Just finished OW training looking at advanced OW

[Jafo19D]

That's interesting. I didn't think that was an option. At least, I was told it wasn't an option because it doesn't require a dive. Checking my PADI account shows that EA is not an option as one of the adventure dives. I wonder if they let you do it after purchasing the course separately. To me, that seems like a waste of a training dive since there really aren't any UW skills involved.

Yeah but it’s a source of revenue

 

[Esprise Me]

Thanks for all the good info, I’m going to sign up for the advanced course. I think I would feel better getting some of those habits down early on with an instructor. We did our for ocean dives. But I was just getting a little comfortable on the very last one.

Sounds like a solid decision. FWIW, I've had good instructors and not-so-good instructors; I've had classes that covered a lot of info and others that were kinda light; I've taken classes after having had very little experience, and later with a lot of experience, and overall I feel like the primary benefit I've gotten from all of them is a safe space to stretch my wings. I didn't feel completely ready to dive independently after OW, but the time with an instructor in AOW was a real confidence-booster. I continue to take classes mainly so that I can have someone competent watching over me while I try something more challenging. Not to say that's the only thing I get out of it, just the biggest, most helpful thing. I learn a lot on the cheap by reading this board and books, but practice time in the water with someone who can guide me and give feedback is still worth paying for.

 

[Centrals]

Are you recommending that these dives be selected?

If so, ...

1. the nitrox dive has no skills and does not certify the diver to use nitrox after the class
2. the multi-level dive no longer exists

1. Not even after AOW?
2. Really? Just because of computer?

 

[boulderjohn]

1. Not even after AOW?
2. Really? Just because of computer?

1. To be nitrox certified, you have to do the nitrox specialty. You can do that at any time--apparently even when doing the AOW dive. (Please note that my opinion on this shifted slighted after the post you quoted.)
2. Pretty much.

 

[boulderjohn]

Checking my PADI account shows that EA is not an option as one of the adventure dives.

The standards for the enriched air adventure dive for Advanced Open Water can be found on Page 90 of the 2021 instructor manual.

It is possible that it was not an option for the specific instructor/shop who taught your AOW. Many shops do not have the ability to make nitrox.

 

[Diverlady13]

The standards for the enriched air adventure dive for Advanced Open Water can be found on Page 90 of the 2021 instructor manual.

It is possible that it was not an option for the specific instructor/shop who taught your AOW. Many shops do not have the ability to make nitrox.

What I was looking at was on the PADI site at my purchased classes. The AOW has a list of all of the possible dives available to finish the dive portion of the course (so both the required dives and all available "adventure dives"). IOW, the list is all of the dives included in the paid course and one can finish the coursework for just the dives being done or for all of the potential dives. EANx isn't one of the options, so someone wanting to get nitrox certified would still have to purchase the additional course.

The shop we got certified with did offer the nitrox course separately, but not during OW or AOW. For AOW they had a specific set of dives they offered, partly due to the location. I didn't do the nitrox at that time, but a few months later with a shop on Grand Cayman.

I'm not doubting that it's possible to include a nitrox dive as one of the five dives, but that info isn't apparent to students taking the online course.

 

[mc42]

There are some 25 elective adventure dives you can choose from for AOW, including Enriched Air, Cavern, DPV, Deep, Rebreather, some Project AWARE, etc.

The PADI AOW manual contains materials (course info and knowledge reviews) for 13 of the 25 adventure dives. This set of 13 dives can be done by any open water instructor and do not need the instructor to be certified to teach the full specialty. The other 12 dives, which include Enriched Air, Ice, Cavern, etc. require the instructor to be certified to teach the specialty so it's not included in the manual.

If a shop didn't have an Enriched Air instructor, they wouldn't be able to offer it as an elective, so it would be safer to consistently offer and promote the electives that all instructors could teach and those with course materials available. Also, if not using the AOW course materials, the instructor would have to adapt the specialty course materials and knowledge reviews to deliver to the student for that one elective dive - a little more effort perhaps.

Because you can't get nitrox without a certification, there's no point in taking a nitrox adventure dive when the specialty doesn't even require you to dive. If you need nitrox, just take the full specialty, learn a little, and pick a different elective dive.

 

[TMHeimer]

No. Nitrox cannot be selected as an AOW dive. The EA certification doesn't require a dive. That said, someone doing OW or AOW can choose to do the enriched air course alongside either of those two certifications. Sometimes shops won't charge for that certification if done at the same time as OW or AOW (but of course divers still have to pay for the PADI coursework portion).

I'll take your word. Back in '06 it was one of my 5-- the "Nitrox Adventure Dive" is what the instructor wrote in my log. But that was back when the Nitrox Course required 2 dives.

 

[boulderjohn]

The other 12 dives, which include Enriched Air, Ice, Cavern, etc. require the instructor to be certified to teach the specialty so it's not included in the manual.

The standards are there for the AOW dive, but they require the instructor to use the full specialty requirements to teach the class. To me, this suggests that the student would be certified at the end, although I assume the shop would charge extra.

 

[mc42]

Check out page 90.

I'm looking at p.80 and the matrix on p. 81 that has the column for Must Be Specialty Diver Instructor. However, if that specifically only pertains to using the official materials (like administering the Enriched Air knowledge review) for the dive, and you can use your own material, then I'd stand corrected.