Redesigning AOW

[Buoyant1]

Ah, good way of looking at it. Hmm. Checking their website, their "Gold" level is a $300 one-time payment and includes Adventure, AOW, Rescue, and Master Diver. As well as all specialty courses. I plan to jump on this once they start offering some more stuff in 2008.

wait a minute ALL THAT for $300? If so nice place! I've almost invested about $1000 in courses so far!

link?

thanks!

 

[TSandM]

Wow, that's a really good price for a lot of classes. They must have a lot of people sign up but never follow through, to be able to afford to do that.

 

[rollerboi]

Wow, that's a really good price for a lot of classes. They must have a lot of people sign up but never follow through, to be able to afford to do that.

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.

I don't mean to derail this thread; my intention in posting was simply to wonder if their philosophy behind AOW education is one that more places should be seeking to emulate or not.

 

[reel-wild]

i think aow should also account for the number of dives you have. the more dives you have the better diver you should be. with a mix of quarry and ocean dives. i will be starting my deep diver course with ssi in Feb.

 

[jimdiverman]

They must be making money on trips and gear then. They may tell you they don't make much money, but they have to be making money somewhere in order to afford low prices to "get you in the door".

It's not always the cheapest option to go cheap upfront in the long run.

I have spent tens of thousands on gear, training and training-related trips as most of my dives to date have been training dives, and I don't regret spending that money to learn from experienced instructors and learn correctly.

 

[Walter]

Ah, good way of looking at it. Hmm. Checking their website, their "Gold" level is a $300 one-time payment and includes Adventure, AOW, Rescue, and Master Diver. As well as all specialty courses. I plan to jump on this once they start offering some more stuff in 2008.

Adventure and AOW are part of the same course that requires almost no instructing. Since they are requiring 5 specialties for AOW (a violation of PADI standards), it will require more time and more teaching, but I'm curious - are those specialties included or are they extra? Rescue does not take a great deal of time and Master Diver isn't even a course, they've automatically qualified once they've completed the others (with the 5 specialties).

 

[Buoyant1]

Adventure and AOW are part of the same course that requires almost no instructing. Since they are requiring 5 specialties for AOW (a violation of PADI standards), it will require more time and more teaching, but I'm curious - are those specialties included or are they extra? Rescue does not take a great deal of time and Master Diver isn't even a course, they've automatically qualified once they've completed the others (with the 5 specialties).

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!

 

[jimdiverman]

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!

Is this PADI or some other certifying organization? I think PADI requires 50 dives for MSD certification. If they do boat dives, they are about $65 per dive. That is $3250, plus travel, gas, and equipment. Just air fills alone for 50 dives at $12 per fill is $600.

Only someone walking in off the street and completely new to diving would believe that he could get to MSD for $300. Maybe that is part of the hook; get the newbie to commit before they realize the real expense that is involved with actually performing those dives.

 

[Walter]

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!

Pay someone $300 to motivate me to go diving? What a deal!

 

[Thalassamania]

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.