Cthippo
Contributor
Can you just rent gear and go dive in most places with an OW card?
Question Skipping AOW
- Thread starter landlockeddivingdoc
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I initially got my AOW to be able to dive the Spiegel Grove, Duane, and Bibb with Ocean Divers in Key Largo, starting in 2004. They did have an alternative of proof of deep dives within a reasonable time, I would have met that with my dives from Grand Cayman but wanted to avoid the hassle.
I'm not sure operators still have the alternative to AOW, recent deep dives, I have not seen it recently. I have made no attempt to keep up with requirements for diving but can comment on my own recent diving. You need AOW and nitrox and at least 50 dives to dive Malpelo, Colombia. You need AOW and nitrox to dive the Castor with Starfish in Boynton Beach. You need nitrox for all dives with Jupiter Dive Center and need AOW for all dives but the 2 tank reef dives.
KenE
Contributor
Based on the questions you asked and not exploring outside those, here are my suggestions. First, you will not gain any additional knowledge from AOW that you would not get from the specialty courses. However, the specialty courses will not likely get you the depth certification required by most boat operators. I dove the great lakes and most dives require AOW or higher before you can get on the boat. I did not inquire as to whether a specialty course would qualify, so I suspect that it would be boat dependent. I would recommend AOW so that you have the depth certification so you can get on those boats while pursuing the specialty courses. You will learn from the AOW course and it will improve your diving, with a good instructor. Just keep diving and enjoying diving, take the courses over time and don't rush it. You will learn more and benefit from the $ spent.
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Who wants to be limited to 60 ft?
Belzelbub
Contributor
One of the specialties the OP was considering is Deep. If a Dive Op won’t accept a Deep cert and insists on AOW for a dive on the deeper side, then they clearly have a poor understanding of the certs. Not saying you are wrong, but if true, the Dive Op is run by idiots. Either that or they are insured by idiots.
Yeah, that’s what I do. Even though I do have more than required certs for most charters. Only card I need to show is my credit card at the gas pump.
Cthippo
Contributor
I guess I may be a product of my envoronment. I'm up on Puget Sound where most dives are shore dives, and there are no charter operators and so you either bring your own boat, know a guy, or dive off the beach. The idea of a charter defining what you need to dive is totally foriegn to me.
Ive been diving since the late 70's and was certified by Naui. Back in those days, here in Northern California, we planned our dives, executed our dives, used compass navigation on every dive due to dense kelp, and generally learned to dive safely or we didnt dive for long. These dives included surf entry and exit, boat diving, night diving, sometimes deep diving. We done lots of wreck diving, cave diving, and drift diving outside of California. None of us bothered with advanced certifications or specialty certifications. Not even sure those existed back then.
Over the years, weve dove all over the world and were never asked about our "level" of certification. Instead we were asked about our experience. This past September we went to French Polynesia and dove on Moorea, Rangiroa and Tikihau. We were told that our OW certification limited us to 60 feet. This is the first time I've ever heard of such a limitation in over 40 years of diving and some 1000+ dives. Fortunately, we were able to convince them to simply watch us in the water and decide. We were not limited, but if we had been limited, it would have been a real bummer. Having reviewed the literature about the "advanced" certifications, there is no reason for us to consider them as we have long ago mastered those skills. But, I worry about some strict dive operation someday being inflexible. I guess I better interview dive operations before booking dives with them. I usually leave the trip planning to my wife but perhaps I need to be more proactive.
Has anyone here been denied dives based on their "insufficient" certification levels?
Over the years, weve dove all over the world and were never asked about our "level" of certification. Instead we were asked about our experience. This past September we went to French Polynesia and dove on Moorea, Rangiroa and Tikihau. We were told that our OW certification limited us to 60 feet. This is the first time I've ever heard of such a limitation in over 40 years of diving and some 1000+ dives. Fortunately, we were able to convince them to simply watch us in the water and decide. We were not limited, but if we had been limited, it would have been a real bummer. Having reviewed the literature about the "advanced" certifications, there is no reason for us to consider them as we have long ago mastered those skills. But, I worry about some strict dive operation someday being inflexible. I guess I better interview dive operations before booking dives with them. I usually leave the trip planning to my wife but perhaps I need to be more proactive.
Has anyone here been denied dives based on their "insufficient" certification levels?
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