PADI AOW

[GameChanger]

I’m bored so I decided to do the PADI AOW eLearning just for kicks. I am a bit amazed at how simplistic the course was. First observation, there really is no ‘testing’ which I completely understand why. It’s supposed to be more diving than book work and it’s not a mandatory course.

I originally planned to do the 5 AOW dives during my April Coz trip, but that is now on hold indefinitely. If you spend a week in Coz you will more than likely do Nav, Deep, Boat, Drift, Fish ID, Wreck, Digital Imaging, PPB, U/W Naturalist and Night Diving as part of your regularly scheduled 2-tank dive activities. No biggy. I will now just have a DM scorecard me. I’m actually hoping to maybe actually learn something though.

For the eLearning part, do we have to complete all the courses or only the 5 we choose to do as the qualifying dives?

 

[Manatee Diver]

PADI AOW is a tasting menu of the dive specialties, so it doesn't go into any of the topics in depth. But there is a test, at least there was for the book version I did.

 

[GameChanger]

The eLearning has “Knowledge Reviews’ but the correct answers are given to you. Even a caveman can pass them.
The course outline states that the test answers are given to you so that you can observe and learn.

 

[Matt Vandercook]

you are required to do deep and nav. the other 3 are up to you and the certifying instructor.

 

[greeniguana]

You could theoretically do all 5 AOW dives on one tank in COZ...... deep, nav, S&R, drift and boat. However you can't do more than 3 training dives per day per PADI rules.

 

[shurite7]

I’m bored so I decided to do the PADI AOW eLearning just for kicks. I am a bit amazed at how simplistic the course was. First observation, there really is no ‘testing’ which I completely understand why. It’s supposed to be more diving than book work and it’s not a mandatory course.

I originally planned to do the 5 AOW dives during my April Coz trip, but that is now on hold indefinitely. If you spend a week in Coz you will more than likely do Nav, Deep, Boat, Drift, Fish ID, Wreck, Digital Imaging, PPB, U/W Naturalist and Night Diving as part of your regularly scheduled 2-tank dive activities. No biggy. I will now just have a DM scorecard me. I’m actually hoping to maybe actually learn something though.

For the eLearning part, do we have to complete all the courses or only the 5 we choose to do as the qualifying dives?

Here is a rarely asked question regarding the AOW. What you were expecting out of the course?

 

[Ripley]

Personally I will opt for the 5 specialties instead of the 5 dives.
The 5 dives just give a small taste, let you see a small part of each while the 5 specialties are more profound.

 

[Bob DBF]

For the eLearning part, do we have to complete all the courses or only the 5 we choose to do as the qualifying dives?

If your looking to learn, do all of them. Back when I did AOW, I completed the entire book so I would be farmiliar with other conditions should I ever run into them.

 

[HKGuns]

I did exactly as suggested by Mr. Bob DBF.

I found it a good reinforcement and learned from the specialties as well.

 

[TMHeimer]

If your looking to learn, do all of them. Back when I did AOW, I completed the entire book so I would be farmiliar with other conditions should I ever run into them.

That's what I did. Of course I had time on my hands. I don't recall any sort of "test" other than doing the (paper) knowledge reviews and handing them in. You only do dive one of each of the specialty courses. If you do AOW and then wish to complete each specialty, from what I experienced and have read it is difficult to get a shop to credit you money-wise for having already done dive 1. Perhaps that works if you do everything through the same LDS...? It's SUPPOSED to work that way anyway.