Aow

[mig_diver]

Go for your AOW. IMO the AOW course is more an introduction to the specialties than anything else. Most importantly, enjoy yourselves

 

[Chazzjoh]

I took my AOW course after I had logged 60 or so dives. I found the course much more informative and, I think, enjoyable after having some experience. I was comfortable with my gear, and the skills (mask removal, clear, buoyancy, basic navigation, etc.) were second nature by then. The questions I was able to ask included not only general "so how's a night dive work?" type of questions but also more pointed questions applicable to the type of diving I was interested in because of situations that had popped up while actually out diving.

That being said, go do your AOW then go blow some bubbles!

 

[fisherdvm]

An off comment, especially if you have had only a few dives. If most of your dives have been boat dives, see if you can get an AOW that does shore dives (saves money). And if most of your dives were shore dives, see if your AOW can be done as boat dives. The only sad part is, they will make the boat dives one of the specialty dives. But one dive is going to be for a whacky "specialty" anyhow - basket weaving, naturalist, etc.

I respect Spectrum's comment, but if you have a good instructor AOW can just be a continuation of OW anyway - so while it is wise to have some extra dives under your belt, if you have a good instructor and an opportunity window, you can do it straight from OW - with zero dives in between.

 

[Potapko]

I did it as dives 5-9 as well. Do it right away for the experience with an instructor.

 

[don Francisco]

There's no best time to take AOW. The advantage of waiting is that with more experience, you'll be more able to capitalize on some of the material. The advantage of taking it sooner is the reinforcement of the OW skills, especially if a while has passed with few or no dives. Since you're hoping to take a night dive on this trip, I'd go ahead and schedule the course beforehand.

One thing about AOW is that the course has flexibility & usually few students, so with a good instructor it affords highly personalized training. Before the course, read the manual & decide where you want additional help. Ask your instructor for extra emphasis on things like navigation and bouyancy/trim skills.

Lastly, not to join the semantics game, but remember that taking the course & having an AOW card doesn't make you an advanced diver anymore than taking drivers-ed in school would make a new driver into an experienced driver. Hopefully, if taught well, you'll have firmed up certain skills and be ready to become truly advanced through experience.

 

[Papa Steve]

Or you can take this AOW thing piece wise, using the SSI model. I think PADI might allow this as well, where you take individual specialty course - ie night, deep, navigation, search recovery - and once you accomplished a minimum number, 5 or so, they'll grant you an AOW card.

This is the route my wife and I took. It costs more than a packaged course where they may combine the dives but we felt it was worth it. We started right after we received our OW and took the individual classes at intervals between our own personal diving. We felt it merely a way to grow in our diving skills with some mentor/friends and get our AOW in the process.

 

[fisherdvm]

Papa Steve, it sounds like you did a good thing. Kinda like cramming for an exam, you retain very little. But if you did it bits and pieces, with time and dives in between, the retention, comprehension, and understanding is much better. Also you can deselect the fluffy specialty dives that some AOW are built with (naturalist, boat, drift, etc) as they are automatic if you did boat dives in current.

 

[Theunis]

StepM, welcome to the course packed sport called Scuba diving!! You are on the correct track here and asking the correct questions.

Do your AOW, do not skip any courses. Get some dives under your belt and then go for the "Advanced Diver". But please remember, this sport is for fun and recreation.

Safe diving for you

 

[DevonDiver]

This is the route my wife and I took. It costs more than a packaged course where they may combine the dives but we felt it was worth it. We started right after we received our OW and took the individual classes at intervals between our own personal diving. We felt it merely a way to grow in our diving skills with some mentor/friends and get our AOW in the process.

Hi Papa Steve. It is worth mentioning that the SSI AOW course and the PADI AOW are not the same beast.

The SSI Advanced course is a culmination of 5 speciality courses, plus a minimum number of dives. In that sense, it is more akin to the PADI Master Scuba Diver rating.

The PADI AOW course consists of 5 adventure dives. This makes it more akin to the SSI Advanced Adventurer course.

However, your advice to consider taking the AOW course still stands true - as the AOW course can be completed in a modular fashion, by taking Adventure Dives with an instructor on a one-by-one basis. When you have completed your fifth Adventure Dive (and as long as you have done the Deep and Navigation dives), then you can apply for the AOW certification.

 

[String]

Id say in PADI at least do open water, do 5 or 6 dives then AOW.

Less than that you still have no diving experience at all so wont get all out of it you could.

However for anyone with 30 or so dives over AOW chances are they'll learn nothing really useful in it.