Question Is AOW a waste of time?

[onepointfivethumbs]

I'm not going to waste my time by offering facts to replace your opinions, since your mind appears to already be made up.
Option 1 is silly; you end up with a clapped lout CCR and no idea how to dive it.
Option 2 has some merit.
Option 3 is half right.
Option 4 is a waste of time at this point; you don't need equipment, you need experience and training.

Obviously this unnamed diver will get unit-specific training from a reputable instructor.

 

[tursiops]

Obviously this unnamed diver will get unit-specific training from a reputable instructor.

LOL. It is sad that that is all you took away from my post.

 

[onepointfivethumbs]

My recommended steps, FWIW:
Option 4: You mean that you don't already own all of this???
Then Option 2: Get a drysuit and a ton of experience diving it at all depths. Paradoxically, it's harder to dive a drysuit in shallows than it is deep, but since this is where you will spend most of your deco (when/if you get there), practice, practice, practice.
Then Option 3: As has already been said, like it or not some captains won't let you dive some sites unless you have AOW. That was the original motivation for me getting mine back in the day.

The only thing I'd add about Option 3 is why the hell would you want to annoy your instructor? Seriously?? Who goes into a class with this attitude? I know that your post was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but find a good instructor that you respect, and he will take you as far as he is able, piss him off in the class and he will not dive with you again (at least I wouldn't, but maybe I'm getting grumpy in my old age and pickier about who I choose to dive with).

I did mean it tongue-in-cheek, the advice I got from the manager at my LDS was simply "dive more", which seems obvious, but then you run into the question of "perfect practice makes permanent" versus getting competent direction, and the advice I've gotten a LOT here for any course is "depends on who is instructing it"

 

[onepointfivethumbs]

LOL. It is sad that that is all you took away from my post.

No, you have given sage advice which why I asked

 

[Rob9876]

Take AOW because even if you have hundreds of dives in your log book, many dive operators won't take you to a dive site that is deeper than 60' without AOW cert.

^^^Seems like I'm seeing this more and more, that AOW is required for a number of dive ops.

Let me also mention that rather than spending $500 for AOW, you might consider saving a little while longer and doing a Blackbeard's Bahamas liveaboard, which is around $1,000 (includes meals, sleeping berth, and up to 19 dives) but you can add AOW for another $150 (since you've already paid for the actual dives). So, you get to up your dive count significantly and get 5 of those dives with an instructor. Of course, you'd have to pay airfare too, but all in all this is the best overall cost per dive plus AOW for some pretty decent diving.

 

[Marie13]

No, you have given sage advice which why I asked

If you’re planning on diving the Great Lakes, your first priority is to get a drysuit and take the class. Tech instructors are going to require you to be experienced with the drysuit before doing anything else. Just having the drysuit cert isn’t enough. Do a bunch of local diving.

 

[onepointfivethumbs]

If you’re planning on diving the Great Lakes, your first priority is to get a drysuit and take the class. Tech instructors are going to require you to be experienced with the drysuit before doing anything else. Just having the drysuit cert isn’t enough. Do a bunch of local diving.

Dang. Gotta save up for a SeaSkin with my weird proportions.

 

[Marie13]

Dang. Gotta save up for a SeaSkin with my weird proportions.

If this is such a priority, get yourself a second job. I see all sorts of retail and fast food places hiring in my area.

 

[Jcp2]

If you are diving on vacation and hiring a guide for yourself because you aren’t traveling with a diving partner and you don’t want to be one of a crowd, the cost of AOW is not much more than what you would pay for a private guide. Just another way of looking at it.

 

[inquis]

My take:
1. BP/W & a reg set to start. Nothing like knowing your lead requirements and where everything is located.
2. AOW to keep any boat from discriminating against you. It's also a prereq for the tech path under both PADI (since you mentioned them) and TDI.
3. Nitrox to increase bottom time and it's a prereq for the tech path. Can be combined with AOW I think.
< Get some experience just diving>
4. Drysuit to extend your season locally, and it's an easy form of redundant buoyancy for the tech path.
<Significant experience diving in a drysuit>
5. Rescue - expand your awareness and situational awareness. Not strictly needed but I've never heard anyone regret taking it. (Required for the tech path with PADI.)
5. ITT/AN/DP (TDI) or Tec40/45/50 (PADI) to improve buoyancy/propulsion and learn to do mandatory deco & gas switching. (Will be useful prior to starting cave training if done in Florida.)
6. Apprentice Cave, <practice>, Full Cave
<Cave dive or open water dive as you please, basically have fun while you save money for CCR>
7. CCR: Helitrox then Normoxic then Hypoxic
7.1 Possibly CCR cave after helitrox & 50-100 hrs