Question about certification

[beester]

Although above statements all are correct there is something iffy...

What are those depth allowances? You see them with every certifying agency... but last time I checked there is no scuba police tapping me on my shoulder when I get out of the water and fining me after they look at my computer for exceeding my depth limitation.

Of course... chartboat captains of diveshops might exclude you from certain trips without proper certification but to put this in the extreme... If I walk in a shop buy gear drop in the water... without ever having seen any certification, lesson, poolwork, skill set, whatever... who's going to stop me?

Is this course of action wise?? Of course not... but in my opinion relying on 5 additional dives (AOW) which will clear you for deeper diving or night diving or wreck diving or low vis - current diving... is as foolish.

Best thing to do after OW is to just dive... get to know your local diving community and dive. After a while people get to know you, you might gain some experienced buddies... they can then take you on progressively more demanding dives. Then after 30 to 40 additional dives you can look at furthering your theoretical knowledge...

Just my 2 cents

 

[clofty]

yes, the AOW gives you your first Deep dive and certifies you to 100'. Then you are able to do the Deep Specialty cert. which will then qualify you to 130'.

That doesn't mean that you can't do it right out of OW.... many people don't care, neither do the dive ops as they are a business and most interested in getting your money. I have seen newly OW certified divers go over 100' depth without thinking twice about it. Personally, I think they need a bit more experience before attempting those depths but I don't think the c-card is a requirement.

Back to the original question, I think every one should do the AOW class soon after OW just so they get additional time with an instructor and explore various diving conditions (deep, night, navigation, etc.)

robin

I am just recently PADI OW certified and I delt with different instructors for pool and then OW. Compared to when my husband did the PADI course 20 years ago (when he did it extensively over weeks), I completed mine over two weekends in pool and spring to 50'. I feel personally comfortable diving but have had the discussion with hubby as whether to do the AOW before more dives. It's hard to schedule more diving soon, due to kids and with hubby as dive buddy. I feel I should complete the AOW, since I had no experience in ocean diving and an issue with maintaining neutral buoyancy, probably due to weight belt.

I don't want to learn bad habits and I feel it's important to get more training. I intend to do an OW boat dive in November in St. Maarten on a shore excursion (will be researched and to 50-60') with kids back on cruise ship

 

[b1gcountry]

I've never once been asked for my AOW card in 12 years. I have been asked for Nitrox.

I wouldn't worry too much about what the certification says. Worry more about what your body and experience say.

Tom

 

[Sas]

I think some people here aren't really keeping in mind what the OP was asking.

To reiterate:

What are the limitations put on people with OW v AOW?
What do you have to do to obtain AOW?

It was not 'Should I get AOW?' 'Are certifications worthwhile?' Etc etc

Going out and doing lots of diving and meeting the local community is NOT mutually incompatible to getting an AOW cert, many people here do not seem to understand this as people often advise this in the place of AOW. I dive each weekend with my buddy and other people from the local diving community but I still did my AOW over the last few months, they were great complements actually. I think 4 dives for OW is two few anyway, so I like the idea of AOW as an OW II, as it gives you at least five more dives with an instructor to improve your diving.

Anyway, back on topic, there ARE limitations put on OW divers as opposed to AOW. Charters in my area won't take you to deeper dive sites without a cert card. I don't know about you but to get a 30m dive would take a hell of a surface swim if I couldn't get on a charter. In winter, there are fewer dives running from charters that you'd be allowed on with only OW, even though the dive sites are often along a wall where you can have a nice dive 12-18m. Also, probably more importantly, insurance companies won't cover accidents that occur at depths deeper than one is certified for. If you drop half a metre below your OW restriction, and something happens on the dive, then you get *no* insurance coverage through many companies (is this the same elsewhere?). Those are two very good reasons to get AOW even though there are no 'scuba police' making sure you stay at your certed depth level. I am certified to 40m but have never gone below 30m on a dive without an instructor as I want to improve my skills as a diver first and I do not have a redundant air source yet. Just because one has the certification does not mean that they will go straight out and do a stupid dive. Most people I have met have been happy to dive within their abilities actually, not their certification level.

As long as people are clear (and their instructor should be clear about this otherwise I would not see her as a good instructor) that AOW doesn't mean you should just start diving outside your abilities (but within your certified depth allowed) after 9 dives but it does allow you to dive at that depth when you are more comfortable in the water.

 

[b1gcountry]

Things are not the same in all parts of the world.

An OW certification allows you to purchase gear and fills from pretty much anywhere. This can be done even without any cards, but is much easier with someone's C-Card.

With a tank and air, you can jump into any body of water you can get yourself to, and the only limitations put on you will be those you put on yourself.

Some individual operators will offer up additional limitations, but even in these cases, its easy enough to sidestep them most places either by talking with the dive op, or finding a different one.

I have never provided anything other than my OW PADI card for any charter. In the Great Lakes, I've heard charters requiring doubles, drysuits, or pony bottles, but I've never heard them mention AOW. In Mexico they don't care. In North Carolina they don't seem to care. In the Keys I called a charter up that required AOW, but they waived it if you presented a logbook with decent experience.

So anywhere I've dove, the only limitations placed on me were mine.

Tom