What to expect on PADI AOW checkout dives?

[irishsquid]

I usually do my diving at Lake Lanier when I can't get to Fla. So I will work on my skills when I'm up there soon. It's definitely 7mm wetsuit time now. I 'm wanting to get a drysuit after the 1st of the year. I don't even take cold showers.

Thanks for the reply!

After all the drought this year, does Lanier even have 60+ ft. depth?
I'm going to work on my AOW this coming year also. As mentioned before, Nav and Deep are required. I'm thinking for the other 3 electives: PPB, Night, and Nitrox.
I admit to doing quite a few dives below 60ft. Many @ 75-80ft. and a few to 90-95ft.
These were done with experienced divers. I really didn't feel any anxieties, uneasiness, etc. I didn't recognize any effects of NN either. The big thing about deep IMHO is gas management! Low or no air @ 90 or 100ft is a completely different situation than @ 35ft. There are tons of very experienced divers on this board with way more info/insight into this than me, who can add alot more, I'm sure.

 

[jumbo]

Beyond what others have stated, it will also end up being fun

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Borg,

I agree with all of the tips offered up by the other ScubaBoarders.

As was already mentioned, the Deep and Nav dives are required. Usually, on the first night of class, the students will come to a consensus as to which of the other "specialty" dives will be done. Here in San Diego classes generally will do Night, Boat, and Wreck (with Boat and Wreck being done on a 2-tank boat dive to Wreck Alley). I wouldn't go getting too attached to any of the optional specialty dives since a democratic vote will determine which ones are selected.

The best kind of preparation you can do for the class is to simply go over your OW PADI skills. I recall having to do all of those same skills during the first AOW pool session. If you're super-motivated, you can read the PADI AOW manual. Keep in good physical condition: 30 minutes of a cardiovascular work-out 3 times per week is pretty good. Then, go dive. Hook up with a buddy and go have some fun. Once you get your drysuit you should have a good reason to go dive!

A fair number of divers nowadays go straight from OW to AOW. You'll probably find that you're one of the most experienced divers in your AOW class.

The PADI AOW class was a big turning point for me. Until then, the biggest obstacle to diving was finding a buddy. Since then, I've become really good friends with my fellow classmates. (I realize that this is probably pretty unusual.) I still dive regularly with 3 of them. I also dive with two of the guys who DM'ed for us. One class, 5 new dive buddies. Pretty cool, huh?

Good luck with your drysuit and AOW adventures. Dive safe.

 

[BORG]

I bought the AOW PADI manual this pass summer. Quite a bit of changes in the material and how it is presented since my OW class in 1982. I looking forward to getting the AOW under my belt after the 1st of the year. There are some wreck dives in Panama City. Fla. in the Gulf of Mexico I've wanted to dive for some time that I will be able to dive after my AOW.
Thanks!

 

[BORG]

Lanier still has some depth to it, but it has a long way to go to get back to anywhere near normal depth. I've been in Lanier at around 35-40' in the summer. It's cold and dark, with low vis. I'll probably want to take my AOW in the springs in Florida at least it will be clear, if not warm water temps.
I can't wait to get my drysuit, the thought of getting in the water anywhere right now makes me shiver!

 

[Tigerman]

What I did during my AOW was deep, night, navigation, search and recovery and wreck.

The S&R and navigation being the most "test-ish" dives, where we actually searched and recovered items placed by the instructor and navigating to specific checkpoints and navigating different patterns. I cant remember exactly how deep these where, but I dont think at any point we went deeper than 30 feet on these dives, so we had lots of time playing around with navigating and searching for stuff.

The deep dive I actually couldnt do due to equipment issues, however I had done deep dive with the same instructor before, so the only real loss for me was that I didnt get wet. OMG THAT SUX! We actually did another deep dive during AOW as well.

The wreck dive was a 100 foot dive on a Dornier 24 seaplane from the 2nd world war.
This dive was done AFTER the first deep dive, so everyone had experienced going deep prior to this dive.

The night dive was basically just a dive, during the night. There is of course more issues with regards to navigation, visual references, lights you need to carry and so on when doing night dives but much of it is handled topside. Lost buddies is one thing that can be quite critical on night dives. Imagine how easy it is to find your buddy dressed in a black drysuit in the dark of night when his light has decided to malfunction..

 

[dschonbrun]

The AOW will be a pushover for you after 200 dives.

As for deep and night, I found that time and air management require more diligence the deeper you go. Also, during the night dive, my anxiety level made me go through air faster.

For the other dives, pick ones that interest you. It's really about what types of diving you want to do. Nitrox is good if you want a bit more education on Nitrogen retention, DCS, OTL, etc.

 

[Thalassamania]

For another perspective.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Now Thal, you throw one bad example on top of ten good ones? AOW is worth the effort, especially when one finds an instructor who sees the value in what AOW offers.

 

[Thalassamania]

Read the thread, this chap had a bad experience, but the thread goes on to explain that a better instructor would have made for a better class.