Question about AOW and Specialization

[Decompressionable]

If I were to get certified for wreck diving specialization... would any of those dives count towards my AOW cert.?

 

[captndale]

If I were to get certified for wreck diving specialization... would any of those dives count towards my AOW cert.?

You will get more out of the Wreck Diver course if you take Advanced Open Water or gain substantial diving experience first. That said, in the PADI system, Wreck Diver is one of the optional dives for AOW, so the first dive of the Wreck Diver course applies toward your AOW certification.

With SDI, the Advanced Diver rating is a higher qualification which requires four specialty certifications. The Wreck Diver Certification applies toward the Advanced Diver rating.

 

[ppo2_diver]

The wreck course requires the AOW as a pre-req.

 

[captndale]

The wreck course requires the AOW as a pre-req.

Duane, AOW used to be a prerequisite to PADI Wreck Diver but, according to their web site, that is no longer the case. Adventure diver is now the prerequisite. Adventure diver consists of the first three dives of PADI's AOW class.

 

[ppo2_diver]

You're prolly right. I don't have the wreck instructor guide in front of me. I only remember AOW as the pre-req.

 

[fisherdvm]

I guess it depends on agency. For PADI, one of the dive would count toward AOW, unless the instructor will try to kill 2 birds with one stone, by saying one is a boat dive.

For SSI, AOW is different - it is like earning 3 or 4 specialties, plus rescue, I believe - so it is a much more difficult path. I am not sure about other agencies.

I don't think you will save any money off the AOW by having one or two dives from your wreck specialty counted toward it, unless it is done by the same instructor. Heck, you could probably nail "boat", "deep", "wreck" all in the same set of dives. Add a little current... Who knows what else you can get out of your wreck specialty. The only reason why I would try to squeeze out this AOW card, just because the card is nice to have ... as some dive opts require it for some dives. But in reality, it doesn't mean squat in term of your diving skills - at least the PADI AOW card.

Will a padi instructor tell me if what I've said is right? I do know one PADI instructor who counted a diver's drysuit course as 1 dive toward his AOW card. So why not kill a couple more "adventure dives" with this wreck course. Do a little fish ID, float down the current, take a few pictures, pretend it is an "altitude" dive, do it from a boat, dive below 60 ft, do a few mental skills .... Heck, kill 2 birds with one stone, and get an AOW card as well.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Will a padi instructor tell me if what I've said is right?

As usual, you have stumbled off the path into a tangle of nonsense.

The prerequisite for PADI Wreck Diver Specialty is the same as for Deep Diver Specialty; PADI Adventure Diver or other agency cert comparable to PADI AOW, and minimum age 15.

Similarly, the Deep Adventure Dive and the Wreck Adventure Dive may be counted towards the Deep Diver Specialty and the Wreck Diver Specialty, respectively, at the discretion of the instructor conducting the Specialty.

Two differences between these Adventure Dives and Specialty Courses is 12 being the minimum age for Deep and Wreck Adventure Dives, with shallower max depth than 15 and older (70' vs 100').

Going the other direction; the first dive of a Specialty Course may be counted as the appropriate Adventure Dive towards AOW, again at the instructors discretion.

This relationship between Adventure Dives / AOW / Specialties is the only time a PADI training dive may be counted towards two certs. The second Wreck Dive can not also be counted as a Boat Adventure Dive and the third Wreck Dive can not be counted as a Deep Adventure Dive.

 

[fisherdvm]

Thanks for clearing it up. I am sure you are by the book. It does make sense how you put it.