PADI AOW

[GrafCanuck]

Completed my AOW in Bonaire last April with a private instructor. We reviewed each chapter at a high level and addressed any questions that I had. Prior to my dives I read the manual and completed the quizzes. Did the mandatory nav and deep dive. Also did peak buoyancy, night and wreck diving. All in all had a blast. Personally enjoyed my AOW over the OW. Highly recommend Paul at www.bonscuba.com for either your OW or AOW. Cheers and stay safe!

 

[mmerriman]

Very true.

From PADI:
What are the PADI Rescue Diver Course prerequisites?
You need to be at least 12 years old, certified to beyond entry-level with proof of underwater navigation training, such as PADI Adventure Diver with the Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive completed, and be fit for diving to be certified as a PADI Rescue Diver. Any diver with the prerequisite training who is at least 12 years old may enroll in the PADI eLearning Rescue Diver online program.
​

Although this is probably the most vague & ambiguous "pre-requisite" that PADI has. I spoke with two different PADI shops in two different countries and I got two different answers.
The PADI shop close to me at first stated that I need to have completed the AOW course before I could enroll in RD. This is NOT accurate. I just need to have successfully completed the Navigation Adventure Dive. Also, you CAN enroll in the PADI eLearning course without the AOW certification or the Navigation Adventure Dive. I know, because I did it.

PADI "urban myths" abound indeed...

yes - they really don't check prereqs at all for elearning......buyer beware

 

[tursiops]

yes - they really don't check prereqs at all for elearning......buyer beware

Not sure who you mean by "they," but an instructor is required to check the prerequisites before doing the practical portion of a course. Yes, anyone can purchase and do the eLearning, just as anyone can purchase and read a manual. but the instructor must "verify that they meet all
other course prerequisites, including minimum age, minimum certification level, medical fitness and any other requirements before progressing." See Training Bulletin 4Q2017, p.4.

 

[mmerriman]

Not sure who you mean by "they," but an instructor is required to check the prerequisites before doing the practical portion of a course. Yes, anyone can purchase and do the eLearning, just as anyone can purchase and read a manual. but the instructor must "verify that they meet all
other course prerequisites, including minimum age, minimum certification level, medical fitness and any other requirements before progressing." See Training Bulletin 4Q2017, p.4.

"they" meaning PADI. Yes instructors need to check. A real recent case for me was an OW student registered for the practical work and brought in her AOW elearning record. When told she needed to purchase the OW elearning she felt ripped off and was more upset with the LDS rather than PADI which could have checked the prereq cert easily.

 

[tursiops]

"they" meaning PADI. Yes instructors need to check. A real recent case for me was an OW student registered for the practical work and brought in her AOW elearning record. When told she needed to purchase the OW elearning she felt ripped off and was more upset with the LDS rather than PADI which could have checked the prereq cert easily.

I see no difference between someone purchasing a manual and them purchasing eLearning. Why should someone need prereqs to read something?

 

[CaveSloth]

I have a vague memory that AOW certifies you for up to 130 ft depth but lately I keep seeing that 100 ft is the depth limit. Was 130 the old limit and they have reduced it recently?

 

[tursiops]

I have a vague memory that AOW certifies you for up to 130 ft depth but lately I keep seeing that 100 ft is the depth limit. Was 130 the old limit and they have reduced it recently?

No, AOW has always been "trained to 100 ft". How deep you go is a different matter. It is the full Deep Specialty that "trains to 130 ft." Nothing really "certifies" you to any depth. The "certification" is that you have taken the training.

 

[TMHeimer]

I may be wrong, having started diving in 2005, but I think many decades ago there was no recommendation or "training" to either 60 or 100'. These depths came in years later. I think people were trained to the recreational limit of 130' and how you decided to "progress" to going that deep was up to you, with no "more advanced" courses to help. Am I correct, oldtimers?

 

[tursiops]

I may be wrong, having started diving in 2005, but I think many decades ago there was no recommendation or "training" to either 60 or 100'. These depths came in years later. I think people were trained to the recreational limit of 130' and how you decided to "progress" to going that deep was up to you, with no "more advanced" courses to help. Am I correct, oldtimers?

This has been discussed endlessly. Do a little searching!

 

[TMHeimer]

This has been discussed endlessly. Do a little searching!

Not recently. You're not supposed to say do a search! Just kidding, but people do say that.