what is this thing called AOW???

[opalobsidian]

Let me see if I understand this advanced open water thang....

It's the class you must take after OW in order to take more advanced classes; and it basically consists of doing 5 specialty dives? And, some dive ops ask to see proof of AOW certification before allowing a diver to go to some dive sites?

I'm only OW certified with 40 dives, but must say I've already been taken out on night dives and down past 100 ft; in fact I didn't realise I wasn't "supposed" to do this sort of dive without some sort of additional training!

So, to get AOW certification, would I just pay a little extra to the Dive Op I use on my next vacation and they make sure I go on the 5 specialty dives and then I get credit for these dives and can move on to a more advanced class, like the Rescue Class which everyone says they love?

Thanks so much for spelling it out to me!
Pamela

 

[IceBergSlim]

Yep, That's prety much it. The AOW class is there to sort out the divers that want to continue their education. Many people continue to dive with just the Open Water card and that works for them. Other types want to continue learning and PADI is there to help. Just keep in mind that PADI has lots of redundancy.

Just ignore the courses that seem odd to you. Study what you are interested in.

 

[meekal]

I'm only OW certified with 40 dives, but must say I've already been taken out on night dives and down past 100 ft; in fact I didn't realise I wasn't "supposed" to do this sort of dive without some sort of additional training!

and you want to give MORE money to an outfit that didn't even train you well enough to "realise you weren't supposed to do that" - did THEY happen to mention anything about NDL's or ascent rates or other such silliness in your OW class?

 

[LiteHedded]

and you want to give MORE money to an outfit that didn't even train you well enough to "realise you weren't supposed to do that" - did THEY happen to mention anything about NDL's or ascent rates or other such silliness in your OW class?

the blame for that should fall on his instructor, not the outfit, right?
my padi OW book told me about these things

 

[TheFoggyMask]

You should get your AOW, it can come back to haunt you. Some boat charters, connected with a dive store sometimes, will bust your balls for not having AOW. Often they'll say, "Oh you can come, and we'll count it towards your AOW, but you're going to have to pay X amount of dollars for the class." I've heard a dozen stories along similar lines.

And I wouldn't blame the dive instructor necessarily for any holes in knowledge. As is true for most things in life, you only get as much out of it as you put into it.

 

[opalobsidian]

Foggy, you mean some Dive Ops take advantage of you when you're out on what you thought was a normal dive, and it happens to fall outside the limits of what OW certification permits you to do? Like you happen to go deeper than 60 feet and they demand you pay them extra for some kind of AOW certification dive? Yow! That's like diving with the Sopranos! Dare I ask what happens if ya don't pay up? Do I get a crash course in sleeping with the fishes?

Also, you have a point about not blaming my instructor for my not knowing some relevant rules; of course I hadn't been diving before the classroom sessions therefor didn't have any experience to relate to what he was saying, so quite honestly a lot of info probably went in one ear and out the other.

 

[Tollie]

Pam,

There is a lot of cynicism on this board about the a/ow course. I think the problem is in the “advanced” part.

The course is really designed to broaden you as a diver. To give you an opportunity to experience with training and supervision different dive environments (night, deep, wreck) and perhaps to use some interesting gear (DPV, Photo, search and Recovery).

It’s a course that really is flexible enough to accommodate a variety of interests and to enable you to continue your diving and dive education.

In basic open water you really are focused on maintaining yourself underwater… with the a/ow you get to reach out. In rescue you focus on other divers and how to respond proactively.

You can build a weak (IMO) advanced or a strong one. Make sure your instructor knows what you want out of the course… not just a cert but also a genuine education.

 

[TheFoggyMask]

More often than not its a miscommunication. They'll pull it on you when diving wrecks or where the average depth is pretty deep. If you don't pay, you don't dive. They have offered refunds on every story I've heard. Just get you AOW and rescue diver through PADI or NAUI and then choose your flavor of tech diving if you want to get into that. As a side note, universities prefer NAUI for divers they choose/volunteer to help with research and projects.

 

[scubabrn]

it wasnt until AFTER my wife and I had gotten our open water cert when our instructor/dive shop told us that an open water cert would only get you into the water if accompanied by a divemaster, which would be provided for a fee if you werent with one. However, and advanced open water diver could go anywhere they wanted and dive with whoever thay wanted.

 

[Tollie]

scubabrn,

thats very particular to your shop. The basic o/w cert (not the scuba diver cert) is for independent diving within the limits of your training.