AOW Class Max Depth 65 ft. ?????

[RonFrank]

So if you live in UT for example, and there is no site available with 100' depths the dive shops just throw up their hands and give up? There are a ton on land locked states, and I believe the majority of states may not have adequate training facilities to 100'. In UT the Crator has to make do.

Divers in the Rocky mountains use Blue Hole at 85' which also serves TX and other neighboring states. However I'm not sure what other land locked states do other than use a shallower sites

 

[doctormike]

So if you live in UT for example, and there is no site available with 100' depths the dive shops just throw up their hands and give up? There are a ton on land locked states, and I believe the majority of states may not have adequate training facilities to 100'. In UT the Crator has to make do.

Divers in the Rocky mountains use Blue Hole at 85' which also serves TX and other neighboring states. However I'm not sure what other land locked states do other than use a shallower sites

Well, it's not like there is a constitutional right to AOW training in your backyard - people in Florida probably have a hard time training for black diamond snowboard runs!

If the agency says that 65 feet is OK, and you have a 65 foot hole, of course, you can "legally" get AOW locally. I'm not sure in what scenario that would be relevant. If you live in a landlocked state and the nearest hole deeper than 65 feet is a thousand miles away, why do you need to do AOW locally anyway?

To me, it seems that it would be better to just get it on your next trip to the Keys or wherever you are planning on doing your advanced dives, so that you will be trained in a setting that is similar to what you will encounter after certification. I guess I can understand wanting to do it locally if you really like your LDS and the instructor, but even then, it might make more sense to go on a trip with them and train (many of our trips are organized around instructors), rather than doing the bare minimum at 65 feet...

 

[redacted]

Not to blow her cover, but "Ann" is an excellent diver, with whom I have done several dives (including northeast ocean dives) to nearly twice that depth. I do recognize the importance of training, but I'm not sure I really get the value of the AOW card for the card's sake, if you just do the bare minimum.

Yes, you might get a great instructor who would teach you a lot, but it seems that it is not always the case. I have been on about a half dozen different dive boats in the NYC area, and I have never been asked for my AOW card. Perhaps this policy may vary from place to place...

Since that is the case, it seems to me that the depth of the deep dive is really not the issue for Ann. All she really needs is the piece of plastic. I got mine for $15 without taking an AOW course. I got the card because I could and decided it might be good to have in my wallet if I ever get back to the NE. If she needs the card but not the training, then the cheapest and most convenient source is probably the best option. Just be careful with that shop if training is actually needed.

 

[doctormike]

Since that is the case, it seems to me that the depth of the deep dive is really not the issue for Ann. All she really needs is the piece of plastic. I got mine for $15 without taking an AOW course. I got the card because I could and decided it might be good to have in my wallet if I ever get back to the NE. If she needs the card but not the training, then the cheapest and most convenient source is probably the best option. Just be careful with that shop if training is actually needed.

That's true, but I think that it's both... she is certainly more comfortable in the water than the average student who can't wait to get their AOW card and takes the class right after OW without doing any diving.

I think that she wants the card for the occasional situation where it would be helpful getting on a boat where they didn't know her, but as a good diver who is always learning, she also wants to get the training that she is paying for...

 

[boulderjohn]

Our deep dive is to an altitude adjusted depth of up to 80 feet, but we barely make 60 feet actual. However, given conditions (dark, cold, limited vis, altitufe factor ( about 500 feet above sea level), it is a great training dive.

I assume you meant 5,000 feet, but, if so, where do you do that? Doing AOWs in Colorado is pretty tough.

So, your AOW course deep dive does not expose the student to any opportunity to experience narcosis and that is OK!!!!

I have never had a student show any noticeable signs of narcosis on an AOW dive to 100 feet. As String said, that is why they did away with the exercise that was supposed to be showing the students they were narced.

To me, the real value of the deep dive is planning it and learning about the increased gas consumption at depth. On the last AOW dive I did, we planned it as a multi-level dive, with the planned changes in depth based upon pressure. We were barely at 100 feet for a minute when one of the divers reached the planned pressure. We spent shockingly little time at the next depth (80) and the next (60) for the same reason. That diver learned a very valuable thing--he had no business doing a dive to 100 feet without either a lot more gas or a much better air consumption rate. He also learned to keep a very sharp and attentive eye on his pressure gauge. Since we had already done dives to shallower depths for the other skills, we knew he was an air hog, but it really came out loud and clear when we went to 100.

 

[falcon125]

Well, it's not like there is a constitutional right to AOW training in your backyard - people in Florida probably have a hard time training for black diamond snowboard runs! [/t on QUOTE]

We dont card them for trying those runs. and we supply tobogans for those that go above their ability level.Yes I would like it if there were no "Gapers" on the challenging runs. But you're free to take on new challenges here in Colorado.

AOW has minimum requirements.Deal with it.
Not gonna make you a better diver. Just gonna give you another cert.
Dive what you are comfortable diving.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I took a NAUI Advanced Scuba Diver class earlier this year. The instructor did not join us for the deep dive so the dive was just myself and two other students. We went to a max of 62 feet; the site slopped down slowly and 60 feet qualifies as a deep dive. That was deemed satisfactory. Looking back I think that is an absolute joke. None of us knew what it was like to feel narced, and there was no instructor around incase anything happened. One student asked afterwards "so I'm ready to go to 130 feet now?". The instructor said "yeah, just tell them it's your first time that deep."

The NAUI standards stipulate that the instructor must accompany the students on their first dive in excess of 60 feet. If that was your first dive deeper than 60 feet (in that class), then the instructor broke standards.

I could never comprehend the logic behind allowing student divers in the water while the instructor stays on shore. If an instructor's too lazy to accompany you on your class dives, then they shouldn't be teaching. How exactly are they supposed to evaluate you if they can't see you? And if something happens that results in a student casualty while you're down there unsupervised, then what?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

AOW has minimum requirements.Deal with it.
Not gonna make you a better diver. Just gonna give you another cert.
Dive what you are comfortable diving.

If a class isn't gonna make you a better diver, you shouldn't be taking it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[freewillie]

AOW has minimum requirements.Deal with it.
Not gonna make you a better diver. Just gonna give you another cert.
Dive what you are comfortable diving.

If taking a class doesn't make the student a better diver then maybe he or she wasn't paying attention.

"I see and hear I forget. I do and I remember." old Chinese proverb.

 

[DevonDiver]

...owner said they choose the dives that make the most sense and are the most convenient for them and for the student. Yes, owner said, "for them" first.

That sums it up for me. De-motivated. Lazy. Minimum effort.

What you describe would be a 'red-flag' for me... a dive centre to be avoided like the plague.

For my AOW we went to 36m on a wreck in lake Erie (twice, the Boland). That is deeper than most are taken,....

I just completed my AOW in Key Largo two weeks ago (and Nitrox as well). Not only did we get to choose our specialties, but we went to 130'....

On the other hand... these examples illustrate major breaches of agency standard. There's simply no reason for exceeding the max standards imposed by the training agency.

It's another 'red-flag' for me. Negligence. Carelessness. Lack of respect for training standards.

Gotta ask yourself - if they're so cavalier to break such a fundamental and easily adhered to standard - what else are they cavalier about? Where do they draw the line? What mindset do they have as responsible dive educators?

Again... to be avoided like the plague.​