Are BOW and AOW classes really changing that much

[rivers]

And that is a course not taught to standards. I DM PADI OW classes fairly regularly (1-2 per month throughout the year). I just finished one today actually. Tables are still taught, as well as computer usage. Compass nav, basic theory, turn pressures, etc are all included in the course (except for CBLs, that is taught on rescue, and it's not something I agree with. I think it should be taught at OW).
The new PADI syllabus that was rolled out a couple of years ago, stresses neutral buoyancy from the beginning. Dive 4, the final dive of the course is supposed to be planned and led by the students. This includes using the tables to plan depth, bottom time based on gas and NDL, turn pressures, and route. The instructional staff role for this dive is to supervise and that's it really.
I assisted in finishing off a friend's course today (she had dives 3,4, and 5 [also doing drysuit] to finish). By dive 4, she had finished all of the required skills (besides DSMB deployment which we did at the end of the dive), and she planned and conducted/navigated the entire dive without any input from myself or the instructor. Her buddy skills were impeccable, as was her gas/depth/time monitoring. At the end of the dive, she pulled off a neutrally buoyant DSMB deployment from 5m.

 

[Aanderson81]

I did my OW class in Mexico, however I didnt do it through a resort. I had done a bit of research and found someone to do a 1 on 1 class over several days. Overall I have to say I felt I got quite a bit out of this class.

Next when i got back home I signed up for my AOW and Nitrox classes through my LDS. These classes felt like they were pay for cert classes. There was no real learning component. Just handed the materials and told to bring them back filled out the day of the scheduled dives. 3 of the specialty dives were done on a single tank in a lake. Had to look at some clams and sunfish, do a few navigation drills and a quick buoyancy check. Then a few weeks later did the deep dives. The "test" to this was to show how colors change under water. At the end i had shiny new EAN and AOW cards, but I didnt feel like i really picked up any new skills or knowledge than I had from my OW class.

The fact that I had to pay c-card fee's for both my EAN and AOW cards at the same time just furthered the feeling that the classes were profit focused (PADI not the shop here). Dont get me started on the cost to upgrade to a "digital" c-card if I wanted to.

 

[Hoag]

Reading this thread has made me realize how incredibly lucky I was during my training. I did my PADI OW & AOW courses in Panama City FL. My instructor was a former Navy Seal and he held us to very high standards. He wanted to be sure that we were not only comfortable underwater, but that we were able to remain calm if something unexpected happened. Later, when I did my DM training, my instructor had just completed his Course Director certification, and he held myself and the other DM Candidate to what were essentially the same standards as if we were on an IDC for all practical (non-academic) training.

 

[Skulmoski]

I do believe it comes down to the instructor; some are really good, and others are.... For that reason, I have taken as many PADI eLearning classes as possible so as to rule out instructor variance.

GJS

 

[mmerriman]

Tables are still taught, as well as computer usage

that depends. the course can be offered in table, erdp, computer, or a combo.

 

[lowflyer]

Were they within standards?

A few years ago I was surprised to learn that my niece had gotten certified while serving in the Air Force in Okinawa. I suggested we go for a dive, but she said she really didn't know how. Her instruction had consisted entirely of two hours in a pool and one dive to a depth of 10 feet. That's it.

A few months later I ran into the daughter of a former neighbor, and she had a nearly identical story of getting certified without coming remotely close to meeting agency standards. She, too, was certified after a short pool session and one short dive.

As for me, when I was certified nearly 20 years ago, it was not until I looked closely at my logbook and saw what the instructor had initialed as being completed that I had any idea how many standards had been skipped.

What agency certified them? What she did sounds like Discover Scuba Diving where on completion one is given a Certificate of Recognition.

 

[boulderjohn]

What agency certified them? What she did sounds like Discover Scuba Diving where on completion one is given a Certificate of Recognition.

It was NAUI in both cases, and in both cases they have full certification.

 

[ScubaDocER]

Please note that there have been extremely few known instances an unconscious diver being surfaced and then being revived in the history of scuba diving.

I had an unconscious diver that was brought to the surface that I rescued, resuscitated, sent to the ER and then to a hyperbaric chamber who was discharged in good condition and returned to diving soon there after. It does occur and having the training to do so can be helpful. I guess I made history

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I had an unconscious diver that was brought to the surface that I rescued, resuscitated, sent to the ER and then to a hyperbaric chamber who was discharged in good condition and returned to diving soon there after. It does occur and having the training to do so can be helpful. I guess I made history

How far were you from shore? Rescue breaths the whole way?

 

[ScubaDocER]

How far were you from shore? Rescue breaths the whole way?

I was actually in a quarry. The diver surfaced from about 100 feet and was about 100 yards from the dock. I was there with my wife doing some practice dives when we surfaced and heard someone cal for help. I have a DPV with me and scootered over to the dive. No rescue breaths were given since I was scootering. He was blue, unconscious and unresponsive. I dragged him to shore and started CPR. The paramedics arrived and I intubated him on the dock. EMS took him to the hospital and then to the chamber where he recovered. Grant it that not everyone who rescues a diver will be an ED physician, but the skills are still important to know and be prepared to use.