Ops requiring AOW certs?

[KeithG]

With only OW, we have never been turned down by any dive op, but we have never dove FLA.

We have been to about 10 different countries in the caribbean including 5 different liveaboards. Neither Hawaii or PNG needed to see AOW.

 

[NAM001]

How do you get the experience if they don't let you on the boat in the first place? It's a catch - 22.

its not a catch 22..... its not "experience on a boat". its a matter of profieciency. Everyone wants to say they have an OW and experience. An OW can go to 130 ft ?????? yet they have 8 dives to a max depth of 40'. What responsible shop will take you to 100 ft in a current with a logged experience dives like that. At least with the AOW card they can say that if the diver actually had no experience at >60 ft. then it was a training problem and the card should not have been issued. In short its the training instructors fault passing the diver. No one looks at the shops side of things. they can verify you have and OW card but they can not validate the actual honest experience. You can write anything in a log that you want, that does not mean its the truth. I cant begin to recall all the snowbird divers that get into trouble in the ocean even when they have an AOW in hand. There are things that make the decision easier. Logs stamped with boat stamps ect. Sad to say not all instructors are alike. We have so many that are true quality product instructors, and they know who they are. Equally (I wish) there are those from the other end of the scale. My wife was a product of one of them. remove mask and clear at 3' depth. CESA from 5 depth. compass run 15' out and then back (really did not even loose sight of the start position). really tough to fail that stuff. write the check and there is your card.

 

[TMHeimer]

A point often made about AOW is why not just get it....the cost of the course includes 5 dives (PADI). To get the Deep dive in that usually means a boat--so that's $100 maybe without tip (US prices). If more than one boat ride you're almost at the cost of the AOW course, plus if it's a good instructor you can learn stuff.

 

[tilikum]

Because on principle alone I don't want to give the agency another dime.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I tried to go out on a wreck dive with an operation in the Keys. I presented an NSS-CDS cave diver C-card and they wouldn't let me board because they wanted AOW certified divers. I then pulled out a scuba instructor C-card and I was okay. I guess advanced overhead didn't cut it.

 

[NAM001]

I tried to go out on a wreck dive with an operation in the Keys. I presented an NSS-CDS cave diver C-card and they wouldn't let me board because they wanted AOW certified divers. I then pulled out a scuba instructor C-card and I was okay. I guess advanced overhead didn't cut it.

That is a total situation that is FUBAR

I tried to get a nitrox fill with my trimix card and they did not want to take it. wanted a nitrox card if possible.

 

[helarno]

Noticed the warning on another thread regarding some dive operators in Florida (and other places?) are requiring an advanced open water certification for certain dives regardless of the divers background or experience.

Which regions have you encountered this?

My diving is mostly in South East Asia:
- many liveaboards requires AOW or at least taking courses on the boat to AOW. Not all though.
- Night dives - some ops (encountered in Philippines and Indonesia/Bali) require AOW to do night dives

Possible that these requirements may be waived if the operator knows you and has sufficient confidence in your abilities. Would have to contact them ahead of time to be sure.

Have also encountered the AOW requirement on liveaboards in Maldives. Not sure if this applies to all liveaboards in the area.

 

[Altamira]

I acknowledge I am biased on this issue, but I would question the logic and rationality of a dive op that would be so regimented as to take an AOW diver with as few as nine open water dives, but would refuse to take an an OW diver who is current, active with several hundred of hours and more than a decade of dive experience, and has a computer dive log covering the past 7 years. I understand it is their boat, their rules, but for me, there is not a dive in the world that would be so important that I would take the AOW course just to do the dive. But, I am also mature enough to know my own capabilities, and would not to sign up for a dive where my experience level might make me the problem child on the dive boat. However, if the dive op said, "OK, come along, but you will have to use a private DM for the first dive", I would be happy to do that, and might actually prefer it to being paired with many of the AOW insta-buddies I have watched on dive boats. Frankly, after observing AOW divers I have seen over the past seven years, I often remind myself "An AOW huh!, I think I'll spend the course money on another 3-4 two tank dives."

 

[Storker]

One reason for taking AOW is that you have to take AOW before you can take Rescue. I'm not the only one saying that Rescue probably was the most useful class I've taken.

What's interesting, BTW, is that in the two large European agencies (CMAS and BSAC), rescue skills are introduced pretty early, so if a PADI Rescue Diver wants to cross over to one of those, the diver will be considered at CMAS' and BSAC's 2nd level (2* and SD, respectively). Equivalent Diving Qualifications: BSAC, PADI, CMAS, NAUI, etc - SCUBA Travel

 

[Centrals]

Monad Shoal is one of the most famous dive site in Philippines because of regular sighting of thresher shark. The top of the sea-mount is about 24m so AOW certification is required.

AOW rating or proficiency in diving is completely different matter. Local regulation or law is the deciding factor.