UHGG another AOW question.

[DavidHickey]

Getting ready for Bonaire and my LDS is trying to convince us to take AOW while there. Or at least encouraging it. I have about 25 logged dives mainly in low vis fairly cold quarries in ohio. From what I've read AOW is not much help unless your going right from OW and still need help with bouancy or basic skills. I'm not AGAINST taking it but I'm not sure I want to spend a portion of my only vacation all year in a classroom setting or for that matter having to schedule my diving around the AOW dives. When on vacation I HATE structure! I just want to relax and not have a schedule for a change! I just don't want to spend my vacation doing the old go under and flood your mask clear your mask, flood you mask, go to the bottom and sit on your knees routine. But I've also heard that its not any of the go under and show me your skills type of training but more of a go diving have fun and pay for a card type of thing. Don't get me wrong I'm ALL for additional training just not sure whether to do it while on vacation or wait till I get back and do it locally. If you've taken it did you find it to be enjoyable and is there alot of classroom time or is it almost all diving? And is the diving with a instructor or are you mainly working on your skills independently with your buddy?
Thanks
David

 

[HowardE]

If you're going the PADI - AOW route... There is no class time... Just read the book - or at least the chapters that cover the dives you are doing.

Some dive sites (like in Key Largo) require the diver to have an AOW card or higher to do the dives.

 

[TracyKent]

There's no 'classroom' time. Its like you said about just diving and having fun. Your instructor will probably talk to you a little about the specific dive before and after and the rest of the time is just practicing the skill (navigation, peak performance, night, ...) Its another good way to improve your diving and gain experience. Besides, when is diving not fun?

 

[EvilSlumLord]

Yup, just took my PADI AOW and the only "class time" we had was about an hour to meet, discuss and agree on the dives we were going to do on the AOW. I wouldn't describe it as about working on your buoyancy, etc (although as with all dives it was a great way for me to do so), but rather as a way to experience specific other kinds of dives (deep, night, etc.) that you might not already have done. The only one where there was really a skills part needing to be demonstrated (at least in the set we did) was the underwater nav dive where we had to navigate a predetermined shape underwater. Not the same experience as the clear the mask, show me your fin pivots, ... sort of drill.

I actually DID spend some real class time on this but that was only because I did the Nitrox cert at the same time as AOW but obviously that is separate. The only work you would have to do is the reading and knowledge reviews (which our instructor looked at separately and talked to us about when we were out diving if there were any issues vs. having us sit thru class time).

At the end of the day, I like to keep my vaca simple too. Might be a great place to get the AOW but if you just want to kick back and dive for your own fun, I don't necessarily think you should feel you have to just because the LDS is pushing. It is after all YOUR vacation.

 

[jbichsel]

For PADI AOW, you have the choice of several 'specialty' dives to do: Deep (>60', <100'), Night, Wreck, Altitude (that won't apply), AWARE-Fish ID, Boat, DPV, Drift, Dry Suit, Enriched Air, Multilevel and Computer, PPB, Search & Recovery, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Navigation, Underwater Photography, National Geographic diver.

From this list you can see that several of these will be dives that you would most likely be donig anyway. The AOW cert is more about gaining diving experience than sitting in a class or reading a book. There will be more detailed 'briefings' in order to cover the necessary info and you will need to do a bit of reading or watch the video, but mainly it's about the dives.

There are five dives required: two required dives are Deep and Underwater Navigation, then doing any three of the other adventure dives.

Again, going to Bonaire, the Deep dive you would probably do anyway, so the only other required dive is UW Nav, which is extremely valuable in my opinion.

After that, Boat will probably be done anyway, Night will probably be offered and is a total rush!

Multilevel is probably something you will be doing without even knowing it unless you're doing it for AOW.

Fish ID can be fun by making a contest of who ID's the most species. Loser buys sodas.

Wreck is fun, but can get a bit involved with additional equipment and planning. But there are some nice wrecks around Bonaire, and you may dive them anyway.

