AOW vs GUE Fundamentals

[C Dub]

To the original poster: Sorry if I started the comparison to the two classes. To your main question: I believe PADI AOW is what you want for travel. It would not hurt to get PADI Rescue as well, and if diving more than 100 feet, PADI Deep (certs you to 130 feet). When I travel I carry Rescue, Deep, and Nitrox cards.

Then take Fundies!

 

[ddmattos]

Only GUE approved gear. You do not have a choice.
The list is in its site.

Just to be clear.
GUE approved gear configuration, not brand specific.
So you need to make choices.

The good part that this configuration can be used for most of your diving with few execptions (e.g. sidemount).

 

[C Dub]

In my AOW I was expected to learn deep diving in one dive. This was a dive in which I was taken to 75 feet and was given a card that authorized me to dive to 130 feet. I never felt narcosis during training since we were at 75 feet but when I attempted a dive below 100 feet on my own then I realized what they mean by nitrogen narcossis.

For clarity, I'm pretty certain PADI AOW certifies you to 100 feet. PADI Deep specialty certifies you to 130.

 

[tursiops]

In my AOW I was expected to learn deep diving in one dive. This was a dive in which I was taken to 75 feet and was given a card that authorized me to dive to 130 feet. I never felt narcosis during training since we were at 75 feet but when I attempted a dive below 100 feet on my own then I realized what they mean by nitrogen narcossis.

In my "Wreck" specialty I was shown how to swim around a wreck.

In my "Boat" specialty I was shown which is the front end of the boat and which is the back end. Which is the "starboard" side and "port side" and how to jump from a boat while holding the mask and reg in your mouth.

In my drift specialty there was no significant drift so we did all the drills in fairly still water.

Navigation was not bad but vis was great so it was not a real test of navigation either. When I attempted to dive and try my navigation skills in the quarry in 5 feet viz I realized I knew nothing of U/W navigation.

That was what made me an "ADVANCED OPEN WATER DIVER" and gave me a shiny card which is a requirement all over the world. I am relieved to know that there are many instructors who conduct their training differently. I have seen some pretty extensive AOW programs being run.I am just saying what exactly the same card meant in my situation.

This is so far off the mark it is hard to reply.
AOW does not offer five specialties...it offers five dives that are the first dive of a specialty, to give you a taste. You had no "specialty" classes.
AOW does not "authorize" you to dive to 130 feet. AOW only trains you to 100 ft, whereas OW only trained you to 60. Your OW certification is good to 130 feet.
If that is all you did on your five dives, then PADI standards were not followed. You had a crappy class, and the instructor should be removed from PADI membership.

 

[BDSC]

Sounds worse than it is.

Backplate/ wing, one piece harness, 5 drings, longhose with bungeed backup, paddle fins, spg on the hip, bottom timer on wrist. Done and done.

If I decided to take the course I'd need to buy a BP/W, a longhose with bungee, spg, and bottom timer. For me, I don't see the value of such a course vs. the cost of taking it. I'd have to give up my AIR II and that could be dangerous!

 

[boulderjohn]

Sounds worse than it is.

Backplate/ wing, one piece harness, 5 drings, longhose with bungeed backup, paddle fins, spg on the hip, bottom timer on wrist. Done and done.

And if you own gear more typical of recreational divers and have to make the switch, if you shop around for new gear it shouldn't cost you much more than $1,000 in addition to the cost of the class. $1,500 tops. If you look for used gear bargains it won't cost you much more than say $500.

 

[KevinNM]

It was 3 hoses, an SPG and a half dozen SS clips from Dive Gear Express, and a Halcyon infinity off ebay for me. Maybe $750. But I was already getting tired of my old BCD.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I had this conversation with someone the other day who is in your shoes exactly. GUE Fundamentals teaches gas management for 100' depths, it teaches rescue elements, and certifies you for 32% Nitrox (GUE standard gas for 100'). The only time I ever showed my Fundies card was when I needed to show I had a Nitrox certification. In all, you're getting the equivalent of 4 classes for the price of one.

---------- Post added February 19th, 2015 at 03:24 PM ----------

AOW
Rescue
Nitrox
Intro to Tech

-And with higher standards than most agencies would hold you to.

While I have a high opinion of the GUE Fundamentals class ... having taken it twice and recommended it to a fairly high percentage of my AOW students ... the above is not true.

GUE Fundamentals trains you on a lot of excellent skills ... it does not, however, touch on some of the things you'll cover in AOW, Rescue, or Nitrox. It will instead only include those parts of the course that apply to the GUE approach to diving. You will not learn anything about navigation. You will not touch on anything you'd learn in a properly taught Rescue class other than air sharing protocols. And the Nitrox portion of the class will not teach you anything other than the application of one standard mix.

A more practical consideration would be where would the card be accepted? In many parts of the world it will not get you on a deep dive ... and in fact, your GUE Fundamentals class will, for the most part, be taught in 20 feet of water. There is no night dive component ... although it will train you well in light management techniques and using lights as a signaling device.

There is no real comparison between the two courses ... they are designed and intended for different purposes. One is an introduction to several different types of diving environments that is intended more as an "experience" type class ... the other is an introduction to a specific style of diving that is intended to introduce specific skills that, while they can be well applied to recreational-level diving, are really intended to help build a solid foundation for the person who's interested in pursuing diving beyond recreational levels.

To my concern, the question shouldn't be framed as an "either/or" ... both offer value for different reasons ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

---------- Post added February 20th, 2015 at 10:02 AM ----------

Fundies is an assimilation course. It prepares you to dive with other DIR divers. The focus is on buoyancy, skills and procedures that are universal to DIR diving. The closest comparison of AOW would be rec 1 but even that isn't a good comparison. It's difficult to say where it is recognized or not as I've been all over the world and a small percentage recognize GUE just because it's a smaller agency. Obviously, a GUE facility does as do many technical oriented shops. To play it safe, either go on to rec 1 or 2, or take the AOW course. The confidence that GUE/UTD courses give you is immeasurable.

Ironically, it was the beginning of my preparation for solo diving. You get from it what you take out of it. In my case, I wanted solid buoyancy, trim, propulsion and ... perhaps most importantly ... awareness skills. Taking Fundies went a long way toward providing me with those skills ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[PfcAJ]

And if you own gear more typical of recreational divers and have to make the switch, if you shop around for new gear it shouldn't cost you much more than $1,000 in addition to the cost of the class. $1,500 tops. If you look for used gear bargains it won't cost you much more than say $500.

Indeed. The gear can be had for extremely cheap if you're patient.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Is your AOW course five days of 9 or 10-hour days? I know there are some instructors who teach an unusually thorough AOW course, but if they still cram it into two days and don't really make sure students are on their way to mastering those skills, then it does not have anywhere near the intensity of Fundies.

My AOW class requires more hours of class time and in-water time than either of the two Fundies classes I took did. But I took Fundies more than a decade ago, when everything was crammed into a Friday evening to Sunday evening schedule ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)