My OW certification checkout dives didn't go so well unfortunately.

[George Monnat Jr]

CESA is very similar to submarine escape hatch training, except we were trained to say Ho Ho Ho all the way up. I never actually practiced it, though.

 

[60plus]

In my PADI manual it states "remove and replace scuba kit underwater" in confined water before open water dive 3.
Just to clarify an earlier post where I wrote "unstable RIB" A more accurate description would be small RIB (about 8 seats) that was made unstable by the swell / waves. Another poster questioned whether diving should take place in such conditions. In the UK / Norther waters possibly not - I have no experience of rough sea diving in UK. However in Canaries and Southern Europe / Mediterranean it seem that it can be quite rough on top but fine for diving once you get a few meters below the surface. My son did his first 2 OW dives in 3m swell, there was air under the RIB at times it was bouncing so much and waves were splashing over my head when I was stood in the RIB whilst they were diving underneath. Once they were down to 10m it was calm.

 

[George Monnat Jr]

In my PADI manual it states "remove and replace scuba kit underwater" in confined water before open water dive 3...

Interesting, I haven't seen that (except for DMCs) and do PADI OW classes regularly. What year was it published?

 

[Jcp2]

I did BCD removal at the surface and underwater in confined water portion of OW class.

 

[tursiops]

Scuba unit remove/replace at the surface (confined water dive 4) and underwater (dive 5) is in the Instructor Manual now and has been for a long time. Surely, as a DM you've memorized the IM! And, it is on the teaching slates.

 

[Edward3c]

In my PADI manual it states "remove and replace scuba kit underwater" in confined water before open water dive 3.
Just to clarify an earlier post where I wrote "unstable RIB" A more accurate description would be small RIB (about 8 seats) that was made unstable by the swell / waves. Another poster questioned whether diving should take place in such conditions. In the UK / Norther waters possibly not - I have no experience of rough sea diving in UK. However in Canaries and Southern Europe / Mediterranean it seem that it can be quite rough on top but fine for diving once you get a few meters below the surface. My son did his first 2 OW dives in 3m swell, there was air under the RIB at times it was bouncing so much and waves were splashing over my head when I was stood in the RIB whilst they were diving underneath. Once they were down to 10m it was calm.

The size of RIB you mention is common in the U.K. When diving off a RIB divers don’t stand up, but get kitted up on the tubes. It doesn’t matter what the conditions are like 5 or 25m down, it’s what the surface is doing. Getting in the water is easy, getting out is the challenge. Diving in conditions greater than Force 4 is foolhardy, and not recommended.

 

[George Monnat Jr]

Scuba unit remove/replace at the surface (confined water dive 4) and underwater (dive 5) is in the Instructor Manual now and has been for a long time. Surely, as a DM you've memorized the IM! And, it is on the teaching slates.

Assuming that wasn't sarcasm (which I can appreciate):

For PADI OW we're doing 4 dives with BCD remove and replace on the surface. Here's what PADI says,
"After your confined water dives, you'll head to open water, where you and your instructor will make four dives, usually over two days."

 

[tursiops]

Does the ow cert. still require removing the mask ,re donning and clearing? 'removing the BC rig and re-donning? My ow cert. was in 1996! Doing those tasks in the ocean would not be cool!

The original question, which some interpreted as meaning OW dives only, and some interpreted as meaning all dives (including confined water) for the OW certification.

Yes. I think they can be done in confined water but where I dive that means near the shore rather than in a pool.

Correct.

Last time I remember you only doff & don the BC on the surface in open water.

Correct.

The BCD doff/don wasn't done in open water.

Should have been done at the surface, per Instructor Manual; it is a Dive Flexible Skill so can be done on any of the 4 open water dives.

The 4th dive that I missed had them taking the BCD off and putting it back on. I know they had to do it at the surface but I am not sure if they had to do it underwater or not.

Hopefully they did not.have to do it underwater.

PADI Standards are remove and replace (doff and don) BCD on the surface only. It's usually done on/after the 2nd or 3rd dive, but it's easy to do at the beginning of your 4th dive.

Can be done on any dive.

In my PADI manual it states "remove and replace scuba kit underwater" in confined water before open water dive 3.

This means during the confined water dives.....not immediately before open water dive #3.

Interesting, I haven't seen that (except for DMCs) and do PADI OW classes regularly.

Not sure what is meant here. Probably misinterpreted the previous post as meaning immediately before dive #3.

Scuba unit remove/replace at the surface (confined water dive 4) and underwater (dive 5) is in the Instructor Manual now and has been for a long time.

Poor attempt to clarify the previous post.

For PADI OW we're doing 4 dives with BCD remove and replace on the surface. Here's what PADI says,
"After your confined water dives, you'll head to open water, where you and your instructor will make four dives, usually over two days."

Not sure how this is relevant.

 

[Storker]

Should have been done at the surface, per Instructor Manual

Might have happened, I really can't remember. It didn't happen underwater, though.

 

[purbeast]

Just a really quick update on this...

Yesterday I completed my OW certification and today finished my AOW certification here in Grand Cayman so now I'm officially certified! It's a great feeling and I will write a longer post once I get home and have more time. I'm extremely happy though and if I wasn't here with my family, I'd be doing more diving over the next two days lol.