Got some gear and signed up for AOW!

[DukeAMO]

My husband and I got a little more gear and signed up for Advanced Open Water and Peak Performance Buoyancy next month too!

The new gear:
Zeagle Envoy Deluxe regs & first stages
Aqua Lung ABS Octos
A Zeagle Ranger for him, and a Zeagle Zena for me (custom assembled from various sizes)
Random & assorted small things
Suunto consoles with depth and pressure gauges and compasses.

We already had mask, snorkel, fins, booties, and wrist computers.

I know some people say to hold off on AOW, and others say to go ahead and do it right away for the practice/experience. We're going with the second camp on this one. ;-) I'd rather have more time with the instructors before we're off on a reef in a strange place.

I can't wait to try out our new gear in AOW. The main reason we decided to get the BCDs now was so we could work on our Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty that same weekend, with the BCDs and weight systems we really want to use in the log run. And the regulators are just a comfort thing - we'd rather have our own gear that we know well, instead of dealing with rentals all the time. And then the consoles kind of go along with the regulator.

We'll be traveling for most of our dives this year, so it'll be easier to rent the wetsuits/weights/tanks for a while. I can't even imagine dealing with two wet wetsuits on a cruise ship! Plus the water temperatures we'll be diving in are all over the map, so there's no one wetsuit that would work.

 

[t-mac]

Sounds like you're hooked and getting used to new gear before you do a trip is wise. Get comfortable with it in a controlled environment. After some experiences with ill-fitting wetsuits, you will go there too. It probably is true that you would get more out of AOW if you waited a bit, but the additional knowledge and dives will be good for you before you head off on a trip. There are always optimal ways of doing things, but I couldn't name anyone who has done anything optimally. It's invariably a retrospective analysis that shows what is optimal. In the end, you are making this decision for the right reasons -- to become a better, safer diver where you are comfortable, before you head on to a strange place. Bravo! Happy diving!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I don't think you can do a specialty and AOW in the same weekend. You are limited to no more than three training dives per day. And many times if you do the deep on day two you may only do one other dive if the schedule is tight. I'd do PPB on it;s own. get your basics and that down pat before doing AOW. I don't allow new OW divers in my AOW class with less than 10 dives post OW cert if I trained them. When they come from someone else. It's ten dives plus an interview and skills eval before they can get in.

An AOW course should give you ALL the skills and knowledge to do the dives it will give you access to.

If students want more dives with me we just go diving. Or they can tag along with other students. Between course dives I will give them tips and pointers. No charge.

That way they are ready and have their basic skills down pat before trying AOW and failing or getting frustrated. With my AOW class all that is guaranteed is training. The cert must be earned and it may not happen if they don't meet my standards as well as those of the agency. We'll go til they get it or give up but I'm not in the business of selling cards.

 

[ddmattos]

I did my AOW a month after OW. But on the same gear. I believe....It's not really the quantity of dives but the quality and frequency. Takes notes and think how to make that next dive better than the last. But I could be wrong.


Please get a few dives on your new gear before class. Get some pool time in if you can with an instructor to get everything dialed in.
If your rough buoyancy is under control, go for it! The skills acquired in AOW will be used and practiced on future dives. Learn the right way from the start so you don't pick up bad habits/skills.

I only say this because I took a wreck course with a very nice fellow student but he was in new gear. I spent a lot of time in the water hovering watching him try to get his buoyancy under control and he sucked through his air because of his frustration. We did awesome skills on land such as running a line but dives were cut short and I felt we rushed through in water skills. The shop is letting me repeat the course without me even asking. Love my LDS.

It happens but please make sure you are comfortable in your new gear before class. You and your fellow students will get much more out of the class.

Safe Diving and Have Fun!!!!
Darren

 

[grantwiscour]

Congrats on the new gear. It's always nice to have your own rig set up like you want it.
+1 on getting some time in the water with your new gear before the AOW class.
It'll be beneficial to learning if you don't have to spend the first part of a class getting adjusted.

Enjoy the AOW class. It is a good step in your continued skill-building.

