going Advanced

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I personally like the way SSI does it.
In order to get an Advanced Open Water Diver certification, one must complete four Specialty courses and log 24 or more dives. So one could continue training immediately after OW certification to get the four specialties (normally eight dives required - two for each specialty, but if taken as a package four specialties can be completed in six dives), but the AOW cert isn't issued until after 24 logged dives.
Rick
 
I agree with the 25-30 dive recommendation before pursuing AOW. I rushed into AOW after 10 dives (I originally thought I was going on a trip to Turks & Caicos last fall and wanted the AOW cert before I went).

While I found the class to be helpful, I think having 10-20 more dives under my belt would have been preferable. When you first emerge from your basic OW course, everything is so new that you don't know what you don't know. By getting some experience before taking AOW, you will get much more out of the class. You'll also have more time to get exposed to other divers and diving philosophies that will help shape the questions you ask and techniques you work on during the class. You'll also be better aware of your own abilities -- what you do well, what you don't, etc. You will have time to optimize your equipment configuration and skills. For example, someone who hasn't fully mastered buoyancy should NOT be participating in the deep dive that will be part of the AOW course. And if you just bought a complete set of new gear....trying it out for the first or second time under "advanced conditions" is obviously not optimal.

You get the point -- bottom line, I would use the 25-30 dive recommedation.

Hope this is helpful.
 
Originally posted by keralucu
Hey DivingGal - it must be pretty damn cold diving where you are. I can't imagine doing that right now when we're in the hottest month of the year and the bottom temperature where I was diving on Monday was 38 (Celsius - sorry, don't know Fahrenheit! but it was HOT). I could quite happily have ditched my wetsuit.

I'd love to hear something about your dives in Canada.

Cheers
Cold is all a relative term here. Current outside temp is about 10C (50F) [38C = 100F], and I'm coming to work in a light jacket (plus reg clothes too!). Water temp -- well right now I don't know, I think it's around the 4-7C mark (40-45F). I hit the OW water for the first time in a couple of weeks. Believe me, no ditching of any wetsuit! We'll be diving with 7mm or drysuits! By late summer, I wear a shortie, altough for some they'll still think it's cold (15C - 60F).

The dives we're planning are two wreck dives, one a drift dive, the other just a "normal" drop off a boat. Will let you know how it goes.
 
Your recommendations have all been a big help. I agree that it may be more useful to get a few more OW dives under my (weight)belt before going Advanced.

Actually, as far as buoyancy control, although I felt I didn't have it quite right, my instructor and our dive master both told my sister & me that we had really good control, far better than the other two guys diving with us who have been doing it for years! Was well pleased with that comment...

I guess I got excited about doing the advanced because on our first two certified dives, the dive master made me plan the multi-level dives which we hadn't even learnt yet and I was able to do it, using the wheel planner - a major feat for me! Anyway, as they say, practice makes perfect.... so it'll be a while before we do AOW.

Thanks a mil, everyone - and DivingGal, have a great trip... can't wait to hear about it.
 
I am probably the only one that will disagree with the all the pro's but here is why! To become better with anything you chose to do there is pratice and there is knowledge. I found my diving improve 110% after reading the advance diving course and applying all I read to my dives, I found myself as an cert.adv. with other divers that had been in the water for years and these are the ones you learn from. If you decide to wait on the cert. don't wait on the reading material, it is a godsend with learning control,bouyancy,safey,navagation, ect. a great deal of info you did not get in OW, and how to be a better diver if methods are applied. Good luck
 
Cher,

"To become better with anything you chose to do there is pratice and there is knowledge."

Very true.

"I found my diving improve 110% after reading the advance diving course and applying all I read to my dives"

I, personally, do not use a text for my advanced course because I've yet to find an advanced text that covers material I didn't already cover in my OW course.

"don't wait on the reading material, it is a godsend with learning control,bouyancy,safey,navagation, ect."

All of this is covered in any good OW course. You will continue to fine tune your skills by practicing, but you should have all the knowledge in these areas when you complete your OW class. If you didn't, you were short changed by an incompetent instructor.

"a great deal of info you did not get in OW, and how to be a better diver if methods are applied."

This tells me your "Advanced" class wasn't an advanced class at all, but a suppliment to bring your skills to where they should have been before you began the class. An advanced class should be introducing you to new areas of diving. After completing an advanced course, you should be experienced in deeper diving (beyond the 60 OW limit), low viz (less than 5 ft), night, search and recovery (not an expert, but with basic skills) and compass navigation to suppliment the natural navigation you learned in OW.

The reason for getting in about 25 dives before beginning your advanced course is so all the skills you learned in OW are second nature and you'll be able to concentrate on the NEW things you are learning.

The poor courses you were the victim of are a major problem in this industry. You did not get what you paid for. You paid for two courses and probably have not yet been taught all that should have been covered in the first. This practice makes me angry. I believe it is cheating the consumer. My courses are not cheap, but you can bet you get full value for your money.

WWW™

 
Diving is there for you to enjoy - do the 'next' course when you feel ready for it. I waited 6 months but this is mainly due to the horrible temperatures here over winter.

The main benefit I got from the AOW was practice with the compass. This had been a major stumbling block with me mentally.

Try the 'harder' skills while you have an instructor around to assist. I personally see little point in doing the Underwater Photography as one of your elective dives, however feedback and discussion was very useful on the multilevel.
 
My instructor (my cousin) has told me that what we have covered in OW is basically what we need for AOW apart from the new diving skills such as deep, night etc. We have already covered compass navigation in depth and just two days ago swam in 2m viz.... quite a challenge as I lost my buddy for a few minutes! Our first four certified dives were multi-level which we were made to plan ourselves (tough when you've not used the wheel before). She did say that there was a bit more to read but that basically we've covered it. I have just completed my 10th dive but still want to do at least another 10 before going AOW by Feb next year when we're going to the Similan Islands - plenty of time for that in these waters, I think.

Thanks for the continued comments on this thread.
Cheers :)
 
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