Question Next steps in Certification?

[JimmyTheChicken]

Hello! Apologies in advance if this isn't in quite the right place.

I am a 19 year old diver out of Denver, CO and I'm wanting to continue my certification so I can (safely!) go deeper, longer, etc. I am absolutely fascinated by rebreather diving, both the science and the practical benefits - this is my long term goal, but of course I understand there is a lot of training to do before then. I currently am only PADI Open Water certified with about 50 dives logged, but I am trying to figure out what certifications I should complete next. I have heard some say that AOW is absolutely necessary when moving into technical diving, while some others do not think so. I also have seen that many of the technical certifications *only require OW, do you all think its worth the time and money? If so, what specialties should I focus on? (Nitrox, Deep and Drysuit are some of my considerations) If not, what do you think I should target next? I would love all of your opinions. Thanks!

Charlie

 

[DiveTucson]

I would honestly not worry about the AOW and start with what you mentioned. Deep, Nitrox, Drysuit are all important for a potential tech progression. Bonus points if you can find a tech instructor to teach them.

Followed by that I would look at Intro To Tech (with the right instructor) or GUE Fundamentals.

This will set you with a great foundation for the tech and CCR path. The other key part of this is get out and dive as much as possible.

 

[AeroSpartacus]

I think once you get into your first class with deco you generally need AOW at least, though I'm mostly just familiar with TDI (just looking at the actual course requirements - I think AOW is also required for Deep but I could be wrong on that for PADI). I would say the first thing would be that you feel comfortable with your buoyancy, trim, and propulsion at a baseline. Course wise for TDI you could start with Intro to Tech; it's not required for further courses, but is a good primer on some of the equipment and mindset (doubles, long hose, some fundamentals).

From there, I think it depends on where you want to end up. Do you want to get to cave diving? Wreck diving? Deep/long open water? Depending on the answers there, you could look at Cavern or Intro Cave, Advanced Nitrox/Deco Procedures, or something like Advanced Wreck (maybe combined with AN/DP). But you should also make sure you feel confident in the gear you'll be using before rushing through any classes (so dive a lot!). You could also optionally try out sidemount if you want, to see if you prefer that over doubles.

At that point I would just try to get experience from lots of dives. If you do go the rebreather route, you still have to be confident on open circuit if **** hits the fan.

 

[JimmyTheChicken]

The other key part of this is get out and dive as much as possible.

Hah that certainly is the biggest issue at the moment. Being in Denver isn't the greatest for finding dive spots / groups, hopefully I can find some folks locally that have decent locations where I can get some practice in. Ive been missing diving like crazy and I've really gotta figure out how to get it done here!

 

[JimmyTheChicken]

I think once you get into your first class with deco you generally need AOW at least, though I'm mostly just familiar with TDI (just looking at the actual course requirements - I think AOW is also required for Deep but I could be wrong on that for PADI). I would say the first thing would be that you feel comfortable with your buoyancy, trim, and propulsion at a baseline. Course wise for TDI you could start with Intro to Tech; it's not required for further courses, but is a good primer on some of the equipment and mindset (doubles, long hose, some fundamentals).

Mmm gotcha, it seems like there might be an opportunity to get the specialties I mentioned, (Nitrox, Deep and Dry suit) for a discount by taking an AOW course. Maybe this is a decent route to get those done on a bit of a budget while checking that off for later. Though, I'm going to probably have to buy a dry suit so its hardly a budget option in that respect haha.

My (very lofty) end goal is CCR cave diving, so yeah going somewhere in the Advanced nitrox / Deco procedures route would be good. I'm sure much of it is applicable to all sorts of technical diving though. I've had a good time reading up on the theory behind technical diving / CCR, I'm very excited to put it into practice some day! Thanks for the advice.

 

[LFMarm]

I believe AOW is indeed a requirement for later classes like AN/DP although it is probably the class you will learn the least from. I would definitely do Nitrox so that you can use the "proper" mix when available (air is never the optimal mix for any depth).

When I was at 50 dives, the best improvements came from diving as much as I could. Working on foundations (trim, propulsion, buoyancy) is the best investment of time and GUE Fundamentals is one of the good classes for that (or finding a good instructor and working on those without the need to get a C-card). Once you feel super comfortable with the foundations, every other class will be much easier and more enjoyable.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Take a rescue and a drysuit courses. Rescue will force you to start thinking about other divers, which is very useful in a team. Drysuit makes all diving more enjoyable and takes some time to get used to.

After that Fundies or Intro to tech. TDI asks for “AOW or equivalent” for AN/DP, I suspect Fundies could be treated as equivalent and contain basic info about nitrox too.

 

[ginti]

It depends on your current level in terms of skills. Are you able to do this?

https://www.gue.com/files/standards9/Fundamentals-Standards-v9.1.pdf

If NO, the best next step is an intro to tech with a great instructor or GUE fundamental.

If YES, you first need to understand which path you want to go. GUE/not GUE, backmount/sidemount, etc.

Given your relatively small amount of experience (at least for tech diving), I would try to speak with an instructor to really decide if you are up to this level or not.

Two quick points:

• GUE fundamental will train you to the use of nitrox and to dive up to 30m, which is more than an AOW. However, I am unsure if diving centers around will recognize this card as equivalent/superior to AOW, or if they don't care and they still require AOW.
• I could not find on the TDI website if the intro to tech will certify you to do the same: speak with an instructor.

EDIT: [In my view, definitely fundies/intro to tech before any other course. First, you build solid skills, then you expand your training with other courses like deep, rescue, AN/DP, etc.]

 

[JimmyTheChicken]

I believe AOW is indeed a requirement for later classes like AN/DP although it is probably the class you will learn the least from. I would definitely do Nitrox so that you can use the "proper" mix when available (air is never the optimal mix for any depth).

When I was at 50 dives, the best improvements came from diving as much as I could. Working on foundations (trim, propulsion, buoyancy) is the best investment of time and GUE Fundamentals is one of the good classes for that (or finding a good instructor and working on those without the need to get a C-card). Once you feel super comfortable with the foundations, every other class will be much easier and more enjoyable.

It sounds like I'll probably need to do AOW at some point anyway so perhaps it's not a bad idea to get that done now mixed in with some of the other specialties.

I see that you're also in Colorado, do you know of any local dive groups or anything similar? my efforts to find local spots to dive have been futile thus far. I'd love to do something around here if there's something worthwhile (or at least better than a lake in Arvada with 2ft vis. haha) Thanks a ton for your input!

 

[LFMarm]

I see that you're also in Colorado, do you know of any local dive groups or anything similar? my efforts to find local spots to dive have been futile thus far. I'd love to do something around here if there's something worthwhile (or at least better than a lake in Arvada with 2ft vis. haha) Thanks a ton for your input!

I only dived in pools while in Colorado – I am not a huge fan of lakes/reservoirs. I am sure there are groups regularly going to the Aurora Reservoir.