Boats and OW Cert

[PilotRCAF]

Hi everyone,

I came across this forum today - great resource and glad I joined. I have a quick question - I'm planning my AOW Cert to continue to gain experience. During my OW course, I did 2 shore dives and 2 boat dives.

Does/can one of the boat dives during the OW course count as an adventure dive toward 1 of the 5 AOW dives?


Thanks

 

[HantsDiver]

No.

And you wouldn't want it to. The idea of AOW is you get some more exposure from different types of diving. Some instructors on here feel that each adventure dive should leave the student with useful skills (not a bad thing). I personally would look at them as just tasters of what different diving has to offer and ideas of things you want to build on in the future - rather than seeing them as places for really learning too much.

 

[PilotRCAF]

Okay great thanks for the quick reply. I feel the same way as you. I have decided that my goal is to someday obtain my master diver cert so I view the adventure dives in AOW as "dabbling" into the 5 specialities I want to potentially pursue.

 

[stuartv]

I got my Master Diver card without doing AOW. I just went straight into doing the full specialties I wanted to do. I couldn't see spending the money for an AOW course when I knew I wanted to do those full specialties anyway.

 

[TMHeimer]

I got AOW quite by accident, as doing the course was the only way to get on a boat that was already going out carrying a bunch of "Vintage" divers. This was in winter on the FL panhandle. One of my dives was the "Nitrox Adventure Dive" (back then you needed to do 2 nitrox dives to get that cert. So I figured why not finish nitrox back home, which I did (had to take and pay for the whole course there though....). Then, why not Rescue Diver, seems a good next step. Then more specialties for MSD. Well hey, why not get my DM and assist a little, maybe even make a little money. When OW certified I had no thoughts of taking any more courses--what for? Don't think I even really knew about all these other courses divers may take. Man it's a slippery slope.

 

[NAM001]

I got my Master Diver card without doing AOW. I just went straight into doing the full specialties I wanted to do. I couldn't see spending the money for an AOW course when I knew I wanted to do those full specialties anyway.

did you do it all with the same instructor? I suspect that you did all the requirements for the AOW via your specialties, and he just let you slide on buying the AOW card as if you already had it from another agency.

 

[Peter69_56]

did you do it all with the same instructor? I suspect that you did all the requirements for the AOW via your specialties, and he just let you slide on buying the AOW card as if you already had it from another agency.

Yes I am curious as to how you can dive below 18m without it, and how they would allow you to do lets say deep without it. Anyone having any knowledge on this I would appreciate it

Ok just checked PADI manual and AOW is only a re-requisite for the following;
Cavern
Ice
Public Safety
Search & Recovery
Semi enclosed Rebreather
Tech 40
Tech Sidemount
Tech 40 CCR
Dive master

So in my opinion, you might get away without it at the start, but it might catch you out later on in your diving.

 

[NAM001]

Yes I am curious as to how you can dive below 18m without it, and how they would allow you to do lets say deep without it. Anyone having any knowledge on this I would appreciate it

The rational of those that support it,,, is that the OW is good to 130'. although no training is done pst 40-60 ft in the class. That aspect is covered by the supporters as experience. So an OW with experience in deeper water can go to 130.

My problem is with the multitude of those inland water divers that do OW in 30 ft of water and get their card and sign up for a boat trip. When I took my wife to 60 ft for the first time she did not understand where her air went because she used so much, and she never used it that fast before. There is something about experience that the books just can not give you. There are some pretty shotty OW classes out there that barely prep you for 30' et alone 100. The saddest part is they are not that rare.

there are many arguments for and against it and always draws a lot of heated debate.

 

[stuartv]

did you do it all with the same instructor? I suspect that you did all the requirements for the AOW via your specialties, and he just let you slide on buying the AOW card as if you already had it from another agency.

Not the same instructor, but all at the same shop.

Also, not PADI. All SDI.

Yes, that was my point. You can meet all the requirements without doing a specific AOW course. Thus, without paying the extra for an AOW course. Once I met all the requirements, the shop gave me the SDI Advanced Scuba Diver card, so I do have that one.

 

[Doby45]

Not the same instructor, but all at the same shop.

Also, not PADI. All SDI.

Yes, that was my point. You can meet all the requirements without doing a specific AOW course. Thus, without paying the extra for an AOW course. Once I met all the requirements, the shop gave me the SDI Advanced Scuba Diver card, so I do have that one.

I never did an Advanced Open Water course either, but after I completed my specialties that Iw anted to do all I had to do was pay the card issuance fee. I am also SDI..