My 2 pesos
The AOW course is DESIGNED to be fun and not very challenging. It is an expansion of OW without the intensity and introduces you to some specialties that are available. And of course, it is the next required step before doing the rescue diver certiication which I think every diver should take (rescue is not a good vacation course however...very intense and not much actual diving) If the reading and knowledge reviews are done before arrival, then the course will take no more time than the five dives would. Depending on who you do the course with, your dives could be conducted from shore or better, they will all be boat dives so you are still diving the nice reefs. Briefings for each dive and discussion of each dive are done on the boat and during the surface interval.
Also, despite the misleading title of the course...it is not intended for those who are already "advanced" divers nor is it intended for those who want to become "advanced" divers (no c-card makes someone an advanced diver...only time and experience can do that). The best time to take this course (and the way it was intended) is while you are still a newer diver. Some take it immediately after OW, but IMO, it is best to do OW then get 10 to 20 dives under your belt and take the AOW. This is when people typically get the most benefit from the course.
As far as skills...the only dives in the AOW course that have staged skills are the Navigation dive and the deep dive. The skills can be completed in the first 10 to 15 minutes of the dive and the rest is just diving The other dives are simply practiciing and becoming conscious of skills/techniques that should be a part of any dive of that nature (ie: buoyancy control, Fish ID, multi-level/computer diving, drift diving, boat diving, etc.). My point is that you don't miss out on great dives because you are doing "training dives."
Fordan, navigating in the current is part of what you learn in the AOW course
The AOW course is DESIGNED to be fun and not very challenging. It is an expansion of OW without the intensity and introduces you to some specialties that are available. And of course, it is the next required step before doing the rescue diver certiication which I think every diver should take (rescue is not a good vacation course however...very intense and not much actual diving) If the reading and knowledge reviews are done before arrival, then the course will take no more time than the five dives would. Depending on who you do the course with, your dives could be conducted from shore or better, they will all be boat dives so you are still diving the nice reefs. Briefings for each dive and discussion of each dive are done on the boat and during the surface interval.
Also, despite the misleading title of the course...it is not intended for those who are already "advanced" divers nor is it intended for those who want to become "advanced" divers (no c-card makes someone an advanced diver...only time and experience can do that). The best time to take this course (and the way it was intended) is while you are still a newer diver. Some take it immediately after OW, but IMO, it is best to do OW then get 10 to 20 dives under your belt and take the AOW. This is when people typically get the most benefit from the course.
As far as skills...the only dives in the AOW course that have staged skills are the Navigation dive and the deep dive. The skills can be completed in the first 10 to 15 minutes of the dive and the rest is just diving The other dives are simply practiciing and becoming conscious of skills/techniques that should be a part of any dive of that nature (ie: buoyancy control, Fish ID, multi-level/computer diving, drift diving, boat diving, etc.). My point is that you don't miss out on great dives because you are doing "training dives."
Fordan, navigating in the current is part of what you learn in the AOW course