AOW before Tech?

[jtsfour]

Hello! I am looking for input on some questions i have about training progression. I asked some similar questions a couple months ago but would like some last advice before i start to pull the trigger on starting training.

I have OW and EAN40
i have around 60 dives logged

As of now my goal is full cave.

I am about to start calling around to find a good instructor. I just had a quick conversation with someone and he basically said get AOW first. Are the skills learned in an AOW class that applicable to technical diving?

I am passionate about this and really don't want to waste precious training time learning something i do not need or that will be obsolete.

Do i need AOW before proceeding into tech?

If not AOW are there any specialties i need before continuing?

The person i talked to recommended taking a drysuit class and a night diving class.

Thanks for any input!

 

[The Chairman]

I believe that some Cavern/Cave certs require AOW first. Ask your cave instructor to be.

 

[northernone]

Those are skills you will need in technical diving but not required certs and depending on the instructor might be nearly useless as a foundation for technical diving. Bad habits poorly taught are worse than no habits.

Some training progressions require a deep cert as a prerequisite, others do not. Which agency are you planning to continue your training with?

Cameron

 

[jtsfour]

Those are skills you will need in technical diving but not required certs and depending on the instructor might be nearly useless as a foundation for technical diving. Bad habits poorly taught are worse than no habits.

Some training progressions require a deep cert as a prerequisite, others do not. Which agency are you planning to continue your training with?

Cameron

Not sure yet i care more about instructor than agency.

 

[tursiops]

Hello! I am looking for input on some questions i have about training progression. I asked some similar questions a couple months ago but would like some last advice before i start to pull the trigger on starting training.

I have OW and EAN40
i have around 60 dives logged

As of now my goal is full cave.

I am about to start calling around to find a good instructor. I just had a quick conversation with someone and he basically said get AOW first. Are the skills learned in an AOW class that applicable to technical diving?

I am passionate about this and really don't want to waste precious training time learning something i do not need or that will be obsolete.

Do i need AOW before proceeding into tech?

If not AOW are there any specialties i need before continuing?

The person i talked to recommended taking a drysuit class and a night diving class.

Thanks for any input!

Frankly, you are a total noobie and not ready for cave training. You need some addtional years of diving and hundreds of dives. Then, maybe. I suspect no serious cave instructor would take you on at this point. AOW will help you begin to learn task loading. Rescue will begin to get you to look outside yourself. Many many more dives will begin to internalize some good diving practices. Drysuit will keep you warm. Night, well, it's dark in a cave. Deep is because many caves are.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Those are skills you will need in technical diving but not required certs and depending on the instructor might be nearly useless as a foundation for technical diving. Bad habits poorly taught are worse than no habits.

Some training progressions require a deep cert as a prerequisite, others do not. Which agency are you planning to continue your training with?

Cameron

What is the normal amount of diving experience you need to become cave certified?

 

[jtsfour]

Frankly, you are a total noobie and not ready for cave training. You need some addtional years of diving and hundreds of dives. Then, maybe. I suspect no serious cave instructor would take you on at this point. AOW will help you begin to learn task loading. Rescue will begin to get you to look outside yourself. Many many more dives will begin to internalize some good diving practices. Drysuit will keep you warm. Night, well, it's dark in a cave. Deep is because many caves are.

Even if i cant do cave training immediately (which i dont think i can/should) i dont believe doing 100s of recreational dives is going to prepare me better for tech diving than taking a intro to tech or cavern course immediately and learning the drills and how to dive doubles or sidemount

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Frankly, you are a total noobie and not ready for cave training. You need some addtional years of diving and hundreds of dives. Then, maybe. I suspect no serious cave instructor would take you on at this point. AOW will help you begin to learn task loading. Rescue will begin to get you to look outside yourself. Many many more dives will begin to internalize some good diving practices. Drysuit will keep you warm. Night, well, it's dark in a cave. Deep is because many caves are.

brutal honesty and I fully agree with tursiops. Although I have no leg to stand on as a newbie diver I was once told at 22 years old when I was about to ski off a cliff " A man must know his limitations" I turned to him and stated " I have no limitations!" True story and we both laughed then I went over and I crashed very awesomely. Didnt get hurt but if id have tried the same philosophy cave diving id have died.

edit, just checked your profile page. You are 18? At that age and I speak from experience and btw its why military loves 18 year olds, this age has no sense of true fear. At that age I thought there is no way I could EVER die. I literally thought hey I got forever to live and im always gonna be safe. thus the skiiing off a cliff. I got lucky there. Just an fyi they say the male brain doesnt finish developing till about 25 years old. Which is much later than the female brain

 

[jtsfour]

brutal honesty and I fully agree with tursiops. Although I have no leg to stand on as a newbie diver I was once told at 22 years old when I was about to ski off a cliff " A man must know his limitations" I turned to him and stated " I have no limitations!" True story and we both laughed then I went over and I crashed very awesomely. Didnt get hurt but if id have tried the same philosophy cave diving id have died.

edit, just checked your profile page. You are 18? At that age and I speak from experience and btw its why military loves 18 year olds, this age has no sense of true fear. At that age I thought there is no way I could EVER die. I literally thought hey I got forever to live and im always gonna be safe. thus the skiiing off a cliff. I got lucky there. Just an fyi they say the male brain doesnt finish developing till about 25 years old. Which is much later than the female brain

not trying to be conceited but my personal philosophy is anything but what you described

I am not a reckless person

EDIT

please dont turn this into a discussion about age

 

[NAUI Wowie]

not trying to be conceited but my personal philosophy is anything but what you described

I am not a reckless person

Of course not. Most are not. However risk factor assessment and decision making are not fully developed at this age. This is fact and not an opinion. If you were my son and I have them much older I would just say to be very careful in your early 20s. Its a very dangerous time of life for any dangerous sports including motorcycle riding. I almost died on my first motorcycle at 19 and at 18 I had another friend die on one. My decision making when I bought my next moto at 30 was hugely different. Did I feel different at all? No.

Would I tell my son to not buy a moto at 18 or cave dive? No. But I would ask in a loving way.