I blew it!

[Petra]

I can't believe how badly I did on my navigation dive today. My wife and I were out at TL working on out AOW this afternoon. The instructor had me take a bearing from the dock and then I was supposed to navigate to the platform. I ended up on the other side of the lake! Is there a remedial class out there? Maybe I can get a seeing eye fish to lead me around and one of those white canes.

Oh well. I'll do some more practicing on land then give it another try. On the bright side, we did great on our peak performance bouyancy dive! 1 down, 4 more dives to go.

Mark

 

[Juls64]

I don't really get the impression that PADI AOW is a pass or fail thing anyway. It seems more like a first exposure to other things that are available. Now you've had a taste of it so you can get yourself a compass (if you don't already have one) and work on it on your own. It is fun to do and you can learn more as you go along. You could even take the full course if you want.

Don't think of it as a final test, but as a first beginning. You just kinda had a placement test.

Good luck and enjoy the rest of your dives!

Juls

 

[Dee]

Mark...I can give you some tips on how to hit those platforms!

What depth were you? All 3 platforms are at 20ft. They are all suspended with either steel cable or chain, both very hard to find on their own. So after you've taken your heading, get to 20ft and stay there. That way, with the limited viz, you'll see the platform instead of swimming between the cables and continuing on to the other side of the lake!

Also think about your fin kicks. In your AOW, you should have already measured your fin kicks so you know how many you need to get to the platform. That way you'll have an idea you've missed it WAY before you get to the other side of the lake!

At least you're in good company. Almost everyone out there has done the same thing!

HTH