Deep AOW

[ae3753]

Does anyone have any tips/advice that they'd like to pass on to the newbie?

As a fellow newbie diver, and someone who completed AOW a couple of months ago, I'll have to agree with buoyancy control. This was the biggest differenciating factor for people who did well and people who were not ready for the deep dive. If you have your buoyancy dialed in, things are significantly easier. When you are task loaded (wether trying to take a math test, doing OOA drill, or being silted out and visibility drops to 2") if you're neutral, you know you're not going anywhere you don't want to be going. As you decend, just check your bouyancy along to way, adding air at the rate that's needed to stay neutral.

The whole talk about trust your instructor/stay close to your instructor worries me. Unless you're instructor is your dive buddy, I would not just trust your instructor. If for any reason you're feeling that it's not right, call the dive. You can always try another day. No big deal.

Above all, relax and have a good time. Don't rush yourself and make sure you're comfortable. Diving is supposed to be fun, no?

I like the way you think (teach) NWGratefulDiver. It sounds like a great base for teaching down the road. Unfortunately I don't think this is the norm.

I agree. From reading NWGratefulDiver's posts on AOW, I am really impressed. I thought that I had a great course, but seeing Bob's outline (which he posted about a week after I completed AOW), I was amazed of the high level of teaching and requirements. Keep up the great work!

 

[Randy43068]

Well Dan,

This thread isn't about me so get off of it.

I was just giving him some background about what I experienced. I was as ready for the dive as I could have been. It's my nature to have some anxiety when I do something I haven't done before. My anxiety was unreasonable and I knew that. I did end the dive early because I wasn't mentally comfortable with it.

My first deep dive is done and I haven’t had any problems since. I was just giving him some ideas on what to do until he relaxes a bit.

"Actually I couldn't wait to get out of there because I was anxious about 'deep' dive. IT was to about 70 feet in cold but pretty clear water. Viz was probably 30-50 feet or so.

Just remember, stay close to your DM or instructor and keep in mind that if you run out of air, or something goes wrong, they're right there to help you."


"I couldn't wait to get out of there"

"if you run out of air..."

My friend, it sounds like you were not ready to make that dive - why did you?

D.S.D.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Definitely not peer pressure - in fact most of my friends think I'm crazy for diving in the first place. The other divers I know are qualified to various levels and generally just think it's cool that I dive. Definitely not pressure from my instructor. The first thing I asked after I got my OW water was "What now?" and his reply was "It depends on what you feel you're ready for, and what you want to do. If this is as far as you want to go I hope you'll keep coming diving with us, you've been a great addition to the group. If you want to go further you've got tons of options." Which he then told me about. That was a loooooooooooooong conversation!

It wasn't about proving myself either. I think I proved myself just getting my OW!

Basically (feel free to laugh :lol2: , flame :redhot: or poke me with a stick :1poke: ) I just thought "I want to learn more."

However I did do about 10 logged dives post OW. I know this isn't a lot but, without sounding big headed/completely foolish, I wanted to move onto something new. I wanted to pick up skills like Peak Performance Buoyancy that will improve my diving.

So feel free to laugh me off the board!

NauticalbutNice :fruit:

I wouldn't laugh at you ...

Actually, it sounds to me like you're on the right track.

From your description, I think perhaps you've got a good instructor. If he hasn't covered any of the things I mentioned above, ask him about it. Sounds like he's willing to spend time going through things with you ... I just think it's important to make sure you are prepared before the dive, rather than relying on your instructor to take care of you in case anything goes wrong.

Ask yourself this question ... are you prepared to deal with the problem if something goes wrong with your instructor? On a deep dive, you would have to be.

I tell my students, ask lots of questions. It helps both the student and the instructor assess what you truly understand ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Well Dan,

This thread isn't about me so get off of it.

I was just giving him some background about what I experienced. I was as ready for the dive as I could have been. It's my nature to have some anxiety when I do something I haven't done before. My anxiety was unreasonable and I knew that. I did end the dive early because I wasn't mentally comfortable with it.

My first deep dive is done and I haven’t had any problems since. I was just giving him some ideas on what to do until he relaxes a bit.

Randy,

My apologies if I offended you with my response to your post - it was not my intention to demean you in any way. What you posted tied in with my point to the author of this thread with respect to "readiness to dive." From what you wrote, it appeared to me the possibility that you made the dive even though you may not have honestly wanted to ( something that occurrs all too often in novice diving ), yet you did for some reason(s). I just wanted to know if any such reasons existed for you, & if they did, why you chose to dive anyway.

Again, sorry for the upset. It is a hazard of this type of forum that oftimes meaning is interpreted differently than was intended by the author. It is not my habit to ridicule, debase or otherwise attempt to humiliate others. I am dedicated to the safe introduction of people to scuba, & sieze any opportunity presented that may give me further insight as to why newer divers do what they do.

Regards,
D.S.D.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

I agree with what you are saying here, but as has been pointed out in several threads regarding when to take the AOW course, many instructors think that AOW immediately after OW certification is the way to go.

Clearly the newly minted diver has no real diving history and the instructors only frank point of conversation is,"I think you're ready for AOW"

There just aren't enough NWGD's out there.

I am sorry I did not catch this previous thread - I know it gets tedious when points are rehashed ad nauseum.

