Enriched Air v. Advanced Open Water Certifications

[dougchartier]

I've been PADI open water certified for a little over a year and have done over 25 dives so far, mostly tropical but some cold water. I'd like to build my skills by getting additional certifications; however, due to my work schedule, there could be a big time lag between my courses.

For my next course, I'm debating between taking either enriched air or advanced open water. Which of those do you think I should take next (or would you suggest a different course)? Keep in mind that I have no specific goal right now other than gaining a lot of diving experience and becoming a better diver.

Thanks for your help!

Doug

 

[scuba&golf]

I just completed AOW and did it to gain more knowledge and work on skills. It is a great way to expand your knowledge and skills. Enriched Air may be easier to work into your work schedule because it's typically only one four hour class, no dives. I am taking this next Monday night, and want this certification to extend bottom times and possibly not feel as tired after multiple dives in a day/dive trip. You will gain more dive experience with AOW, but if you're serious about enriched air, it will probably be easier to fit into your schedule.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Ohhhh, I guess I'd say AOW next. Then you can do the enriched air class anytime are ready to dive enriched air...

I'm not a huge fan of AOW, but it does get you a few more dives under your belt with an instructor present. NAV, night diving, "deep" diving are courses that should be helpful to you.

Or, you could just dive as much as possible in as many different conditions as you can and build your experience that way...

I guess in a round about way I'm trying to say the "certs" in and of themselves don't really build your skills... diving does. The certs just (hopefully) point you in the right direction, and let you practice a few new skills under supervision of an instructor.... then you have to dive A LOT to master the skills.

I've been diving 32 years (but with long periods of non-diving, thus the "lowish" logged dive count). The more I dive, the more I realize how much room for improvement I have. I'd have a hard time naming a single skill that I've really "mastered"

Good luck!

 

[jridg]

Doug,

I applaud your desire to increase your dive education.

As for what's next, well that's really kind of up to you. While I feel that either class would be helpful, don't limit your choices. There are plenty of great courses out there that you can take to improve your diving skills and knowledge. Think about Peak Performance buoyancy - this one class can improve your skill and confidence more than many others. If you are pressed for time - think about equipment specialist.

If you want to either take EANX or AOW - I vote for Advanced first then EANX - however - Peak Performance Buoyancy gets my vote for improving your skills the most at your level of experience.

Hope that helps....

 

[JBRES1]

I would say get the Enriched card first.
Nitrox is something that will be a good added card to have.
You will be able to get more bottom time or a larger safety margin when using Nitrox vs. using air on dives in the are within the nitrox mod.

The AOW card is nice to have, but take your time . At first dive as much as you can, then take the class when you are comfortable diving and can gain more from the class.
Too many people go from getting the OW card to the AOW and don't get the full benefit of the class because they don't yet know enough.

Jim B

 

[halocline]

I think you can combine the two and save some money over the individual prices. Taking nitrox is a natural compliment to AOW. The peak performance buoyancy can (and should) be one of your elective dives in AOW.

The nitrox class is not a dive skills class; you just need to take it to "legally" dive nitrox. So on its own it will not improve your dive skills. If you see yourself diving in environments that are good for nitrox, then it's worth taking. I took it as part of my DM for no extra cost, otherwise I probably would not have bothered. Then I went on a dive trip where it was extremely useful (five 70-80ft dives/day) and I was glad I had it.

I think where and with whom you take the AOW class will have a big impact on how much you learn. It's not a bad idea to take it as part of a dive vacation so you can practice the skills immediately. With the right instructor it can be enjoyable and you'll learn some good things.

A good book to check out if you are interested in improving your overall dive knowledge is the PADI encyclopedia of recreational diving.

 

[halocline]

Too many people go from getting the OW card to the AOW and don't get the full benefit of the class because they don't yet know enough.

Jim B

PADI designed the courses to be taken in tandem and recommends students go directly from OW to AOW. I used to think that was not a good way to go, kind of along your line of reasoning, but then I saw many OW students go directly into AOW and come out in much better shape to dive on their own than they would have been had they just taken OW. The two courses together actually form a more reasonable (IMO) certification course.

 

[texdiveguy]

Between the choice of these 2 courses....go with AOW next.

 

[driftwood]

Unless you have a dive trip in the near future where you will get a lot of benefit from your Nitrox, go with the AOW. The AOW class that I took was not very well taught. I probably would have been better off just taking the buoyancy specialty, but the AOW is required to take the rescue class. Great that you are committed to taking more classes.

 

[J.R.]

Doug,

I applaud your desire to increase your dive education.

As for what's next, well that's really kind of up to you. While I feel that either class would be helpful, don't limit your choices. There are plenty of great courses out there that you can take to improve your diving skills and knowledge. Think about Peak Performance buoyancy - this one class can improve your skill and confidence more than many others. If you are pressed for time - think about equipment specialist.

If you want to either take EANX or AOW - I vote for Advanced first then EANX - however - Peak Performance Buoyancy gets my vote for improving your skills the most at your level of experience.

Hope that helps....

I concur... with the recomendation and the logic behind it...