AOW class

[tmponze]

OK, I see people discussing it, and now I'm wondering if this is really the best way to get several skills at once. I want it for the navigation, low vis/night diving, and deep water (I think it has search and recovery as well?) I know racking up dives is the best way to become better at diving, but I want the new skills along the way. I gather this is a little more depth on some really basic stuff. I'd also like to do it before I go for dry suit.

I'm saving the more advanced things like spear fishing and underwater photography for when I have more experience since it requires hauling around extra equipment. Not sure if I ever want to do cave and wreck, I have a healthy fear for both of those...and rebreathers.

 

[TSandM]

Taking a class will give you some information . . . but only practice will make you facile with it. AOW is more of a sampling or tasting than an in-depth look at anything; if there are specific skills you really want to polish, like navigation, doing the specialty will be better than the AOW class alone. And then you need to do a bunch of diving and think about how you got where you are, and how you get back, before you get really GOOD at navigating. The same is true of all the other components of AOW -- they are beginnings at best.

 

[Gachnar]

As TS&M mentioned, AOW is a sampler. Many people recommend waiting to do AOW, but I think it's a good way to learn more about some basic skills as you mentioned, and figure out what you do/don't like. I'm admittedly a very novice diver, but I've hung around a couple advanced classes beyond my own, and I've seen people straight out of OW who did great, and people with quite a bit of experience who I wouldn't want to dive with. Last weekend I actually watched a guy bounce his way along the bottom, silting out the entire class. So I would say you want to have basic buoyancy and comfort with your gear in the water before taking the class, so you are spending more time focusing on the new skills instead of worrying about basic ones.

If you are comfortable with that, based on what you wrote, AOW sounds like something you'd enjoy.

AOW is 5 dives. Deep and Navigation are requirements, but I believe the other 3 are at the discretion of the instructor and can be from one of a dozen or more specialties (I don't have my manual in front of me). Another nice thing is the manual has the basics for all those, so you can do some reading/practice at your own pace. I highly recommend reading up on things like Peak Performance Buoyancy prior to the class, even if that isn't a dive you are doing.

In mine, the other skills we added were S&R (I didn't think I'd like this, but I really got a great deal out of it), Naturalist (which is really just diving and looking at pretty things), and Night, which was awesome and immediately became a favorite.

After AOW you can take a specialty if you want to focus in an area, which PADI will like, and can be great with the right instructor, or you can just practice that skill, or work with someone who is good at it, if you prefer that route.

My had one OW dive in my drysuit prior to AOW, and didn't find it difficult (I learned a great deal on that one dive prior though). As to whether to wait or not, I'd say it depends on your cold tolerance and where you are doing the class. Frequently you do three dives the first day, the last being a night dive, and the folks in wetsuits were somewhat miserable in the 46 degree waters of the Hood Canal on the last dive.

This past weekend I watched two guys do 3 dives wet in 39 degree water, and they couldn't get out of the water fast enough.

Good luck with the class!

 

[coldwatercanada]

Again I hate the name! The AOW doesnt make you an advanced diver it just "advances" your dive skills ha ha

 

[DivemasterDennis]

You are spot on- active divers are good divers, and good divers learn from every dive. When I work with AOW students we focus on navigation, dive planning, and buoyancy skills. Some divers come right from their open water class to AOW, and others have over 100 "real dives" before taking AOW. My experience is that the class is most valuable for those with at least 10, and preferable 20 "real dives following their initial certification, but opinions vary. I do encourage you to take the class when you feel it is time. It is a very useful and skill expanding experience. Also, own a compass, take it on all you dives, and practice nav on every dive if you want to master that aspect of diving. (which I think all divers should)
DivemasterDennis

 

[Jim Lapenta]

And it does depend on the aow class you are taking. Some are more like just a taste of advanced dives with no real new skills and knowledge gained. Then there are others like NW Gratefuldiver,myself, and others offer that are in a whole different vein. Where you do get classroom, new skills, limited choices of dives, no guarantee of passing, and entry requirements beyond the ability to open your wallet. You earn your way in and you earn your certification. And we tailor courses so no two are really ever the same. Have better skills in one area? Expect to be challenged in it to a greater degree than someone who has less.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

 

[Rooster In Ohio]

I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense if the various agencies re-named the classes OW-I and OW-II. I felt like AOW was just more OW with some minimal additional task loading.

 

[tomfcrist]

If you are just looking for a c-card to get on a boat somewhere, take any old AOW course. If you want to learn useful skills and test your mettle with some realistic scenarios, potentially saving your life by encountering said scenarios in a controlled environment instead of out on your own........interview your prospective AOW instructor, and find one that is willing to take you to that next level. As JimLapenta pointed out, there are instructors out there that dont believe in the cookie cutter AOW courses that we see all too much of these days.