOW,was already comfortable enough in the water to handle my Camera/Video camera and not float about so when I started AOW I sailed through. People who don't have the basic skills nailed though do struggle a bit,I see it weekly

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I would tell you to do rescue first. Then find an AOW class that will teach you new skills and knowledge. One that is not an out of the book five dives with an instructor exercise in lightening your wallet.
What I mean by this is that many AOW courses are nothing more than checking to see if you can do your basic skills on dives that can have a greater potential to hurt or kill you. They don't pass along much in the way of new knowledge and skills. Some don't have any real classroom time other than going over quizzes you took out of the book on your own with little or no instructor input. These should be avoided in favor of courses that have actual entry and exit requirements. The entry should verify that your basic skills are pretty good. If you can't control your buoyancy, get into trim, or do a proper weight check you should not be taking AOW yet. Exit requirements should have you knowing your SAC rate, knowing how to use it in proper dive planning, being able to do all skills neutral and horizontal, how to shoot a bag, deploy a redundant air supply, know when it should be used, be able to assist a buddy in trouble and rescue yourself, and actually give you the knowledge and judgment to say that many of the guided dives you can take once you have an AOW card you really have no business doing until you've gotten some good experience and worked your way up to them. There are instructors that offer these types of courses. They can be harder to find but the end result is well worth it more often than not.
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