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

[Sevenrider860]

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.

How is this a "PADI" shakedown? Are these people requiring specifically a PADI AOW card? I am pretty sure those operators would take a SDI, SSI, NAUI, RAID or other AOW equivalents. Plenty of 21 year old instructors do more dives in a year than you have done in 20 and just might teach you something you weren't aware of or refresh some skills you have not used in those 20 years.

 

[boulderjohn]

As has been explained countless times over the years, the growing requirement for AOW on some dives is related to a dive operation's insurance. They want some objective measure to indicate the diver has a minimum amount of training and experience beyond the OW certification. They don't want to be sued for allowing a diver to do a dive beyond the diver's ability. Having an AOW card is such an indication. You may argue that doing a checkout dive is a better indication, but that is impractical in most situations. More importantly, you can still be sued on the grounds that the person doing the checkout dive had made a bad judgment.

The dive agency has no authority whatsoever in these cases, and it is not their decision.

 

[Edward3c]

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.

When I ran drop in open water sessions, those who often didn’t get signed off were the ‘know it all experienced’ divers, who only dived a few times a year. If you asked for a BSAC diver qualification you’d have to take the course.

Another have stated, take the course from whichever agency you fancy.

 

[Billg68bg]

Ultimately isn’t the goal always to dive safe? Education leads to a safer dive practice. Maybe you learn something you thought you knew, but didn’t. I know I’m far from an expert, but it makes sense to me.

 

[hammet]

In all fairness, I can relate to OPs situation. I got certified in the 80s and had been diving off and on for about 20 years on vacations. I was at beaches turks and caicos about 12 years ago and it took me a bit to figure out why my group wasn't going below 65'. I didn't have the cert. A few months later, I looked into AOW training while visiting my in laws in boynton never realizing the beautiful reefs that are just off the coast. I was thinking that I just wanted to get the card for my next Beaches trip. But, after getting my card, I bought all new gear from the training shop (forceE) and then the two or three times a year I would visit florida, I made it a point to dive there while my wife and daughter slept in. I became a much better diver in terms of air consumption, buoyancy, multitasking and even spearfishing and lobster hunting a few times. That door would never have opened for me had I not had to take AOW. I even met a couple of scubaboard members in florida along the journey!

 

[Rob9876]

I should know better than to wade in while everyone piles onto the OP, but as Ron White says "I had the right to remain silent, but I lacked the ability . . ."

While I'm sure the instructors posting here are above-average instructors (sincerely, no sarcasm), for myself and most folks I've known AOW is actually of very little value to dive skills - have seen plenty of proudly proclaimed "Advanced" divers flailing around like crazy (probably myself included at the time). The main value of AOW to me as a fairly new diver was to do 5 dives with an instructor with some new scenarios. Let's be honest, there's a good chance that someone with over 200 dives (even if spread over 20 years) may really not benefit that much from AOW, though it's good to keep an open mind.

And yes, I agree that $50 for a virtual card is absolutely a scam (even for a plastic card it's crazy). However, there are dive certification agencies other than PADI that don't charge crazy fees for cards -- just have to see if one is convenient for you.

But for better or worse the reality is that it seems more and more dive ops (especially in the U.S.) are requiring AOW for some or all dives. One option to get the card is to do AOW while on Blackbeard's or its related All-Star Liveaboard ships in the Bahamas (perhaps other locations) which is $150 plus fees (I recommend don't do e-learning) and works in easily with all of the different dives they do, and the classroom time is pretty brief and easy to work in over the week of diving/sailing.

 

[boulderjohn]

While I'm sure the instructors posting here are above-average instructors (sincerely, no sarcasm), for myself and most folks I've known AOW is actually of very little value to dive skills - have seen plenty of proudly proclaimed "Advanced" divers flailing around like crazy (probably myself included at the time).

When the course was created by Los Angles County in the mid 1960s, it was the most advanced class you could take other than instructor. The reason the class was created was because the LA County leadership noticed that a very high percentage of people were getting their OW certification, doing a few dives, and then quitting. They hoped that by creating a class that allowed divers to experience a variety of kinds of dives, students would find something that would pique their interest and keep them diving. That was all the class was supposed to do. NAUI, which was created out of LA County, did the same thing, and eventually other agencies joined in.

Today we can take many classes that are far, far more challenging, but the word "advanced" is still stuck on what is really now an introductory class. Back in the day it was an advanced certification, but it would be a mistake to consider it advanced today.

 

[tursiops]

Where did this $50 number come from?

 

[agilis]

I think 200 dives, especially if they were varied, are enough to qualify for an AOW card without going through a course. People who went through lengthy basic scuba diver courses, some weeks long, should not be required to go through anything more. I was exposed to more class time and more diving when I was NASDS certified in 1972 than contemporary AOW courses require. I've never been turned down for a dive when it's the only card I bother submitting. I've seen too many AOW divers still afraid of the water, practically clinging to the DM. AOW is meaningless. It's experience that counts.

 

[boulderjohn]

I think 200 dives, especially if they were varied, are enough to qualify for an AOW card without going through a course. People who went through lengthy basic scuba diver courses, some weeks long, should not be required to go through anything more. I was exposed to more class time and more diving when I was NASDS certified in 1972 than contemporary AOW courses require. I've never been turned down for a dive when it's the only card I bother submitting. I've seen too many AOW divers still afraid of the water, practically clinging to the DM. AOW is meaningless. It's experience that counts.

But here's the problem. If you have all that experience and want to go on a more advanced dive, the dive operator's insurance still says you need to have a card. You can argue with all the accuracy in the world that your experience is better, but if it comes to a lawsuit, the dive operator still allowed a diver without the required qualifications to do the dive.

If you want a dive log with 200 dives in it to work instead, I can whip one up this afternoon.