Storm,Storm:I agree that your cert level does not necessary reflect your abilities...but it should...especially if your cert level will get you on a boat that is going to dive outside of your limits.
What you are equating this to would be similar to a rookie car driver getting a license, through nothing more than paying a fee, to drive a heavy transport. It is all fine to say the driver should not drive that rig, but then why let them buy their way to the license t begin with; a recipe for disaster.
If many charter boats require an AOW to board, one can assume that they expect their divers to BE advanced divers (i.e. experienced divers). That is why I think that having a set number of pre-requisite logged dives before allowing student to progress to AOW, and them making the AOW an actual learning endeavor, (not guided tours) would only benefit the diving students and the diving industry.
AlexMDiver,
Different people do learn at different rates, but text book learning and real life experienced are two very different things. I know the theory and aced every AOW review. In fact I held the highest score for both classes...big deal. It amounts to nothing more than developed memorization skills...not developed diving skills.
BTW the OW to AOW is not a progressive training flow. Progressive training builds on skills learned by adding new knowledge and taks loading existing skills. A progressive training example would be to take the basic safety skills that you learned in OW kneeling on the bottom, then re-visit these skills while horizontally hovering three feet off the bottom, or practice an assisted assent neither with diver wearing a mask. These build knowledge, experience and confidence. That is progressive training.
The AOW is not really an educational course...more of a introduction to five "specialty dives" via guided tours. (I'd like to know how peak buoyancy and trim can be called "specialty” skills...sort of basic requirement IMO, but we can come back to that one later.)
All I am saying is that if the AOW cert is the "key to the boat” then it should be an actual skill course, not an intro to different diving that will be taught in other courses.
Also, Gringo, I am not bored with my diving...just dry-docked till the ice is out...
Although I am doing weekly skills practice sessions in the pool.
Was away a few days, just catching up on this thread.
I agree with your thoughts on the AOW. I noticed the 'preview to other specialties' feel when I took the course myself years ago. I thought: ok, when are we starting with the advanced bits...
An interesting concept this AOW course:
What do most people define as advanced (I remember a good thread on this on this board).
i.e. by definition 'advanced' is only one tiny step beyond being 'basic'. Therein lies a problem. Usually divers with much higher skill are classed by many divers and dive operations as 'advanced', such as 'we are doing a morning wreck dive, advanced divers only!'. I suppose most AOW divers probably shouldn't be on dives classed as 'advanced dives', at least not if they do not want to increase their chance of injury...
When many divers complete the 'advanced OW' they assume that they are very good and advanced divers. Many divers are just one tiny step ahead of a very basic diver....however, some really are excellent divers. The spread of skill levels of divers coming out of these two courses is astounding. Some in fact do take to skills instantly. In my experience, the divers that are really dangerous to themselves and others after OW are still dangerous after Rescue and MSD and 100 dives or more....
They think they are very well trained and have no clue of their actual limits. If most divers knew their personal limits, everything would be a lot safer.
My worry is the introduction of several certs below OWD. Now there are divers that are a few steps below basic....of course constant uw supervision of these divers is a must (I truly hope that this always happens...). Instructors should never sacrifice the safety or quality of the training in favour of fulfilling the 'dive today' demand.
The cert. agencies have to take care to resist the lure of a one-day do-it-while-you-are-sipping-pina-colada-and-are-on-vacation course as a main market.
I can not deny that GUEs philosophy and DIR diving and training education makes a lot of sense to me. Is it for everyone? Probably not. Maybe soon. I hope I am not opening a DIR can of worms on this thread.
AMD