Should PADI change Advanced Open Water Diver Standards?

[Walter]

That looks like something new.

 

[Thalassamania]

That looks like something new.

New ... but the same old stuff.

 

[tedtim]

Then name, specifically the "Advanced" part is what generally seems to attact the most attention.

I see a problem with changing the standards, but not the name. If there is a substantial change in the standards to make the requirements more demanding, those with the current AOW certification cannot be distinguished from those who would complete "revised" AOW. If the AOW is used as a filter by operators to determine whether someone is supposedly qualified to go on a certain dive, then it will be problematic.

A new certification "name" should be associated with the "revised" standards. Don't tell this to PADI or they may create yet another level.

In any event, I agree with Walter - PADI is happy with it like it is.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Well SSI offers an advanced card which to me, has some value. Instead of a "course" you must take 4 different specialties with checkout dives for each specialty. But you also have to log a minimum of 24 dives before you earn the card. With padi you can go directly from open water to advanced open water and every single dive you have done could be done with a professional. At least with SSI you had to have done some extra dives outside of a class environment.

I did a padi advance course many years ago. It was laughable, I did it only to get the card since I had been diving several thousand times already. My instructor didn't show up for day two. But he issued the card since I had paid for it.

In my eyes the padi advance card proves next to nothing, lowest of all advance cards.

 

[Thalassamania]

Well SSI offers an advanced card which to me, has some value. Instead of a "course" you must take 4 different specialties with checkout dives for each specialty. But you also have to log a minimum of 24 dives before you earn the card. With padi you can go directly from open water to advanced open water and every single dive you have done could be done with a professional. At least with SSI you had to have done some extra dives outside of a class environment.

I did a padi advance course many years ago. It was laughable, I did it only to get the card since I had been diving several thousand times already. My instructor didn't show up for day two. But he issued the card since I had paid for it.

In my eyes the padi advance card proves next to nothing, lowest of all advance cards.

Al, sounds to me that it's basically the same as the PADI course: "Directly after the Open Water course Advanced Adventurer is the entry to continuing education, especially for those divers who cannot decide which specialty courses they want to learn. During the Advanced Adventurer Program you will have the chance to try out 5 different specialties. You will complete one open water training dive per specialty in order to get a better understanding for each specialty area."

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

The advanced adventurer is the same crap, I was talking about the ssi advanced diver card. That requires 24 logged dives and has two checkout dives per specialty.

 

[Thalassamania]

The advanced adventurer is the same crap, I was talking about the ssi advanced diver card. That requires 24 logged dives and has two checkout dives per specialty.

I couldn't find the course you refer to on SSI's web site ... it may be gone, gone, gone.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

lol, well I hope not. The shop where I taught is still offering the old one and not the new one.

 

[northen diver]

I couldn't find the course you refer to on SSI's web site ... it may be gone, gone, gone.

SSI Continuing Education Ratings

 

[Damselfish]

Well, they've changed it before, the PADI "advanced" class course didn't always have electives. When I took it the dives were fixed to deep, night/limited viz, search&recovery, compass navigation, and natural navigation. Still not advanced, but I think it was a little better that way and at least the card had a defined meaning.

I'm sure they changed it in the way that markets best and encourages the most people to take the most classes and as long as people aren't killing themselves that it the priority. I think the content of Advanced should be fixed, similar to the old with maybe PPB added. If they renamed it to OWII that might be nice too. And turn Master Diver into a class like NAUIs with some real content. IMO the current PADI master diver is pointless. Of course, they won't do any of this.