Other than the LA County Advance Course, I have yet to see any AOW curriculum from any of the standard agency that's worth a damn. They're no more than a few guided dives. I suppose with SSI, they won't issue you The Card until you get 24-dives in, but you can still take the course right out of OW.
So, let's be clear about it. AOW is a cert and it isn't an indication of anybody being an "advanced " diver. Heck, I feel pretty damn comfortable in the water nowadays but I am far from being an "advanced" diver.
Here is the AOW class I teach:
The SEI Diving Advanced Open Water Course as Presented by UDM Aquatic Services consists of two parts. Classroom and Open Water Training Dives. The Classroom portion takes approximately 8 hours and can be done in two sessions or with advance notice a special all day (9-5) session. There are 6 dives to this course. I do not offer fluff dives such as Fish ID, Boat Diver, etc. There is an optional dive that may be substituted for the Search and Recovery Dive ONLY! This would be a Wreck Dive( no penetration) but would require travel to Lake Erie or other body of water containing actual wrecks and would be priced accordingly. School buses and airplanes in a quarry are not wreck dives for purposes of the course.
The subjects covered in the classroom portion include but are not limited to:
Gas management(1/3rds, 1/6ths, Rock Bottom, Dive Planning using consumption- SAC, RMV), emergency deco procedures using SEI Diving Tables air deco schedule, anti-silting kicks, redundant air supplies and deployment of such. One other area that is extensively covered is gear selection and use. I use a variation of Tom Mount's Guidelines discussed in the Tao of Underwater Survival. I also reserve the right to require or prohibit the use of certain gear and will give detailed reasons as to why.
We'll also cover compass, natural, and line and reel navigation and selecting the best method for conditions.
Night and low vis techniques, communication, and hazards along with light, strobe/marker selection.
Deep diving skills will cover and utilize horizontal descents and ascents, use of redundant air, deep stops, and deco vs safety stops.
We will also cover Search and Recovery techniques, equipment, selection, and use. Rescue skills will be included during the Buddy Skills and Assist Dive.
Proper weighting and buoyancy control will be stressed on all dives! As well as maintaining position and contact with buddy or team members. There will be no buddy separation regardless of visibility, water temperature, or buoyancy issues! You stay with your dive buddy at all times!
The dives will consist of an:
Advanced Skills dive using anti-silting kicks, basic skills while swimming and hovering( no more than 2foot depth change permitted), proper positioning of the team, deployment of redundant air supply( slung pony or stage), bag shoot for ascent. We will also adjust and position for proper weighting
UW Navigation using compass, natural features, and line and reel. All this will be done while maintaining good trim and buoyancy. Role of each team member in navigation is critical and will be stressed in every phase of the dive.
Night/Low Vis- Use of lights for communication, deployment of back ups, Navigation at night or in low vis, maintaining good buddy contact, light failure procedures, and navigating a line without a light.
Deep Dive- Descent , trim, buoyancy, timed task, deep nav swim using reel and line, Deployment of redundant air source for ascent using deep stops, and don't be surprised at an OOA drill while we are down at 90-100 feet!
Search and Recovery- select method, search for and locate object, secure object to lift bag, move object 75-100 feet horizontally followed by swim to surface with it, then using bag return object to bottom.
Buddy Skills and Assist- buddy positioning while maintaining trim and buoyancy control, buddy breathing swim, buddy assisted 100 foot no mask swim while sharing air, 100 foot no mask swim followed by ascent from 25 foot platform while sharing air, loss of buoyancy assist to surface(maintain buddy at surface while they establish positive buoyancy via oral inflation, dropping of weights, or ditching of gear), rescue tow to shore.
All dives with the exception of the night dive will last 45 minutes to 1 hour. Plan tank requirements accordingly. Average depth save for deep dive will be 25-35 feet. Questions or to sign up call me at 724-255-3765 or email via my website at Welcome to UDM Aquatic Services
Note this is not an AOW tour. You will learn and put in some work to get this card. Prerequisites are min of 10 dives post OW cert and if I don't know you and have reservations as to your skills and experience during our interview you may be asked to do a pool session and perhaps a couple short local dives with me before being allowed to take this class. It will be fun yes but you are not buying a card when you train with me. Training is guaranteed, the card is earned.