Redesigning AOW

[Thalassamania]

BTW: I'm sure they do boat dives on some of their trips, but their local open water training appears to be conducted at sites that are "beach" diving.

 

[rollerboi]

If you are going to do PADI training anyway, and you get along with Instructors, it looks like a pretty good deal. It is along the lines of the for-profit-dive-club that I suggested might be the future model of diving once the internet has fully impacted on the profitability of the LDS. I don't know their business plan, perhaps it's not intended to provide a living for the two Instructors, just pocket change and what looks like a lot of free travel, I know a lot of instructors who (at least appear to) do a lot more for a lot less return.

From an e-mail to me:

The reason the rates are low is because we're a dive club, not a dive shop.Our goal is to offer education, experience, and entertainment. We're not alegitimate 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, but the goal of the clubis not to make money, just cover expenses.

And yes, all of the sites available locally are pretty much lakes and reservoirs. The divers out here tend to organize trips out to California periodically from time to time, at which point boat specialties are worked on, I'm sure.

 

[b1gcountry]

I agree. Well, they ask that we buy all course materials through them as well, so I imagine that helps with the overhead. The link is DiveMates. I am not affiliated with them in any way.

The materials for PADI classes are often $50-60 for each specialty. I'm guessing the AOW is taught as five specialty classes. Add the rescue materials, and you have $300+ in material fees.

$600 for five specialties and a rescue course is reasonable.

Tom

 

[ronbeau]

Walter...I looked at their site, and it seems like they are setting you up for Master Scuba Diver with that $300. course. (like an all inclusive get it all done) You have a year to complete...if anything it gets you out and diving!

I you are considering going that far you might want to consider something like the NAUI Master Diver course which is an actual course. It is an in depth course with a written exam required for certification. My LDS requires a passing grade of 90 for certification (NAUI minimum is either 70 or 75).

My pupose in posting this is NOT to start a PADI versus NAUI bashing thread (or any other agency for that matter). I posted it for information purposes. I also happen to have a PADI certification in addition to my NAUI certifications.

There are good and bad instructors affiliated with both agencies. NAUI tends to set minimum standards and encourages the instructor to exceed them. PADI tends to be more rigid with what the instructor will teach and when they teach it.

I know which one I would perfer if I were a Scuba instructor (I am not) based on my experience as a college level instructor. From a student's perspective it depends on the effort put forth by the instructor.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The materials for PADI classes are often $50-60 for each specialty. I'm guessing the AOW is taught as five specialty classes. Add the rescue materials, and you have $300+ in material fees.

$600 for five specialties and a rescue course is reasonable.

Tom

This is incorrect. Aow is taught as one class with one set of materials that runs from 50-90 bucks depending on how much profit the shop wants to make. It is called an AOW crewpak and consisits of a book titled adventures in diving and a video or dvd. The book gives brief overview of alot of the different specialties. You do 5 dives- one from each but uw nav and deep are required. I've seen the class go for from 150-300 bucks. There is usually no pool work and most times little to no classroom. It is designed so that you can go over the quiz/knowledge reviews at the dive site if the instructor so chooses. THere are some out there who teach it as a really valuable class. Many use it as a money maker and what you get is 5 more dives with an instructor where you learn enough and get a card that will allow you to go on dives where in some cases I've seen personally the AOW "diver" had absolutley no business being there but had the card so they let them. Unless you get a good instructor gas management is not taught to the degree it should be for the deep dive and that dive is mainly used to demo the effects of narcosis on you. Not a bad idea xcept that any dive below 60 ft counts as a deep dive and in no way prepares you to go to 100 or 130. THe AOW course is mostly offered as a marketing tool to get you interested in spending more money on the seperate specialties at least as far as PADI is concerned. As I stated earlier there are good AOW courses out there and some great ones. CHeck around. ANd in some cases the most expensive does not always mean the best- it's what that particular market will bear.

If I had to establish criteria for an AOW class knowing what I know now at a minimum I'd look for the following- Dives-deep, uw nav, search and recovery, peak buoyancy, and night. I'd not waste time on what that puts things like project aware-fish ID- boat diver- uw photo in it. Depending on conditions I'd be ok with subbing dry suit for peak buoyancy where necessary or drift as both of those if taught properly involve alot of buoyancy control.

I'd also need to see at least 2 classroom sessions where gas management and other skills were gone over. Not just, here read the chapter, put the drysuit on, we're gonna do this night dive and the current is running about 1-11/2 knots. No go over the functions of the suit, proper weighting, how to achieve it, how to use the valves, what to look for in one, how to handle currents and control of yourself in them, the use of primary and back up lights, etc. I'd also like to see if they'd do a pre AOW dive or two to see if you are even ready to go to 100 ft. If you can read a compass and watch your depth at the same time, do you do ok with low vis and can you navigate along the bottom without tearing it up. This is my plan for when I become an instructor to do with AOW students I don't know. I've posted this before too many people who are not ready for it swipe their card and get a card.

I just looked at the link you provided and I like what they are doing. If they stick to it I just wonder how they handle the student who does the five dives knowing the shops policy and then complains to PADI when they don't issue an AOW card?

 

[b1gcountry]

Jim-
An AOW certification can also be issued once a student has completed five specialty courses...the adventure dives being the first dive of a qualifying specialty. If one wanted to get to Master Scuba Diver as quickly and cheaply as possible, they would just take five specialties and rescue. The AOW cert would fall out automatically.

I didn't mean AOW must be taught this way, but it is one way.

Tom