SCUBA shop that will issue be an AOW card after a few days diving?

[Ez E]

I cant answer your question about if someone will just issue you an AOW card without taking the class. But I would stress taking the class. What do you have to lose? The classroom(online) may be boring for you but that will only be a few evenings of work. Than you get to dive!!! Whats the downside? I dont see one. I think diving is fun even in a swimming pool . But you will get to dive open water somewhere so its win win.

 

[Angelo Farina]

A PADI AOW is not technically a class. It is a platter of 4 specialty dives (night, deep, etc.). Normal fun dives, nothing stressful.
My sons were certified during a LOB on the Great Barrier in Cairns (one was 12, the other 16). The program for the trip was 11 dives max, we managed to make 10.
I do not have an exact perception about which of the 10 dives were for the AOW card. For us they were all normal fun dives...
Also the theory part was trivial for my sons, already been certified OW with CMAS. I and my wife are CMAS instructors, so we trained our sons ourself to the CMAS standard (which includes stepped deco with enriched gas, diving at elevation on alpine lakes, etc.) already for their first course.
We found that PADI requires just a basic subset of this knowledge for AOW, they reserve the complete theory for more advanced courses, for grabbing more money from students.
But the conclusion is: forget shops, I never understood people relying on shops for being trained.
Go for a nice holiday in a resort or a LOB and dive with a local diving center, who will arrange for a nice program of funny dives in wonderful locations.
At the end of the week you will fly back with your AOW card, having spent the same money as doing the same holidays without being certified.
I repeat, AOW is not a class, it is just a platter of specialty dives plus a trivial theoretical exam, which was easy to pass even for my 12-year-old son, albeit he is dyslexic and of course not being a native English talker he did struggle with translation.

 

[ibj40]

I got CRED !!

View attachment 845396

If this isn't appropriate, Mods, please feel free to delete.

Spoiler

Hitler Isn't AOW...

I think it has been a while since this has been posted...it is time for a laugh again.

scubaboard.com

 

[Ez E]

If this isn't appropriate, Mods, please feel free to delete.

Spoiler

Hitler Isn't AOW...

I think it has been a while since this has been posted...it is time for a laugh again.

scubaboard.com

 

[tursiops]

Been diving 20 years, 200+ dives. Running into an issue with people requiring AOW cards. I don't want to take a course to learn to "night dive" when I've already done it 20 times or wreck dive etc given what I've already done. Where can I find a shop to dive with for a few days and pay for the cert fee? Sick of the PADI shakedown scam such a terrible organization. 50 USD for a " digital card". The grift in this business is so frustrating. Don't get me wrong I get the purpose but back in the day your logbook was what counted not whether some 21 year old dive instructor gave you a piece of plastic.

My guess is you'll have problems passing the 5 written quizzes in the AOW class unless you actually read the training material. How are your compass skills? How many fin kicks does it take you to go 100 ft? How many Cuft of gas will you use on a 100 ft dive? My guess is you are greatly overestimating your skills and knowledge. The worst students -- and the ones with the most difficulty with AOW -- are the ones who think they already know it all.

 

[smashweights]

I cant answer your question about if someone will just issue you an AOW card without taking the class. But I would stress taking the class. What do you have to lose? The classroom(online) may be boring for you but that will only be a few evenings of work. Than you get to dive!!! Whats the downside? I dont see one. I think diving is fun even in a swimming pool . But you will get to dive open water somewhere so its win win.

I agree with this. If you love diving, a few nights refreshing on basic diving info online then you're just paying for 4 dives in open water with like 5 minutes of quick skill demonstration.

Assuming you do PADI, IIRC
- Nav is required, demonstrate basic compass use and kick cycles to measure distance
- Deep is required, look at some color change chart, do some "narc'd" skill, then just go have fun on a dive near 100'
- Pick PPB - show you can hover for like 90s then enjoy a rec dive
- Pick Boat - show you can identify the parts of the boat then jump in for a rec dive

 

[tursiops]

I agree with this. If you love diving, a few nights refreshing on basic diving info online then you're just paying for 4 dives in open water with like 5 minutes of quick skill demonstration.

Assuming you do PADI, IIRC
- Nav is required, demonstrate basic compass use and kick cycles to measure distance
- Deep is required, look at some color change chart, do some "narc'd" skill, then just go have fun on a dive near 100'
- Pick PPB - show you can hover for like 90s then enjoy a rec dive
- Pick Boat - show you can identify the parts of the boat then jump in for a rec dive

PADI AOW has 5 dives, not 4.

 

[smashweights]

You're correct, even better! More diving!

 

[boulderjohn]

Night diving has not been a requirement for many years.

 

[CaptainChris]

What if whilst using a dodgy card and something going very seriously wrong on a dive, resulting in a law enforcement incident investigation??