AOW "elective" dives don't seem so elective.

[gmerick]

From my training history - the "Elective" part of AOW is more for the dive operator than the student. I took AOW in a flooded open pit mine in Minnesota. It was all shore diving. We did the required Deep and Navigation dives. Two electives were Buoyancy and Night, the third was not memorable. Can't think what it would have been, as this was basically a perfectly still lake with nice visibility. AOW is definitely my most useful card, as it has served me on dozens of Caribbean sixpacks, several LOB's and several Resorts.

I've been rather consistent at picking up the full specialty cards, as I like to take a Class yearly just to keep skills updated. I've added Deep, Wreck, Boat and Nitrox because I've done many of these type of dives. For myself I added Sidemount, Rescue, and Self Reliant, and yes I do most of my local dives solo.

I'm on a waiting list for Deep Air (combined Tec 40/45/50), but the LDS is still waiting on an instructor.

Money Grab? Not in my book.

 

[tursiops]

From my training history - the "Elective" part of AOW is more for the dive operator than the student. I took AOW in a flooded open pit mine in Minnesota. It was all shore diving. We did the required Deep and Navigation dives. Two electives were Buoyancy and Night, the third was not memorable. Can't think what it would have been, as this was basically a perfectly still lake with nice visibility. AOW is definitely my most useful card, as it has served me on dozens of Caribbean sixpacks, several LOB's and several Resorts.

I've been rather consistent at picking up the full specialty cards, as I like to take a Class yearly just to keep skills updated. I've added Deep, Wreck, Boat and Nitrox because I've done many of these type of dives. For myself I added Sidemount, Rescue, and Self Reliant, and yes I do most of my local dives solo.

I'm on a waiting list for Deep Air (combined Tec 40/45/50), but the LDS is still waiting on an instructor.

Money Grab?

Most of the complaints about PADI AOW are from people who think the title makes you an advanced diver (it does not, it simply means you have advanced beyond OW); and/or people who don't take it until many years and perhaps hundreds of dives after their OW, and so find the material redundant to things they have already learned (or perhaps mislearned); and/or people who insist it should only be about skills rather than knowledge; and/or those who have taken it from a poor instructor and/or a poor shop that did not offer them the electives in which they were interested.

 

[DrakeTheDiver]

For the electives I am doing the Wreck, Night, Drysuit, and the obligatory Deep and Nav. I think you should consider the night dive, I would consider the night diving, can be fun and useful info for low viz as well. I love Wreck and they are the only major thing to dive up here in the Great Lakes. I would skip buoyancy as that can be worked on in all classes, but that’s just me, and Drysuit would be largely buoyancy work. Ultimately this is a course that I also agree is mostly to check the boxes for dive shops and operators. But if the instructor is good, it’s a good chance to get qualified feedback on how you have dove and where you can improve. I would not do the Deep course instead of AOW, from what I have heard it would only create headaches and conversations about eligibility.

 

[TT_Vert]

Most of the complaints about PADI AOW are from people who think the title makes you an advanced diver (it does not, it simply means you have advanced beyond OW); and/or people who don't take it until many years and perhaps hundreds of dives after their OW, and so find the material redundant to things they have already learned (or perhaps mislearned); and/or people who insist it should only be about skills rather than knowledge; and/or those who have taken it from a poor instructor and/or a poor shop that did not offer them the electives in which they were interested.

Yeah we have over 10 years and 150+ dives under our belts but I'm a sponge for info so anything I can learn (and hopefully retain) is great.

 

[rick00001967]

He was talking PADI. Seems reasonable, don't you think, to NOT jump to 130 feet right after OW?

yes i understand you guys were discussing padi. i was merely pointing out that the ssi system is different so the op could make an informed decision.
and yes i could not agree more that a new ow diver should take their time before diving to the max rec limits.
imho, taking a course like a deep specialty is a much better way to do it, rather than the padi aow.

 

[boulderjohn]

PADI is the company with these arbitrary classes, the dive ops just offer what had been adopted

Which dive agencies do not offer a variety classes?

Similarly....

I need to paint a room in my house, so I went to the paint store. Can you believe it? That store was selling all kinds of paint colors that I don't need! I asked them why, and they acted like I was crazy. They told me that different people want different colors, so they offer a variety of colors to meet the individual needs of individual customers. If I didn't want those colors, they told me, I don't have to buy them.

 

[TT_Vert]

Which dive agencies do not offer a variety classes?

Similarly....

I need to paint a room in my house, so I went to the paint store. Can you believe it? That store was selling all kinds of paint colors that I don't need! I asked them why, and they acted like I was crazy. They told me that different people want different colors, so they offer a variety of colors to meet the individual needs of individual customers. If I didn't want those colors, they told me, I don't have to buy them.

You missed my point. But I don't feel like going into it.

Dave