Aow=bs

[D_B]

I can not put my fins on my wrists (cant, spring straps too short to do so) so I'm wearing them, or I'm handing them up if the ladder is not conducive to keeping them on

PADI did send me a questionnaire after my certification with just those questions as you describe DivePirate, I filled it out (positively) and they actually contacted the instructor afterwords

I feel as Almity did after my OW cert, I did know what and how to do it, but the responsibility of diving safely with my buddy, was just a littly scary the first time out .. felt good to have a few more dives and even then, I can still remember the extra careful budy checking that first time

 

[all4scuba05]

So some folks are taking AOW right after OW because they instructor doesn't offer himself for more dives with the OW class?

 

[RikRaeder]

:no Just came back from the Keys and was on the boat with a guy who had an AOW card. He had logged 25 dives up to then, mostly in springs and a couple of cave dives. Wore a 5mm Farmer John and 5mm shorty in Keys water. (You can figure the lead he carried.) Had trouble hooking up his regs correctly, couldn't figure out the giant stride, had a hell of a time getting his BC on and fins off and onto the boat. NO buoyancy control. Puked after both dives. Swam with his arms mostly and used up air like a steam engine. So much for the AOW rating in this particular case.
I'm a .

So it makes you feel better about yourself to beat up on this guy because...?

 

[Sas]

That's ok. He can call me Dopie. What he doesn't realize is that us luscuious chicks can see him coming a mile away. Sorry I didn't have the opportunity to have him "saddle up and help me with my gear". That would have been rather amusing for me. Of course I would have been too busy helping other divers while he was trying to control his fifth appendage...

Haha that was exactly what I was thinking when I read his post, and how us women would run a mile when we see him

Anyway, regarding being nervous about diving after OW, well I know most places require 4 dives and after I had done my first 4 dives I wasn't prepared to go into the water at all on my own. My course had another 4 dives though that you had to complete to get OW so by that stage I was pretty ready. Maybe some courses should offer more comprehensive OW courses that people can choose to do? Not sure if many places do that. Anyway, I still went with a DM on my first dive without instruction though, mainly because I wasn't confident on my navigation skills and didn't know any good dive sites! I think even after instruction it is nice to have someone more experienced around, I don't think it is a failure of training if you want that...

 

[jviehe]

That "whole point" is the reason so many people come out of AOW stating that they didn't learn anything new. To my concern, it's the wrong point. The point of a class should be to learn ... not to be "nannied" by an instructor.


... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Except, that is the point of AOW. Of course, you cant help but learn something, but its very basic overviews of the subjects. Specialities is where you master that stuff. AOW is simply experience dives. I also dont nanny my students. They are already OW certified, and can dive on their own. I simply introduce them to new experiences.

The objective of OW class is to teach a student to safely and independantly dive in conditions equal or better than those experienced during class, to use those basics to advanced their diving knowledge and experience, and to be able to rent gear, take con ed, and go on dive trips.

 

[ucfdiver]

:no Just came back from the Keys and was on the boat with a guy who had an AOW card. He had logged 25 dives up to then, mostly in springs and a couple of cave dives. Wore a 5mm Farmer John and 5mm shorty in Keys water. (You can figure the lead he carried.) Had trouble hooking up his regs correctly, couldn't figure out the giant stride, had a hell of a time getting his BC on and fins off and onto the boat. NO buoyancy control. Puked after both dives. Swam with his arms mostly and used up air like a steam engine. So much for the AOW rating in this particular case.
I'm a .

Did you ask him what he was doing in a cave?

And I see nothing wrong with too much exposure protection, I've never ended a dive and thought to myself "man, I wish I would have been a little colder on this dive!". I'm OW only, and if I were in the keys right now I'd be drysuit diving.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That's ok. He can call me Dopie. What he doesn't realize is that us luscuious chicks can see him coming a mile away. Sorry I didn't have the opportunity to have him "saddle up and help me with my gear". That would have been rather amusing for me. Of course I would have been too busy helping other divers while he was trying to control his fifth appendage...

Priceless!

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[String]

Because a captian (most likely a 100 or 200 ton) is not a taxi driver...and it is pretty crappy to compare a 100 or 200 ton captain to taxi driver.

Perhaps some research in maritime law/liability/responsibilty/ethics is in order.

disagree. A charter dive boat is a taxi.

It takes you to a site, it brings you back from a site. Thats all it should be and all it should try to be. The diving is the responsibility of the drivers and the boat is the responsibility of the skipper.

Im fully aware of the maritime laws regarding this as we use the boats all the time. The skipper is the boat and is not responsible for anything at all to do with the diving.
Its all about personal responsibility.

 

[String]

Not sure how it works on your side of the pond ... but over here if a diver gets injured, the "taxi driver" is the first one who's on the hook for liability. Where I dive, most charters are owner operated ... which means the captain's business is on the line.

Not here. Provided the skipper obeyed the regs and complies with the regs which only cover safe operation of the boat he is clear. He is responsible for the safety of the vessel and the people on it but the second they step off that boat its not his problem. He isnt obliged to provide O2 cover, crew or anything at all. His mandate is to get you to the site safely and back from the site safely and nothing more.

Its a great system and it works exceedingly well.

One dive op owner I know will tell you as part of the dive briefing that if you blow your safety stop or cork to the surface, you're done diving for the day ... and he means it.

Thats the skippers call. He is in charge of the vessel. If he does try to force rules on divers they can just book elsewhere next time and spread the word there's a control freak on the loose. He'll soon lose business as many have.

 

[String]

Fins on wrists on a bouncing boat in a rough sea with a current strikes me as an incredibly dull method of getting back on the boat.

Dont those boats have proper christmas tree ladders designed to be climbed by fully kitted divers?

With no fins on what if you lose grip someone and drift off in the current? What if you suddenly have to back away from the boat if something changes? No fins you're completely powerless to do anything.

Even if i wanted to do the unthinkable and remove my fins i couldnt fit them over my dryglove rings anyway so would be impossible.