 

[Doomnova]

Ah the joys of new toys. I remember when I got most of my kit back in October and then my drysuit in Jan. Who needs to wait for Christmas. Next month is spring straps and a new bite piece for my reg.

 

[DukeAMO]

I know the diving days *are* quite long (12 hours for the first day), so that's how they fit in 3 dives per day within NDL limits. Also, the quarry where they do the training has most of the interesting things at a pretty shallow depth. The "wrecks" are probably only in 20-30 feet of water.
Fantasy Lake Scuba Park, North Carolina
If I had to guess, I would say they do: deep, PPB, night on day 1, then wreck, nav, and PPB on day 2. But that's a guess.

I understand where you're coming from, Jim. Our LDS considers AOW to be "advanced beginner" training, and they say you're a better diver after you've done it, so they encourage people to do it early on. Different philosophy. I've read the debates on this board.

I suspect what worries you is that people will take an AOW certification as a license to do something they're not ready for. Or is it more that the training just won't stick?

---------- Post added April 13th, 2012 at 05:10 PM ----------

We do have one chance to try out our new gear before AOW class. The shop is holding a pool party at the end of April, to kick off the diving season. So it won't "count" as a dive, but we can at least test everything out and make sure it works, and play around in the pool for an hour or so.

On our OW trip, one of the guys was already certified, and he was just testing out new gear. Good thing we had spares along for the students, because his brand-new regulator wouldn't stop free-flowing! So yes, we've already learned first-hand how important it is to test your gear before you're far from home!

I think the figuring out the weights will be OK, because we wore the same wetsuits in our OW checkout dives as we will for AOW (5 mm Farmer John + 5/3 Shorty + Hood + Boots). (That's comfortable for 72 degree water, in case anyone cares to know.)

In the OW class, it was impossible to get proper trim with all of the weights on my hips. But we did spend most of our extra time in the pool and OW dives learning how to get neutrally buoyant, so that'll help.

 

[divingsiren]

My husband and I got a little more gear and signed up for Advanced Open Water and Peak Performance Buoyancy next month too!

The new gear:
Zeagle Envoy Deluxe regs & first stages
Aqua Lung ABS Octos
A Zeagle Ranger for him, and a Zeagle Zena for me (custom assembled from various sizes)
Random & assorted small things
Suunto consoles with depth and pressure gauges and compasses.

We already had mask, snorkel, fins, booties, and wrist computers.

I know some people say to hold off on AOW, and others say to go ahead and do it right away for the practice/experience. We're going with the second camp on this one. ;-) I'd rather have more time with the instructors before we're off on a reef in a strange place.

I can't wait to try out our new gear in AOW. The main reason we decided to get the BCDs now was so we could work on our Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty that same weekend, with the BCDs and weight systems we really want to use in the log run. And the regulators are just a comfort thing - we'd rather have our own gear that we know well, instead of dealing with rentals all the time. And then the consoles kind of go along with the regulator.

We'll be traveling for most of our dives this year, so it'll be easier to rent the wetsuits/weights/tanks for a while. I can't even imagine dealing with two wet wetsuits on a cruise ship! Plus the water temperatures we'll be diving in are all over the map, so there's no one wetsuit that would work.

Congrats on the purchases! After reading your post I realized....I think we own the same gear! I love the Zena, it fits perfectly. The zipper can be a bit tricky at first, but it keeps everything very streamlined underwater. I love my Zeagle Envoy Dlx Reg too, easy to breathe on ..very sensitive though. Great products, enjoy

Oh, I brought my own shorty on the last cruise I was on...it wasn't that bad. I just packed all my gear and shorty in the dive bag after the dives and hung it up in the bathroom on board. Easy-peasy. Have a great time!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I know the diving days *are* quite long (12 hours for the first day), so that's how they fit in 3 dives per day within NDL limits. Also, the quarry where they do the training has most of the interesting things at a pretty shallow depth. The "wrecks" are probably only in 20-30 feet of water.
Fantasy Lake Scuba Park, North Carolina
If I had to guess, I would say they do: deep, PPB, night on day 1, then wreck, nav, and PPB on day 2. But that's a guess.