I do not agree that a new diver "has no real diving history"; on the contrary, I believe their o/w dive history to be crucially important in the overall assessment of their ability to participate in advanced skills training - specifically the "deep dive." A student may meet standards on their o/w; however, the overall competency range ( as you well know ) varies considerably from student to student. As I stated earlier, some divers can proceed to more advanced skills & deeper depths sooner than others - this is where the Instructor's knowledge of the student's o/w performance is critical. Other divers need more time, at shallower depths, to build the confidence / competency to the point where deeper diving is safe to participate in. Very often, these types of students crave more guided diving by diving leaders in these shallower depths. I firmly believe this is why scuba suffers the significant attrition rate that it does - we abandon them too soon to their own devices, or we encourage them into programs they are not adequately prepared for, so they quit.

I stand by my belief that it is the Instructor's duty to properly assess candidates for suitability for training at all levels.

Regards,
D.S.D.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Definitely not peer pressure - in fact most of my friends think I'm crazy for diving in the first place. The other divers I know are qualified to various levels and generally just think it's cool that I dive. Definitely not pressure from my instructor. The first thing I asked after I got my OW water was "What now?" and his reply was "It depends on what you feel you're ready for, and what you want to do. If this is as far as you want to go I hope you'll keep coming diving with us, you've been a great addition to the group. If you want to go further you've got tons of options." Which he then told me about. That was a loooooooooooooong conversation!

It wasn't about proving myself either. I think I proved myself just getting my OW!

Basically (feel free to laugh :lol2: , flame :redhot: or poke me with a stick :1poke: ) I just thought "I want to learn more."

However I did do about 10 logged dives post OW. I know this isn't a lot but, without sounding big headed/completely foolish, I wanted to move onto something new. I wanted to pick up skills like Peak Performance Buoyancy that will improve my diving.

So feel free to laugh me off the board!

NauticalbutNice :fruit:

I for one do not find anything to do with your situation humourous NBN, & I would wager no one else participating here does either. I am conservative by nature, thus my postings are cautionary where I feel it necessary. Further, in this hurried , instant gratification society we live in today, I often feel people are too rushed in their approach to many things. Sometimes we need to slow down, catch our breath, & mull things over.

You appear to have your situation well-in-hand & as NWGB pointed out, it appears you have an Instructor with the right attitude - a quality that sits atop my list of "must haves" for anyone responsible for teaching diving.

I look foreward to your post-dive report!

Best,
D.S.D.

 

[Randy43068]

Hi Dan,

It's my turn to say sorry. I got quite defensive and shouldn't have. Forgive me?
When I did my AOW I had quite a bit of experience (not that I'm all that..) and was comfortable in the water.

It was more with the particular quarry that had me spooked for no good reason, and I knew it at the time.

I cannot disagree with any of your reasoning that you're posting here. In fact I agree.

Thanks for being a nice guy. I mean that.

Randy

Randy,

My apologies if I offended you with my response to your post - it was not my intention to demean you in any way. What you posted tied in with my point to the author of this thread with respect to "readiness to dive." From what you wrote, it appeared to me the possibility that you made the dive even though you may not have honestly wanted to ( something that occurrs all too often in novice diving ), yet you did for some reason(s). I just wanted to know if any such reasons existed for you, & if they did, why you chose to dive anyway.

Again, sorry for the upset. It is a hazard of this type of forum that oftimes meaning is interpreted differently than was intended by the author. It is not my habit to ridicule, debase or otherwise attempt to humiliate others. I am dedicated to the safe introduction of people to scuba, & sieze any opportunity presented that may give me further insight as to why newer divers do what they do.

Regards,
D.S.D.

 

[SquattingRadishDM]

Other divers need more time, at shallower depths, to build the confidence / competency to the point where deeper diving is safe to participate in. Very often, these types of students crave more guided diving by diving leaders in these shallower depths.

I've seen this too, many AOW students I have spoken to look at the course as another 5 guided dives to get more experience and be more comfortable U/W. Instead of the notion of learning skills specific to different types of diving.

It is perhaps a symptom of the fact that so many new OW divers just dont feel able to dive on their own after they get their c-cards. I dont know what the solution is, more check-out dives in OW class, longer OW courses with more pool time or take guided dives after the course.

Personally I would advise at least 10 dives between OW and AOW, guided if you feel you need them guided

 

[ShakaZulu]

Before you do this dive, calculate your rock-bottom times and see if your instructor follows the plan.........and what The Skull said, control your bouyency on the way down.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I've seen this too, many AOW students I have spoken to look at the course as another 5 guided dives to get more experience and be more comfortable U/W. Instead of the notion of learning skills specific to different types of diving.

Unfortunately, many LDS market the AOW class as merely 5 guided dives to get more experience ... instead of the notion of teaching skills specific to different types of diving.

It really bothers me to read so many reports from people who said they got little or no class time in AOW ... or that they didn't learn anything new in the class. What that tells me is that the instructor teaching it, or the LDS marketing it, didn't put any time into making it what it's intended to be.

It is perhaps a symptom of the fact that so many new OW divers just dont feel able to dive on their own after they get their c-cards. I dont know what the solution is, more check-out dives in OW class, longer OW courses with more pool time or take guided dives after the course.

Personally I would advise at least 10 dives between OW and AOW, guided if you feel you need them guided

When I was a DM, one of the LDS I worked with would arrange regular guided dives ... making their staff available to new divers who wanted more experience to reach that comfort level. Those dives were very popular with our new graduates, and very beneficial for DM's who wanted to gain mentoring experience ... especially those of us who wanted to go on to become instructors. They also served as a feedback loop to see how successful we were being with our OW classes, and the type of diver we were turning out.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)