AOW + Nitrox

[agesilaus]

I just spotted a local advert for an instructor doing PADI or NAUI AOW for $100 and Nitrox for $50 more. The course is 5 dives off West Palm. There are incidental expenses like $55 for the boat fee and a room charge for over night. It's 5 dives including a Wreck-deep dive, Night, Navigation, Advanced Buoyancy and a Drift Dive. But still it's under $250. There is a LDS doing AOW + Nitrox for $350 or so.

Frankly it sounds good just for the 5 dives. He says he's been doing training for 23+ years.

I would have posted this over in the training agency forum but they don't seem to have a general section.

What do you guys think? I want AOW not just for the card I actually want to learn from it. Nitrox I know I can pick up but you need the card to get fills.

BK

 

[WheelsUSN]

I also saw that on craigslist. Before you sign up for it make sure that you know everything else that is required for the course. I don't know the standards for NAUI but if he gives you the PADI course and follows standards then you have to have the books required for the courses. If he charges you full retail for them that will be about another $115. You will also have to pay the agency certification fee, again at full retail that is about $75 for the two certifications combined.

If the price he is advertising includes everything that you have to purchase for the class then you won't find a cheaper class anywhere. Interview him and see if you like him and if possible talk to former students and see what they have to say about the class.

 

[agesilaus]

Yeah I plan on calling him tomorrow. I'll find out exactly what the costs are and do my best over the phone to size him up. One of the problems is that I haven't found anyone else doing AOW in the area for the next month or so.

 

[robertarak]

My AOW is $525, book and boats are additional. FWIW: SCUBATUDE Scuba Diver Resources

 

[agesilaus]

Heh I suspect things are a bit pricy in LA compared with Florida. My SSI LSD does it for $270 plus the book.

BK

 

[SlvrDragon50]

Holy crap... 525.. So expensive.

I paid like 179 for my AOW + 69 for nitrox. Dives were the typical 2 tank 55 dollar cost.

That said, I honestly think AOW is a waste of money and a stupid cert. I learned nothing from the class that I couldn't learn from wasting time here on SB or just diving for more experience.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Heh I suspect things are a bit pricy in LA compared with Florida. My SSI LSD does it for $270 plus the book.

BK

I suspect you meant LDS (local dive shop) ... I'd be hugely wary of someone including LSD with a diving class ...

For the OP ... AOW and Nitrox are actually a good combination, and the instructor can add the nitrox class very effectively by combining it with your AOW class dives.

The key thing is to find out what his philosophy about AOW actually is. Does it come with actual course work? Is there a section where you specifically cover how to plan and execute a deep dive ... what additional risks come with depth, and how to plan and prepare your dive to mitigate them? Are there costs not specifically covered by the things you've already mentioned?

Many instructors use AOW as primarily an "experience" class ... with little to no actual teaching taking place outside of telling you to read the book. A lot of people come out of that type of class feeling like they didn't really learn anything. Other people seem to like them, because they're mostly diving. Ask your instructor what his philosophy is regarding the AOW class ... what he expects you to get out of the class. Some instructors use it as a platform for real learning ... for others it's little more than 5 more dives with an instructor. Make sure you understand what type of class you're buying ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[socaljohn]

NAUI AOW Orange county CA, 199, plus boat. 6 dives, book, c card included. But yeah find out what your money gets you.

 

[robertarak]

Holy crap... 525.. So expensive.

I paid like 179 for my AOW + 69 for nitrox. Dives were the typical 2 tank 55 dollar cost.

That said, I honestly think AOW is a waste of money and a stupid cert. I learned nothing from the class that I couldn't learn from wasting time here on SB or just diving for more experience.

I bolded the key points.

...I guess I should have added that all my classes are private.

 

[DevonDiver]

Holy crap... 525.. So expensive....I paid like 179 for my AOW... I honestly think AOW is a waste of money and a stupid cert. I learned nothing from the class....

It amazes me that some people don't see the relationship obvious in the above quote. Buy cheap... get cheap..... but don't complain that cheap isn't quality.

A crappy class... any class, not just AOW.... is a waste of money. If the operator/instructor has cut costs at every opportunity... and can only sell their training by undercutting their competitors, not by quality reputation... then it's a no-brainer what you're gonna get from them.

The AOW course is neither good, bad nor ugly. The quality and learning derives entirely from the individual instructor's approach to the course.