OW & AOW checkout dives

[DirtyDeeds]

Hi All:

I know you need 5 dives for OW and 6 for AOW. Is it possible to do both in 7 total dives? A buddy of mine told me his LDS is going on a trip for a long weekend and they are telling him he can get both done on this trip.

 

[Adobo]

Deeds,

Any particular reason that you might be after the AOW certification so early?

 

[knotical]

Probably depends on agency.

With PADI:
Open Water – four dives
Adventure Diver – three dives
Advanced Open Water – five dives (can include the three Adventure Dives)

So theoretically, one could become an Adventure Diver with only seven dives, but Advanced Open Water requires a minimum of nine.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

The agency is NAUI. To me it just does not seem like enough dives to accomplish both.

Adobo-his local dive shop just said since he is going away with them to do his OW checkout dive he could knock the AOW out of the way on the same trip.

 

[Damselfish]

The agency is NAUI. To me it just does not seem like enough dives to accomplish both.

Adobo-his local dive shop just said since he is going away with them to do his OW checkout dive he could knock the AOW out of the way on the same trip.

Dive counts notwithstanding, I'd be somewhat leary if they are really treating it as getting it "out of the way." Since the point is hopefully to learn something not just get it out of the way. I'm one of those people that thinks AOW should be taken after someone has gotten a decent grip on what they covered in OW. This depends on the person and doesn't have to take a lot of dives, but I think it's something more than 0 and ideally not all on the same weekend.

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

I've got to agree with Damsel on this one. I received my OW cert through NAUI and as I've stated elsewhere on the boards, a student needs to be totally comfortable with their ability and gear before they should move to the next certification level. My instructor feels that I am ready to get my AOW cert but I don't feel I have the comfort with my gear that should be associated with the AOW cert. I too would be leary of the "knock it out" attitude as there are several threads on the Accidents & Incidents forum where it appears some LDS's are more concerned with the money associated with being a diver factory than the actual safety/knowledge/experience of the student.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I encouage my students to do some diving before going too far with advanced cards. With our agency you do have to log 24 dives before you can get the card anyhow but I think you appreciate and get more from the specialities if you gain some experience first. Perhaps navigation would be the single specialty I'd encourage new divers to go after early on.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

You need to run screaming from that operation as fast as possible. NAUI standards require a minimum of 5 dives to become an OW scuba diver (1 can be a skin dive). AOW requires 6 dives and a minimum certification of scuba diver or equivalent.

For OW dives quotes from the standards: "No more than three scuba dives may be made on a single day during the course." "No more than eight hours of training may be conducted during any one day."

For AOW dives: "A minimum of six open water dives is required. A maximum of four dives per day shall be applied to course requirements." "The required dive topic areas listed represents three separate dives of the minimum six required. The remaining dives can be combined or split as needed to fit the situation and meet student needs provided at least six separate dives are made:
REQUIRED DIVES:
Navigation
Night or low visibility
Deep
ELECTIVE DIVES"
--there are 14 electives listed--

From the NAUI Glossary of Terms
"SCUBA DIVE--A scuba dive is an excursion into open water fully equipped for scuba. To meet NAUI training requirements, it must include at least one entry and one exit and underwater activity breathing from scuba for a minimum of 20 minutes to a depth of at least 15 feet."

This means it's impossible to do OW and AOW in 7 total dives. OW requires 5 dives (or 4 dives and a skin dive) and each has it's own set of skills that must be completed. AOW requires 6 dives and three of them cannot be combined with anything else while three can be mixed and matched among the 14 elective choices.

You really need to call NAUI at 1-800-553-NAUI and check on this "deal".
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[DirtyDeeds]

Thanks All for your comments. I will talk with my buddy to find out more info.

 

[cleung]

There is no need to rush the OW and AOW courses together. I think one should have some more logged dives after the OW course before taking on the Advanced. Even if you do get your AOW back to back with the OW, on paper it might prepare you for a difficult advance dive but experience is a good teacher too. You don't want to be caught shorthanded or in trouble during a future advance dive because of lack of experience.