OW + AOW timing?

[Dirty-Dog]

As I have mentioned before, last year in Cancun my wife and I did a resort course (more than a Discover Scuba course, but less than a full OW course) and 8 dives. Enough to become addicted.

This year we plan to get our C-cards. I know that the OW and AOW course are designed to let you go straight from one to the other. My question is this: would it be crazy to go immediately from OW to AOW?

We've done the OW eLearning and only need to do the dives. Some of the dives we're interested in doing this year include checking out the WWII minesweepers sunk off Cancun. They're in 80 FSW.

We talked about doing the eLearning for AOW prior to this years trip. Once we arrive in Cancun, we'd do the OW cert dives, then the AOW dives.

This means that we'd have 12 dives behind us when we do the AOW dives.

Good idea, bad idea, or just wierd?

 

[B.L. Justice]

AOW is a bit of a misnomer. After 4 dives in OW you can take AOW and get another 5 dives. 9 dives does not an Advanced diver make. Don't let that stop you from moving into AOW. My biggest mistake as a new diver was to let the "advanced" name spook me. I didn't get my AOW done for almost 10-years. That was a mistake in my opinion and my case. 80' is beyond what a new OW diver should be trying without some instruction. You can get that done in an AOW class. The E-Learning system has some pros and cons that have been discussed here. As long as you have an instructor who you trust, E-Learning can be okay. They key is that you need the individual contact and the ability to ask questions and what ifs. If you don;t have that, I would suggest a more traditional approach. Just my 2 cents.

Short answer is, take the AOW. There is no down side to getting more education and experience.

 

[TSandM]

Personally, I think it's ideal, so long as you realize that finishing AOW doesn't make you any kind of advanced diver. The AOW class is designed as OW part II, and they expect people to do it right away, or very soon. It's not that great a class most of the time, but it is 5 more dives with an instructor.

 

[Bogie]

More knowledge and more experience is always a good thing. Lots of dives with experienced divers helps gives you more of a solid base.
80 feet in clear calm water can be easier than 40 feet in poor visibility with surge. Just have to be cool and calm underwater and follow proper safety guidelines. You are ultimately responsible for your health and well being on every dive.

Have fun.

Good diving and good health!

 

[EvaL]

I got certified and didn't dive for 2 years. My first dives since obtaining my c-card was AOW - in fact I went down to 80ft on the first AOW dive, I believe.
If you're comfortable in the water (no issues with clearing your ears, good buoyancy control etc), as you apparently appear to be, and you'd like to be certified to dive below 60ft, I think that's like hitting 2 birds with a stone.
Enjoy your AOW dives - you'll learn more about dive dives, navigation, search & recovery etc, which are essential skills for good divers, imho. Dive safely.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Thank you all for your replies.

You've basically mirrored my own thoughts on the subject; there's no such thing as too much knowledge. It's certainly true that knowledge is no substitute for experience and that expertise comes from application of knowledge. But it's equally true that you must have knowledge before you can apply it.

I'm off to sign up for the AOW eLearning and acquire some knowledge.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Colorado is not exactly diving mecca, but the best advice I can give is to dive on a regular basis to continue the learning curve. Diving only during 1 or 2 tropical trips per year will never be enough to make you a competent diver no matter how many classes you take.

So if its available at all, take advantage of any local diving at evetry opportunity. Severaldays or weekends of local diving every summer will keep your skills current and will provide you with an opportunity toi aquire new skills in new environments and to learn tis and techniques from more experienced divers that you will be able to dive with. I'd argue you learn more that way than with an instructor just because the mentor to student ratio is a lot better than the average instructor to student ratio.

 

[Walter]

Many OW classes are inadequate as are many AOW classes. If those are the classes you'll be taking, you should go immediately from one to another as every bit of experience you get with someone watching you is helpful. AOW won't make up for the short comings of the OW class, but experience will help some.

If, on the other hand, you take a more comprehensive OW class than is typical you'll find the typical AOW class a waste of time regardless of when it's taken. You should log about 25 dives and then follow up with something along the lines of LA County's Advanced Diver Program or SEI's Advanced Plus.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I also feel that if you have not gotten proficient with basic Ow skills such as buoyancy control, performing all skills horizontal in mid water, and know how to adjust your trim ( many never even hear the word trim in OW class) you should not be taking an AOW course. Better to do some informal dives with a mentor or instructor between the two. Of course it depends on the AOW course. If it is one that is not much more than a tour that requires few if any new skills then fine. But if it;s one that requires new skills that are based on the premise you have the basics down well you may be in for a less than nice experience. The two courses that Walter noted would not be suitable for someone who is not yet fully comfortable in the water. I teach an SEI AOW course that requires you to know how to do all the basics as previously noted. The skills I require in the class will be very difficult to do if you do not have the basics down. But what I do is take students in the pool and on some local dives to assess and help them bring those skills up to the required level before they start the class. And unless it requires more than 2 pool sessions and a couple dives I don't charge for these sessions.

More than that, then it gets to the point that I at least need to meet expenses. But the flip side of this is if the student is willing to spend the money and time and demonstrate that they really want to do this I will knock a portion of that cost off of the course.

You need to realize just what the advanced card is. It is still a license to learn more but it also will in many cases give you access to sites and dives that can have serious consequences much faster if you don't know what you are doing. So it should include skills and knowledge to handle those factors. Not just give you a taste or tour of those dives.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

These are PADI courses. The instructor we dove with last year will be with us again this year. He's fabulous, and really did an excellent job of covering things like buoyancy control and trim.
I've been looking through the PADI AOW course, and it looks like it's basically a primer to get you started towards their various specialty certs. Which is exactly what we want. We'd like to dive the WWII minesweepers off Cancun, and they're in 80 FSW. We'd also like to dive a cenote or two while we're there. All in company with an instructor.

As someone mentioned, Colorado is not exactly a divers mecca. About the only diving here is cold water lakes with very poor visibility and not much to see. The local resevoir is noted to be particularly good for practicing navigation skills... There's also diving in the shark tank or reef tank at the Denver Aquarium, which appeals to us. Other than that, we're going to be limited to vacation diving. We don't ever expect to be truely advanced. But in company with an experienced guide/instructor, we'd like to be able to see some of the slightly deeper sights.