AOW/Rescue Diver Not Respected

[tursiops]

For Rescue to be more respected, it should require re-certification every so many years, much like CPR/First Aid does.

AOW can mean little more than the diver has done five more dives in the company of an instructor. Some instructors teach much more, but they seem to be the exceptions. There is apparently so much latitude as to what is taught ("Fish ID"--really?) that I don't know how anyone could use the card to gauge a diver's skills or knowledge.

Agree on Rescue recert. That is why I invite my previously-certified Rescue students to act as the helpers in a current Rescue class. Easy refresh for them at no cost.

Disagree on Fish ID. You've obviously never encountered a fish geek (like my wife). I swim around and see lots of fish; she swims around and comes out saying there are three new fish she's never seen before, five mating rituals going on, a strange absence of brown chromis, and larger-than-usual grouper. Her appreciation of the environment is greatly enhanced by her fish knowledge, and that is what she communicates in the Fish ID class she teaches and its follow-on, REEF.org membership and citizen-science surveys, of which there are now over 210,000!

 

[arcticat99]

i am new to diving but one thing i can see why is different topical environments .if you did most or all your dives in fresh water at max depths of 130 ft to get aow then go to the salt water oceans with crazy currents ,drop offs in thousands of ft and cant control your desent etc. its a brand new ball game.they are only covering their asses

 

[seeker242]

My AOW training was pathetic. It doesn't deserve to be respected!

 

[oly5050user]

I see no problem with a dive operator requesting a customer to do a "check out " dive with one of their staff, no matter what level card thet hold. I actually commend an operator doing so. The certification level can be open water to course director. My experience is that it seems those that protest the most are those that should be weeded out due to poor skills or unsafe habits.

 

[boulderjohn]

There is apparently so much latitude as to what is taught ("Fish ID"--really?) that I don't know how anyone could use the card to gauge a diver's skills or knowledge.

AOW is widely misunderstood, largely because of the unfortunate choice of its name. When the AOW certification was first created by Los Angeles Country and then adopted by NAUI, its stated purpose was to get divers interested in different aspects of diving so that they would continue to dive. They saw that divers were dropping out soon after OW certification, and they thought that creating a certification that would show them different aspects of diving would spark an interest. Fish ID would very much be within the original intent of that certification, an intent that continues to this day.

 

[Doby45]

I've seen people go from rescue to master IN ONE DAY.

And so? I could take rescue tomorrow and be Master 15min later as I have already met the other requirements for Master.

 

[DustyC]

And so? I could take rescue tomorrow and be Master 15min later as I have already met the other requirements for Master.

I'm talking about an entire group of people that had no specialties at all.

 

[Doby45]

I'm talking about an entire group of people that had no specialties at all.

Well then that is a different story. But he original statement was just a tad grandiose.

 

[tursiops]

I've seen people spend years diving, taking classes, learning, and finally getting to Master Scuba Diver. For them, it was a terrific adventure and well worth the effort. I'm sorry some others here have had such terrible experiences, apparently dealing with charlatans and frauds.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

For Rescue to be more respected, it should require re-certification every so many years, much like CPR/First Aid does.

AOW can mean little more than the diver has done five more dives in the company of an instructor. Some instructors teach much more, but they seem to be the exceptions. There is apparently so much latitude as to what is taught ("Fish ID"--really?) that I don't know how anyone could use the card to gauge a diver's skills or knowledge.

I'd like to see in addition to nav & deep, that PPB (though it shouldn't need to be added if OW is done properly) would be the first dive, followed by a standardized self-reliant, and then nav (where a VERY rough SAC rate is determined during the 100 foot swim), deep (where they calculate the expected air consumption), and either S&R or night. I understand that is some parts of the world, night isn't practical in the summer due to that midnight sun.