Non Dead Horse certification question

[Garrobo]

I had two employees in their 50's with a couple thousand dives each who had NO certification. These are the guys who got me into diving.

 

[NudeDiver]

We have a coastal town here called Deadhorse. I thought this thread would be related. I guess not.

So now I dunno what you mean with this thread title

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Certified OW in 1976. Finally got AOW in 2007 so that I would be allowed to do "deeper" dives if I ever go on a charter boat (which seemed a bit funny since I've done deep decompression dives in the '70's. Didn't need no steeenking AOW card, and of course I didn't die ).

But the answers given by RonFrank and don francisco are right on the mark for divers with more current OW certs.

 

[shawrg]

I suppose I fit your description of having considerable diving experience all over the place. But, I never had an interest in being a DM or Instructor-It seemed to be way too much work for my kind of diving! As you put it so well, I get a lot of enjoyment from blowing bubbles and never had the desire to receive additional certifications. However, some form of Rescue Diver awareness, outside of a formal classroom setting, would probably make me a better diver. Come to think of it, a photo course would probably improve that large portfolio of blurry fish butts I have!

 

[Teamcasa]

Certified OW in 1976. Finally got AOW in 2007 so that I would be allowed to do "deeper" dives if I ever go on a charter boat

Ditto here as well. I was first certified in 1969, made God knows how many dives (regardless of my profile number) in the following years. Re-certified with my wife (she demanded I take the class with her) in 2006. Went on to get AOW so diving on some charters would not require a long explanation.

This sort of goes with question of; Is a mentor a better teacher than an instructor. In some cases, actually many cases I would suspect that a mentor would be a far better instructor. Provided that same mentor is indeed a seasoned, thoughtful and careful diver that is willing to share their skills and love of the sport.

 

[DiverLS]

I did my OW and AOW in 89. They both came in a class in college. I had almost 1,000 dives in 2003 when I got my Rescue Cert. Then in 07 Nitrox. I finally found the instructor I want to do my DM with so that will get started this spring.

YIPEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[dpbishop]

Got certified in '77 when OW was the equivalent of what OW + AOW is now. Never felt the need for more certs. Most of my diving is local, and I never felt the need for Nitrox or to go deep enough to need tri-mix.

 

[Pearldiver07]

I agree with many of the above posts, the AOW should be viewed as the advanced OPEN WATER course, not the ADVANCED open water course. It is designed to get newer divers exposed to different environments. The fact that many operators require it is amazing. But then again, if they required logged experience, many divers would be S.O.L. on that too.

I would prefer that they require logged experience to training myself. I've seen way too many divers with books of cards (including "pro" divers), that I would never want to dive with. Sure you could make up the logged dives to support your claims, but really, why?

Taking classes to learn more because that's what you like to do is great. But so is "learning by doing."

Let's face it - if operators weren't so afraid of lawsuits, maybe they wouldn't rely so heavily on the certification, and then we wouldn't be worrying about whether anyone has ConEd certifications. And if they didn't worry so much about offending a diver and losing one, maybe a brief interview would do more anyway.

I guess that there's no real way to ensure that divers are at the appropriate level of proficiency until they hit the water.

 

[Gary D.]

I have to laugh at those that got their AOW so they could go deeper. I did the same thing but in reverse. I had an OW card until 99. I was going on a dive trip so to be safe I had the shop get me an AOW card. My NON-Recreational card is to 190' on air. But I had to get a rec card to let me go below 60'. Oh well it's just a card. I thought it was funny..

Gary D.

 

[vladimir]

I got a YMCA OW certification when I was 15. Fifteen years later I did it again with my wife through PADI and NAUI. I have a little over 700 dives since my original certification, and I have saved one diver's life while diving. Perhaps rescue would have helped in that situation, but I just went with gut instinct: if you see a rapidly-sinking diver breathing water, catch her, bring her to the surface, and ashore.

I did a Nitrox certification which confirmed my suspicions about a lot of continuing ed. We swam around a dive site breathing nitrox--twice. In the Coral Sea. It was a lot like breathing air. That's not my idea of how to use my dive time in the Coral Sea. And in general, that is why I haven't gotten more training: all of my diving is done on vacation now, and I am reluctant to devote dives and vacation time to a diving course.