Don't sweat it. I recommend doing the AOW since most of it will be part of the trip anyway.

Need a bag boy?

 

[rongoodman]

You'll need AOW from someone to do Rescue, which is a good enough reason in itself to get it done.

 

[CAPNVINNY]

I agree,there are a few short skills involved in the dives and your probably going to be doing those on the dives anyway so why not get credit for AOW

 

[jbd]

DavidHickey,
Your concept of what AOW is about is mis-guided. That may be what AOW has evolved into but a real AOW course is far more demanding. There is or should be a good bit of responsibility placed on the diver to plan and execute the dive plan as opposed to an instructor saying, "OK we are going to dive to 100 feet and see if you can do this task as well as you can do it at the surface. Next dive we are going to use a compass and see if you can get to point B from point A. For dive #3 we are going to swim around the sunken boat and count that as a wreck dive. etc etc etc."

What I want to see is how the AOW student(s) plan that 100 to 120 foot dive from start to finish. Whats our objective, whats our gas management plan, what is our abort plan etc, etc. In addition to knowing what were are doing I want to know what those plans are based on i.e. how did the student come up with the gas plan, what was the basis of the abort plan?

For the navigation dive, Again what is the plan as noted above and where are we going? As the instructor I set the parameters for this dive i.e. I require at least three course changes for my OW students so for the AOW students it will be four or five course changes with the final course change taking us back to the entry/exit point.

I think you cans see that this is far from what your above mentioned concept is of AOW.

Now back to your more specific question i.e. taking a course while on vacation. I agree with you about the whole relax not be scheduled for anything just chill out purpose of vacation. However if you are going to do any diving while you are there take advantage of it.

1.) Sign up for the AOW course at your LDS. Work on the material for the deep dive.
Find out prior to the trip what the most likely deep dive will be and create a plan
for that with your instructor at home.
2.)Take the plan with you to Bonaire and link up with an instructor at the appropriate
dive operation. Go over the plan with that instructor, conduct the dive, debrief the
dive and hopefully all will have gone will enough to be signed off by the Bonaire
instructor.
3.)If you had thought about doing a night dive while you were in Bonaire then do the
same thing with that dive.
4.)Finish the rest of the course at home with your LDS instructor.

Trust me a deep dive in Bonaire will be way more fun than a deep dive in Gilboa

 

[JodiBB]

My AOW was much more relaxed, but we still have to have a "classroom style" class to cover the knowledge reviews of each of our dives. Also, this was where the instructor briefed us of the skills we had to attempt on each dive. However, it was nowhere as intense as the OW certificate/skills.

During our deep, we had to open a padlock at 105' in 51 degree water (so try that with thick 5mm gloves on!!!!). We also learned about managing our gases and nitrogen narcosis.
Our navigation, we trained in a parking lot with towels over our head as to how to read the compass and make squares and triangles as well as kick cycles & then at 60', we did the same.
Our night dive was absolutely incredible! But our instructor almost had a reverse block in her ear (she was able to clear it) and we almost had to abort the dive.
Our wreck dive required us to know how to manage our gases as well as how to search a wreck and respect the wreck's characteristics (some wrecks I've visited since still have large suction areas near portholes, which could easily suck someone in!!).
The fish ID dive was a great dive for us in that it was Easter Sunday. My instructor brought Easter Eggs (real ones) and the fish came out in droves to smell and try to eat the eggs. We did bring peas as well and they had a feeding frenzy in our honor!

 

[Dutchman]

All these treads about AOW. Isn't it really about the dive operator or LDS making more money? One mentioned Key Largo won't take you out unless you have an AOW card. That sounds like money to me. AOW does expose you to other specialty opportunities. But really does little else. I would not take valuable vacation time to advance my card collection. If your dive goal is to become an instructor or DM, then go for it. You need all those certifications to get there. If you just want to dive and have fun, enjoy your vacation time and leave the training at home.