Diesel298:
i have a idea
how about people just teach the divers how to do that right from the OW class
insted of holding out on info to add it to another class.
in my opinion the padi AOW is a joke and is stuff that should be tought in the ow class as well
diving agencies have dumed the whole thing way way down to the lowest common domonator to add specialtys and make more money, not good divers
I think I've already established that I'm not a big fan of the boat diver cert. Although, I must say that some of the ideas posted in this thread, if truly incorporated in the course, could make it a worthwhile course.
As far as dumbing down the courses, I can understand why that's done. I've looked at the faces and eyes of lots of OW students. For those of us that have been diving a lot, OW doesn't seem like a lot, but for someone who is just getting into it, it can be a lot to take in. Not everyone has a difficult time with OW, but I'd say the majority of students have more trouble than not, just with the few basic skills they have to demonstrate. To add compass navigation, boat etiquette, more refined buoyancy, and so on would only add to the stress.
I think AOW or Advanced diver or whatever each particular agency calls it has its place. Advanced is probably the wrong term for it, but that's already been discussed in other threads ad nauseum. Is it necessary to get the 30+ (I'm sure there are a lot more when you start counting all the distinctive specialties) specialties available? No, but some of them, if taught by a thoughtful instructor that puts some challenges into them, can be very useful.
Remember, we were all noobs with less than 10 dives at one point. Some of us may have learned a lot from more experienced buddies, but some of us may not have had that. Some of us may have had to complete specialty courses to get more information. You just need to be careful where you take those courses. I took my wreck course in NJ, because that's where wreck diving happens. I took my cave and drift diving courses in Florida, because that's where cave and drift diving happen. And I learned a lot in those courses. I also chose my instructors carefully.
My AOW course was a joke. I know it now. I also kind of knew it then. That's why I went elsewhere for more training.
Basically, if all you're going to learn in a boat diving course is how to jump into and get out of the water, then don't waste your time. If you're going to learn more (like some of the things mentioned here), then take it.
