Open Water Cert. x2

[raposarose]

A couple of years ago I got my open water certification with my wife through the YMCA. Since then I've done about 25 dives or so. Now that I moved up to the San Francisco Bay area I've been diving in Monterey.

We just enrolled in a 15 week long scuba course through a university. It includes NAUI OW, Advanced Diver, and Rescue Diver certifications. The thing that I am really excited about is a chance to really solidify skills, become a safer diver, and learn some more of the Northern California dive sites. The YMCA course was very good, but this seems like a great chance to get an in depth intro to diving.

Anyone else here earn the open water certification twice? Did you also think that it was valuable?

 

[Wildcard]

No one that Ive heard of but it sounds like you have undertaken a great course. Congrats, good luck and dive safe. Oh Ya, enjoy!

 

[Lead_carrier]

I've had 3 or 4 people come back for a second certification. Some because they hadn't been diving in a while and wanted the full class rather than the update and some because they took the class with a child or spouse. Not a complaint from any of them. They all said they learned something that made it worthwhile.

 

[NYHippo]

I got my first OW certification in 1978 and dove until 1981. Then I got married and stopped diving. I got recertified this summer

 

[jakubson]

A couple of years ago I got my open water certification with my wife through the YMCA. Since then I've done about 25 dives or so. Now that I moved up to the San Francisco Bay area I've been diving in Monterey.

We just enrolled in a 15 week long scuba course through a university. It includes NAUI OW, Advanced Diver, and Rescue Diver certifications. The thing that I am really excited about is a chance to really solidify skills, become a safer diver, and learn some more of the Northern California dive sites. The YMCA course was very good, but this seems like a great chance to get an in depth intro to diving.

Anyone else here earn the open water certification twice? Did you also think that it was valuable?

May I ask what the course is, and where you are taking it? Sounds interesting!

 

[friscuba]

I did a PADI certification on vacation years ago. I knew the instructor did a quicky job with me at the time. I was hooked, so I went home and signed up for the YMCA course.

We had bad weather for a few months and couldn't do the open water dives for the YMCA class. I went to Oahu and picked up my AOW and then returned and was able to finish the YMCA class a month later. So, in a way when it comes down to it, I was already "Advanced" certified before I was certified.

There is nothing wrong with more training, even if it is at the "beginner" level. I get a lot of diving parents who sit in on class when I'm training their kids and I get a lot of comments that they actually picked up a few pointers. I figure, if I ever go back to the mainland for a couple months at a time, I might hook up with one of the local shops and just DM some classes just to pick up a few ideas myself. Everyone does things a bit differently, the more you are explosed to, the more you learn.

I get a lot of divers coming out on my boat who could really use sitting through at least the confined portion of the class again, or take the full refresher. One day up front and an extra hundred bucks or so would really make a huge difference in many people's skill level and comfort on their vacation dives.

I think you are really going to appreciate the extra practice and a sllightly different approach that you'll get when you "retake" the OW class.

Have fun.

 

[Rick Inman]

My first OW was NASDS in 1971. Stopped diving after I got married in 1980. Started again a few years back and took an SSI refresher. Then I got a group of my friend to take an OW class (PADI), so I got to take it with them for free. I took the Advanced class, the Nitrox class and the Rescue class (incl. EFR and O2). I just signed up for a DIR Fundamentals class in November. I really love continuing education, which I believe improves my diving skills, and it sure makes it more fun, which is why I dive.

But my greatest two sources of education have been reading ScubaBoard, and diving with ScubaBoard members who are better/more experienced divers.

 

[ScubaSarus]

Both YMCA and Naui college course are very good programs that I would love to do if I had the money and time. You've had and you will get a lot more education. I whish these programs were more available.

Best of luck

 

[serambin]

I got my first OW certification in 1978 and dove until 1981. Then I got married and stopped diving. I got recertified this summer

I did much the same. A 1974 NAUI cert didn't give me a feeling of confidence when I started diving again. A lot has changed since that original certification, and I learned a lot from the recert. Today people cert to get tank refills, in 1974 that wasn't an issue. The reason I originally certified was to learn to dive better, safer, even though I had been diving for 7 years.

Learning how to dive better was the reason I recertified. Everything had changed, from the tables to the equipment, and I needed to learn a lot to be safe. I still have a lot to learn so I am continuing my courses to that end.

Stan

 

[JRScuba]

As with anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

This sounds like a great way to learn a lot of new things and have fun doing it.

Good Luck and Dive Safely

Joe