New diver experience and expectations at ‘resort’ setting

[Saboteur]

Would be interested in you starting another thread or preferably responding to this thread (so I don't miss it) about your AOW experience.

Keep in mind that AOW is a misnomer, and does not make you an "advanced diver". Unless you get in an AOW class with a good instructor that is going above and beyond, as I mentioned in previous post, AOW in a nutshell is completing 5 (2 required and 3 of your choice) adventure dives that give you the opportunity to fine tune skills learned in OW and briefly scratch the surface of other skills or activities you may have an interest in. Classwork is minimal if any. Repeat: you do not become an advanced diver - only 5 dives more experienced. You also will become more knowledgeable by doing the bookwork.

Unlike you (you have some goals for diving which I applaud), when I took AOW 1 ½ years ago I was looking to get through as easily and quickly as possible. I did mine on a trip in conditions that would be like most of my diving; warm water with generally good visibility, ~77º F water of the ocean instead of ~45º F water in a quarry. At that point I had 100 dives to my name and had already been drift, deep, night, and cenote diving multiple times. Had already used my compass on shore dives, penetrated wrecks, been carrying a camera (since around my 10th dive), did a shark experience, got EAN cert., been identified fish since carrying my camera, and have always been aware of where everything is on and around a boat. The peak performance buoyancy adventure dive which is one of the optional AOW dives is considered by many to be the most important of the adventure dives and through experience I was getting that down, although I have found this to a continuing education skill depending on conditions.

I wanted to simply get it done! I did the bookwork, which for me was reading only to find and write the answers to the question at the end of an adventure dive section. On the day we were doing one of the AOW dives, there was no training beforehand. My buddy, who was also getting AOW, and I simply had to perform a few skills for the instructor, who watched to be sure we could do them. When we got back we went into a room where an instructor asked us about and made sure we had the correct answers in the book. The dive and bookwork were then signed off on. It seems we had a pre-test before starting the course and one at the end. You can't fail! If you miss to many questions they will go over the missed questions with you and let you retake it (happened to my buddy.)

There are many divers here on SB that have 1000's of dives and no AOW (from what I have read) who are far more advanced in SCUBA than divers taking a course that somehow indicates one is an "advanced" diver.

As to why I took AOW myself, my reasoning was so I wouldn't be told by a dive op I couldn't do a particular dive because I didn't have the certification. It hasn't made a difference yet in what I could or couldn't do, the same as before I got it.

Hope your AOW experience is all that you want it to be.

 

[Saboteur]

Exactly. I did AOW after many years of absence from diving. I viewed it only as a refresher of basic OW skills under the direct one on one guidance of the instructor. On the dives I did it only really shows that you have basic comfort level "deeper" than 60 feet, decent bouyancy and basic compass skills.

 

[VsubT]

Jay- Your profile shows you are an experienced diver, so I assume you are very comfortable with the practice. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but as a much less experienced diver, I just can't imagine someone totally brand new to diving, being instructed to do that right out of the gate. What if the new diver inhales water, gags and then panics during a switch and the DM is not paying attention to them. Wherever we go, I want to feel confident in the DM.

It happens. Dives #5 & 6, the next day after completing OW certification in Bali, I got paired with an experienced photographer off Amed. We had a guide, and when I predictably blew through my tank much quicker, the guide handed me his octopus. I became his remora, no big deal once I figured out what was happening. Everyone got a longer dive, and all of us surfaced with plenty of reserve. Even so, I felt bad for cutting my insta-buddy’s dive short.

This is one of the real world situations I wish OW classroom work had covered. Another is the distinction between a simple swim-through and a penetration. I encountered both within the first 3 dives after certification, and I’m sure many others do as new divers.

 

[TMHeimer]

Agree on getting swimming lessons, regardless of the fact that (proper) swim technique is a distant cousin to scuba (IMHO). Unlike swimming, you get most of your power on scuba from kicking, so surfacing would be easy enough for you with your good leg condition.