OW v. AOW

[pilot fish]

This question came up in the Hotel Cozumel thread in Intro & Greets section. I think it might be better suited for this section and have its own thread because it might be interesting to hear differing views.

My contention is that a diver should not be able to go for AOW cert till they have a minimum of 50 dives. I also think that getting your AOW WHILE you are getting your OW cert diminishes the meaning of ADVANCED. I've seen divers with AOW cert with less than 15 dives, which I think is misleading. AOW cert SHOULD mean you have some dive experience and not just be a meaningless card. As someone suggested, OW1 or OW 2 would work too, but the word Advanced in the AOW cert is misleading, it seems.

 

[NauticalbutNice]

I don't agree with the limit on dives. Some people are ready well before 50 dives, and some aren't.

And I've never heard of anyone getting AOW while doing the OW. I didn't think this was allowed?

Dive experience yes, but I don't think there's anyway you can give a blanket limit of dives.

Nauticalbutnice :fruit:

 

[mossym]

for what you learn in your AOW i think 50 is too much, it supposed to be an introduction to different tyes of diving, night boat and deep, so i think your average person would have tried most of that by 50 dives anyway

 

[pilot fish]

I don't agree with the limit on dives. Some people are ready well before 50 dives, and some aren't.

And I've never heard of anyone getting AOW while doing the OW. I didn't think this was allowed?

Dive experience yes, but I don't think there's anyway you can give a blanket limit of dives.

Nauticalbutnice :fruit:

That kind of makes my point, some people are, some people are not, ready after 50 dives. Yes, there is a guy in my office that got his AOW right after he completed his OW portion. He hadn't even gotten his OW card in the mail yet. It was during the same vacation. No, it should not be allowed. That is part of my point.

A minimum of 50 dives for AOW is not unreasonable and would at least show some higher degree of dive experience.

 

[Walter]

I agree and disagree. If you are referring to a true advanced course, such as the LA County Advanced Diver Program or YMCA's Silver Advanced, a diver needs more dives (25 or so after certification) before beginning the class, although I think 50 is excessive. If you are referring to AOW, it really doesn't matter, because it accomplishes little other than give a card and an artificial sense of accomplishment.

 

[pilot fish]

for what you learn in your AOW i think 50 is too much, it supposed to be an introduction to different tyes of diving, night boat and deep, so i think your average person would have tried most of that by 50 dives anyway

yes, that's true and, again, I think that makes the point. If the average diver would have done 50 dives by the time they go for AOW, wouldn't that mean that the diver that has less than 50 dives is sub average, not average, not experienced enough?

 

[webjr]

Keep in mind what the purppose of AOW is . It isn't to show other divers "I'm an Advanced Open Water Diver" . It's to teach the student new skills and allow them to safely gain experience in new diving environments . New divers need this much more than an experienced diver . PADI recommends this class right out of OW . I personaly recommend PPB before AOW .

 

[pilot fish]

I agree and disagree. If you are referring to a true advanced course, such as the LA County Advanced Diver Program or YMCA's Silver Advanced, a diver needs more dives (25 or so after certification) before beginning the class, although I think 50 is excessive. If you are referring to AOW, it really doesn't matter, because it accomplishes little other than give a card and an artificial sense of accomplishment.

OK, the 50 dive minimum is not set in stone, another number higher than 20 - name a number?, would be better than what we have now. You see, the word ADVANCED is misleading. Why not OW 1 and OW 2?

 

[pilot fish]

"It's to teach the student new skills and allow them to safely gain experience in new diving environments "

and you get that by diving. A minimum would indicate some level of experience, don't you think?

 

[Walter]

Actually some agencies do have an OW 2 program. AOW is misleading, it's not a true advanced course and if the OW course was adequate, there's no need for it anyway. Folks should shop around for a true advanced class.