boomx5
Contributor
Having just finished my AOW/Nitrox class, I find that the "A" in Advanced Open Water is a bit misleading. I know there are alot of opinions out there regarding this. So, if you could rename the PADI AOW course what would call it?
New Name For Aow
- Thread starter boomx5
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What would you like to name it?
Scubaroo
Contributor
Additional Open Water training 
Seriously, mine was not much more than that. A guy flunked because he couldn't put his face underwater without freaking out. Most of the instructor's time was spent assisting students who should have been doing refresher courses - the rest was guided dives with a bit of navigation thrown in, the only new skill I learnt. Plus a few tips like horizontal descents.
More practical though, would be renaming the courses Open Water I and Open Water II. IMO, the advanced class is just a sampler of several different PADI specialties - good experience for any new diver. OW I is to learn to dive, and OW II is to introduce new diving experiences and reinforce skills.
Seriously, mine was not much more than that. A guy flunked because he couldn't put his face underwater without freaking out. Most of the instructor's time was spent assisting students who should have been doing refresher courses - the rest was guided dives with a bit of navigation thrown in, the only new skill I learnt. Plus a few tips like horizontal descents.
More practical though, would be renaming the courses Open Water I and Open Water II. IMO, the advanced class is just a sampler of several different PADI specialties - good experience for any new diver. OW I is to learn to dive, and OW II is to introduce new diving experiences and reinforce skills.
Bengiddins, I agree fully with the OW1 OW2 concept.
I am about to start my AOW and I think Advanced is the wrong terminology to use for this course. Sure, you get to do more things and go deeper, but is that really advanced?
I am about to start my AOW and I think Advanced is the wrong terminology to use for this course. Sure, you get to do more things and go deeper, but is that really advanced?
The current name of the PADI course in "Adventure in Diving". Only the card still bares the name "Advanced. Don't confuse the name with the purpose which is to provide additional supervised experience. The other purpose, of course, is to get out diving and have fun.
Most divers, even long time divers, find our AOW challanging. When a student navigates a square for me it doesn't count unless they do it without silting, while maintaining depth, and with adequate budy and situational awareness. exibiting adequate bc is a requirement where some instructors seem to be a bit leanient. The problem with this is the number of tanks required for most divers to do this. For this reason, I like to start out a AOW class with a Peak Performance Buoyancy dive so we can work on bc, trim, finning technique and team diving skills.
In an attempt to make the last AOW wreck dive we taught interesting, One of my Divemasters (also a trained cave diver) and I demonstrated running a line into the wreck and then did an air sharring exit while the student and another DM watched through the window. Pointing out potential hazards is a requirement and our intention here was to demonstrate the skills required to negotiate those hazards. The student was entertainedand and, I think, enlightened.
This course is what the student and the instructor make of it. If you take a class like this and are not finding it informative or challanging, something may be missing. IMO, you should mention this then and there to the instructor.
If the standards do not allow for enough challange use the time, that you paid for, to pick the instructors brain. If the instructor doesn't have anything of interest to offer then shame on you.
Most divers, even long time divers, find our AOW challanging. When a student navigates a square for me it doesn't count unless they do it without silting, while maintaining depth, and with adequate budy and situational awareness. exibiting adequate bc is a requirement where some instructors seem to be a bit leanient. The problem with this is the number of tanks required for most divers to do this. For this reason, I like to start out a AOW class with a Peak Performance Buoyancy dive so we can work on bc, trim, finning technique and team diving skills.
In an attempt to make the last AOW wreck dive we taught interesting, One of my Divemasters (also a trained cave diver) and I demonstrated running a line into the wreck and then did an air sharring exit while the student and another DM watched through the window. Pointing out potential hazards is a requirement and our intention here was to demonstrate the skills required to negotiate those hazards. The student was entertainedand and, I think, enlightened.
This course is what the student and the instructor make of it. If you take a class like this and are not finding it informative or challanging, something may be missing. IMO, you should mention this then and there to the instructor.
If the standards do not allow for enough challange use the time, that you paid for, to pick the instructors brain. If the instructor doesn't have anything of interest to offer then shame on you.
Why the hangup on the word advanced?
I have a long list of credentials and some that I dive with consider me a beginner and next to them I am. The terms advanced or beginner have no meaning without a reference. If there is an absolute scale I am not aware of it. Most of us are advanced compared to some and novices compared to others.
I have a long list of credentials and some that I dive with consider me a beginner and next to them I am. The terms advanced or beginner have no meaning without a reference. If there is an absolute scale I am not aware of it. Most of us are advanced compared to some and novices compared to others.
ERP
Guest
Mike,
I think the reason that the "Advanced" name is an issue, is that to a small percentage of the participants it can fool them into thinking that they are something they are not, "Advanced Divers".
While I suspect most participants don't labor under this misconception, I can see how some individuals particularly younger divers, or those with large egos can.
I also think the name has a tendancy to put off divers with limited experience and they would probably benefit most from the course.
The "Adevntures in Diving" name works well as a name, but the only place I've ever seen or heard that mentioned is on the course book. My instructors always referred to it as "Advanced Open Water".
I think the reason that the "Advanced" name is an issue, is that to a small percentage of the participants it can fool them into thinking that they are something they are not, "Advanced Divers".
While I suspect most participants don't labor under this misconception, I can see how some individuals particularly younger divers, or those with large egos can.
I also think the name has a tendancy to put off divers with limited experience and they would probably benefit most from the course.
The "Adevntures in Diving" name works well as a name, but the only place I've ever seen or heard that mentioned is on the course book. My instructors always referred to it as "Advanced Open Water".
I don't recollect which agency you are an instructor with , but it would appear to me that you exceed their standards on AOW training.....GOOD FOR YOU !!!!!!
It is nice to see instructors using self incentives to create a better diver than a textbook. The instructor whom just completed my Rescue was similar in nature to yourself.......Interesting and fun, yet I learnt far more than rules and regulations dictated................
As for the question posed....Definetely as far as PADI (only one I have experienced) is concerned it should be OW II....a continuation of OW diving........
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