Some Questions about the AOW Course...

[lewyafc]

What is the difference with doing an Underwater Photographer dive, during the AOW course, and doing the Underwater Photographer speciality?
Also, what is the difference with doing a deep dive during the AOW course, and doing the actual ''Deep Dive'' speciality?
If during the AOW course i choose to do a Boat Dive, am I then qualified to do Boat Dives?

Sorry if I am confusing you but I am just wanting to know these things

 

[SkimFisher]

The dives you do for AOW dives are like introductory dives. Not the full specialty courses.

 

[tstormdiver]

With some agencies, AOW is like a "sampler platter" of dives from 5 different specialties, that introduce the student to what several specialties are. I am preparing to do an Advanced Adventurer (same as other agenecies AOW) course this weekend & will do a deep dive, a navigation dive, a night dive, a buoyancy control dive & a non- penetrating wreck dive. These dives will count towards any specialty's dives, if the students decide to pursue them.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You do not need a boat specialty or even a boat dive in aow to jump off a boat. Those entries are or should be covered in ow. Actually using it to count as a dive in the aow course is a bit on the stretching it side. As is uw photo. You should have your buoyancy down and trim I. Good shape before picking up a camera. The aow I teach offers an advanced skills dive, uw nav, night/low vis, deep, search and recovery, and buddy skills and assist. The last I guess could be an intro to rescue beyond what I teach on the ow class. Don't let a shop snooker you into fish I'd or boat or some other such nonsense. Pick dives that will improve your skills. And a course that will indeed teach you new ones. Not just take you on a tour. It will also help if your basic skills are pretty well down before aow.

 

[fisheater]

What they said. But I want to add that you don't need a "Boat Diver" certification or even AOW "boat diver" dive to be "qualified" to dive off of a boat. For that you jus need cash (or a boat or a friend with a boat.)

 

[TSandM]

The AOW dives, as mentioned, are single dives to introduce you to a subject. The specialties are additional dives, and additional written materials, to go into the subject in greater detail.

AOW classes, and specialty classes, vary in how much the instructor puts into them. Some are very good, and others are just ticking off boxes. One of the best classes I've taken (and I have taken a LOT of classes) was my Fish ID class . . . it was an extremely good one, and added a tremendous amount to my understanding and appreciation of what I was seeing in Puget Sound.

A boat diving specialty that talks about the specific safety equipment you might want to take when diving off a boat, and talks about strategies for navigation and returning to the anchor line, and teaches a skill like shooting a bag (a good thing to know, when boat diving!) is tremendously worthwhile. A boat diving AOW dive that simply consists of diving off a boat might not be very valuable.

I do not think it is really fair to dismiss entire subjects as being useless. EVERY dive or specialty is an opportunity to learn something, if the student is motivated and the instructor has any passion for teaching.

 

[Peter Guy]

Don't let a shop snooker you into fish I'd or boat or some other such nonsense.

Don't let a SB poster "snooker you" into not making the course fit your requirements. Since you appear to live in Scotland and are a new diver, having a "Boat Dive" as one of your AOW dives may be a very good idea -- ESPECIALLY if the instructor does his job and adds value above and beyond what is in your written materials. I know I'd be very appreciative of the information I received from an instructor who goes into detail about boat diving in your area -- how to read currents, what gas planning you should do, the various methods of egress/ingress on the types of boats in your area, etc.

lewyafc, I believe the key to a successful AOW class (whatever the agency) is to make sure the instructor goes beyond the written materials and provides you with value added especially as it pertains to your unique diving situation. Good Luck and keep asking questions here on SB.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, what Jim L. said. PADI specialty certs. involve 3 or usually 4 dives, a bit of reading, possibly a little classroom or some discussion before the dives, etc. Nitrox has a written test and our instructor gave us a 10 basic question test for Deep. Take specialties that will improve your diving and safety. Then maybe some other stuff that's interesting, if you want to spend the $. Or pick up info. from someone experienced, say, in photography.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I always felt that boat diving was the poorest value of all specialty courses.

Keep in mind that the value in having an AOW dive is in the card itself, not in the knowledge gained. With the AOW card you'll be qualified to do deep dives off of boats and gain access to areas where you wouldn't be allowed to go with an open water card. I had better than a 1000 dives before I got my advanced card. I got it because the boat I always went out on wouldn't allow me to go on Sundays without one.

You'll get basically an introduction to all those classes. What makes you good at navigating isn't the class but diving and using those skills you've been introduced to.

Select the topics you're most interested in to go along with the required ones.

 

[tkdgodess]

I let the students pick the elective dives. If there are only 4 of them we get to do dpv