How do you choose your Advanced Open Water speciality

[boulderjohn]

I personally think they should re-name AOW to something like “Extended open water” or “Enhanced OW” or more to the point “Exploring specialties”. Something besides “Advanced” because they’re not very advanced at that point. If they were to take all the five full courses then they could be called Advanced. So to me it’s somewhat of a misnomer.

In the 18 years I have been on ScubaBoard, this point has been discussed (including by me early on) 4,247 times, by my estimate.

PADI tried calling it "Adventures in Diving" for many years, but they still kept the name "advanced" on the certification. That contradiction must have been the result of a very interesting (and probably continuing) debate at company headquarters.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

In the 18 years I have been on ScubaBoard, this point has been discussed (including by me early on) 4,247 times, by my estimate.

PADI tried calling it "Adventures in Diving" for many years, but they still kept the name "advanced" on the certification. That contradiction must have been the result of a very interesting (and probably continuing) debate at company headquarters.

It is what it is.

 

[TMHeimer]

In the 18 years I have been on ScubaBoard, this point has been discussed (including by me early on) 4,247 times, by my estimate.

PADI tried calling it "Adventures in Diving" for many years, but they still kept the name "advanced" on the certification. That contradiction must have been the result of a very interesting (and probably continuing) debate at company headquarters.

Yes. My book is titled The Most Advanced Clarinet Book. One review on Amazon said it's NOT the most advanced one. I haven't run itno one that's "harder", but my response is -- it's just a title. As Eric says, it is what it is. But the Advanced thing sure gets SB members' shorts in a bind for some reason. I knew when I took it with 6 previous dives including the four OW check out ones that I was not in fact advanced in the least.

 

[scubadada]

Hey hey, my my, AOW will never die. Better to accept it, than to flail away, hey hey, my my.

Apologies to Neil Young

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Yes. My book is titled The Most Advanced Clarinet Book. One review on Amazon said it's NOT the most advanced one. I haven't run itno one that's "harder", but my response is -- it's just a title. As Eric says, it is what it is. But the Advanced thing sure gets SB members' shorts in a bind for some reason. I knew when I took it with 6 previous dives including the four OW check out ones that I was not in fact advanced in the least.

It reminded me of this report from almost 10 years ago: Rescuers search for Japanese divers missing off Bali

The seven, all experienced divers... <taking some liberty snipping> ...had completed at least 50 dive trips previously.

"Experienced" and "at least 50" just don't go together. But that's the media/people's general impression. We get annoyed when the media refers to scuba tanks as oxygen tanks.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Yes. My book is titled The Most Advanced Clarinet Book. One review on Amazon said it's NOT the most advanced one. I haven't run itno one that's "harder", but my response is -- it's just a title. As Eric says, it is what it is. But the Advanced thing sure gets SB members' shorts in a bind for some reason. I knew when I took it with 6 previous dives including the four OW check out ones that I was not in fact advanced in the least.

I’ve seen a lot of things milder than AOW discussions get peoples’ panties all up in a wad here on scubaboard.
They need to go diving.
Come here and help collect purple urchins. I’ll even write you a special “Purple Urchin Removal Diver” specialty cert.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Come here and help collect purple urchins.

That's to help restore kelp, right?

 

[scubadada]

Come here and help collect purple urchins. I’ll even write you a special “Purple Urchin Removal Diver” specialty cert.

Is that PADI?

 

[Jake 10]

That's to help restore kelp, right?

Is one of many ways to help restore kelp

 

[tursiops]

PADI tried calling it "Adventures in Diving" for many years, but they still kept the name "advanced" on the certification.

I think a case could be made that some SB posters perhaps have a very focussed approach, such that they dwell on the immediate details rather than the big picture and how all the details fit together. (In Myers-Briggs terms, strong S's rather than N's.) It follows that they see "Advanced Open Water" and get focussed on "advanced," rather than how that word fits in with the history and other meanings/uses of the word. They jump to the conclusion that an Advanced Open Water Diver must mean an Advanced Diver......rather than one who has simply gone beyond the Open Water training. If one takes an advanced cooking class, does that mean one has become an advanced cook, or does it just mean they now know more than someone who has not yet taken that class?