SSI AOW + Master Diver questions

[Sas]

Hi

Just a few questions on behalf of a buddy:

-Does Equipment Techniques count towards Master Diver and AOW certification?

-If a store has not sent away records of one's certifications to SSI for over a year (i.e. towards AOW + Master Diver), what is the best course of action to deal with this?

-How much is an SSI Master Diver card in Australia?

Cheers

 

[Skooter]

Yes equipment techniques counts towards the AOW and master diver.
If you have completed all the training for the certification level that is unaceptable. I assume you have talked with the instructor/store. What is their reasoning? If all else fails you could contact SSI or the regional rep and file a grievance. As far as cost in your area I have no idea. It would also depend on what courses you took.

 

[Sas]

Yes equipment techniques counts towards the AOW and master diver.
If you have completed all the training for the certification level that is unaceptable. I assume you have talked with the instructor/store. What is their reasoning? If all else fails you could contact SSI or the regional rep and file a grievance. As far as cost in your area I have no idea. It would also depend on what courses you took.

Thanks Skooter.

He has talked to the store for the last year about this (they have said that Equipment Techniques does not count so he needs to do another along with the others he has done), and is going to speak to SSI. I presume they'll advise him of the best course of action. Was just curious about what other people thought is the best way to get AOW/Master Diver recognised for him.

This friend has done four specialities already as well as Rescue, so not wondering about the cost of the overall Master Diver requirements, just the cost of ordering the card once all the specialties are done. What is the cost over your way? Does it vary depending on what courses you've done? I thought there was just one standard fee?

 

[Skooter]

Just to order a Master diver card runs $40.00. Usually the shop will have the card fees included in the class costs. Page 21 of the Austrailian SSI training standards quotes " In order to recieve a Master Diver rating , students are to successfully complete ANY four specialty courses and a Diver Stress and Rescue course and log a total of at least 50 open water dives for certification." If your friend has done this he deserves to recieve his Master Diver certification. Keep us posted as to what happens.

 

[Tom Smedley]

SSI Training Standards Page 33 Second Column Paragraph 6:
"In order for an individual specialty to qualify towards Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver or Master Diver it should include at least two open water dives."

The Equipment Techniques Specialty Course does not require open water dives. There is an option for open water dives but unless you made those two dives in conjunction with the Equipment Techniques Specialty Course the specialty will not qualift toward the advanced ratings.

 

[carrielsal]

SSI Training Standards Page 33 Second Column Paragraph 6:
"In order for an individual specialty to qualify towards Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver or Master Diver it should include at least two open water dives."

The Equipment Techniques Specialty Course does not require open water dives. There is an option for open water dives but unless you made those two dives in conjunction with the Equipment Techniques Specialty Course the specialty will not qualift toward the advanced ratings.

What would be the purpose of doing two dives for an equipment course? To verify that the student really did put that reg back together correctly? :shocked2:

Carrie

 

[Sas]

SSI Training Standards Page 33 Second Column Paragraph 6:
"In order for an individual specialty to qualify towards Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver or Master Diver it should include at least two open water dives."

The Equipment Techniques Specialty Course does not require open water dives. There is an option for open water dives but unless you made those two dives in conjunction with the Equipment Techniques Specialty Course the specialty will not qualift toward the advanced ratings.

Ok cheers, is that from the Australian standards? Do the standards vary around the world? Just wondering how come SSI website and also the shop's website advertises the Equipment Techniques course as part of AOW and then shops do not run them with two dives? (don't know any store who runs the course with dives). I thought he needed at least 50 dives and it didn't matter what was in the specialty (he has probably over 250 dives so the dive count is not an issue for the MSD card).

Also can he do two dives later for the course and be signed off for AOW? Rather than a completely new specialty. He needs the AOW card to cross over to another agency so wants that settled asap (Master Diver I presume he can work out at a later date).

 

[Tom Smedley]

Page 18 of the Australian Standards:

17. Each specialty course, in order to qualify towards Specialty, Advanced or Master Diver Ratings, is to include at least two open water dives. Exceptions are Deep/Diver and Stress & Rescue, each of which requires 4 Open Water Training dives and the Advanced Adventurer program that requires 5 Open Water Training dives.​

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Non-diving specialties may not count towards Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, or Master Diver ratings.
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[Sas]

Page 18 of the Australian Standards:

17. Each specialty course, in order to qualify towards Specialty, Advanced or Master Diver Ratings, is to include at least two open water dives. Exceptions are Deep/Diver and Stress & Rescue, each of which requires 4 Open Water Training dives and the Advanced Adventurer program that requires 5 Open Water Training dives.​

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Non-diving specialties may not count towards Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, or Master Diver ratings.
​

Cheers, any idea about the other questions?

 

[Skooter]

Thanks for the correction Tom, didn't see that till now. But to be fair lets quote the entire paragraph:

Each specialty course, in order to qualify towards Specialty, Advanced or Master Diver Ratings, is to include at least two open
water dives. Exceptions are Deep/Diver and Stress & Rescue, each of which requires 4 Open Water Training dives and the
Advanced Adventurer program that requires 5 Open Water Training dives.​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Non-diving specialties may not count towards
Specialty Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, or Master Diver ratings.
OR​

When specialty courses are combined (such as a boat dive at night using underwater navigation), the dive activities, including
the skills review, may be combined so the total minimum number of required dives is:
Number of Specialties Total Number of Dives

2 4
3 5
4 6
5 7​

6 8
So if your friend has completed four specialties he would have also needed to complete 6 dives to qualify for the AOW rating. The Stress Rescue requires four dives to complete. So ten dives total for the Master Diver rating.