I understand where you're coming from, Jim. Our LDS considers AOW to be "advanced beginner" training, and they say you're a better diver after you've done it, so they encourage people to do it early on. Different philosophy. I've read the debates on this board.

I suspect what worries you is that people will take an AOW certification as a license to do something they're not ready for. Or is it more that the training just won't stick?

Actually I have seen both first hand. And the results have been less than pretty to downright scary. And to be fair I do not teach an "experience this" type of AOW course. My philosophy is that if you are going to gain access to the types of dives that an AOW card gives a diver they better get the knowledge and skills along with that.

For example a deep dive with no classroom discussion of gas planning (not be back on the boat with 500psi) that includes SAC rates, Rock Bottom, and cylinder selection is, IMO, dangerous. An AL80 is not a suitable tank for most new divers on an 80-100 foot dive. The class should show you why. Planning deep dives with no discussion of emergency deco procedures is also ill advised.

Trying to teach students underwater navigation when they cannot control their buoyancy, do not know how to use non silting kicks, and have poor buddy skills results in frustration, errors in the navigation, and can result in buddy separation.

If students are taking the deep class to dive wrecks in the ocean they had better learn how to shoot a bag and do a drifting safety stop. Stuff happens and getting blown off the wreck is no big deal if you can provide your own visual and tactile reference for an ascent. Bluewater ones can be done and I enjoy them but others get freaked out.

Now take all this and try to integrate it into someone who is still trying get ok with mask clearing, has trouble maintaining horizontal trim, and needs the DM to help them figure out which weights are which and it is nigh on impossible for all the really critical info to stick. On "advanced dives" the leaving out of a piece of that info could result in some very serious consequences. Go to 100 feet on an al 80, look down and see you're now at 700 psi, look over and your buddy is grabbing for your octo because they ran out of air. Do you have enough to get both of you to the surface safely and controlled? Remembering that it is going to take a minute to get situated, gain control, and stay near the descent line. And since your buddy is OOA how will they or you inflate their BC on the surface?

And advanced dives give you the opportunity to experience bad stuff happening much quicker with more serious consequences. What rescue skills do you have to deal with an unconscious diver at depth, a panicked one on the surface, a panicked one under water, or a buddy or other diver who cannot drop weights for some odd reason and cannot get positive?

This is why we have rescue skills in our OW class and I put them every class I teach. My AOW has a dive devoted to buddy skills and assists. All of the ones I noted are in the OW class from my agency. I add more in AOW. All of this leads to safer dives but it needs to have a solid foundation in the basics. Rushing through courses is not the way to get more supervison from an instructor. Just diving with one or with really experienced divers is better IMO. Get a few dives, take PPB,(even though this should be in every OW class), get to where you can do all skills in midwater with say no more than a deviation of 1-2 feet, and then do AOW. And get in an AOW class that is more than a tour or taste of advanced dives. Get one where they will take your basic skills and push them just a bit farther and then add to them. And one where there is actual classroom for explanation of gas management, deco, hazards to underwater nav, why this is done and that is not, and that has some basic rescue skills.

You and your hubby may never need to rescue each other. But what if you are on one of these advanced dives and someone needs your help? What will you do? Be able to help them or say sorry we need to find a rescue diver or DM to help? While they drown before your eyes. This has happened. Divers watching helplessly while someone died because they did not have a few basic rescue skills - unconscious diver from depth, panicked diver, and diver unable to get positive at the surface. Their buddies watched them drown or turned and they were gone. Until they were recovered on the bottom hours or days later. It's why I recommend rescue before AOW to those who have not had it in OW. My agency allows this. Some do not. And that is a shame.

 

[spectrum]

Congratulations on the gear.

It would be real nice if you got to make a number of dives with the new gear before AOW. AOW is about taking you to new places in the water and with skills. It would be a shame to find yourselves in AOW training fussing with new gear or fumbling as you get accustomed to the new placements. A cardinal rule is to never change too many items at once. Digest the gear then process the AOW activities.

Pete