what to learn next?

[lcatahan]

Hi all,

I'm at 40 dives, PADI AOW certified, and at the stage where I realize how much I don't know that I don't know.

I work in a highly technical, safety-first field and I would like to work towards the same degree of expertise and comfort under stress while diving. I had the same instructor for OW and AOW and she was fantastic, but I felt the training was aimed at new divers, follow-the-DM with your buddy style diving.

My question is what more advanced courses should I be looking at? I've been reading the threads in the knowledge base forum on most frightening moments and panic, and I liked the safety cone described by Thalassamania. Beyond more diving, how can I best gain the knowledge and heuristics to deepen and widen my cone? My ultimate goal is self dependence, whether diving solo or in a group. I'm in the San Diego area if anyone has specific recommendations.

Thanks in Advance,
LC

 

[drrich2]

The Rescue Diver course is more about learning a risk mitigation mindset rather than dive skills, in my opinion (though they teach you some interventions), and a good course might be well worthwhile to you.

When you hit the 100 dive mark, a solo diver course (e.g.: SDI Solo Diver, PADI Self-reliant Diver) could also be useful.

Those things I've done. My next suggestions are things I have not done.

A course in underwater navigator or search and rescue might improve your sense of where you are in the water relative to your exit point. That can relive some anxiety.

A course that hones your dive skills to a higher degree may also build confidence. GUE Fundamentals, technical dive training, cavern and cave dive training, they could bring your capabilities up.

 

[Dark Wolf]

I would befriend some local divers, and focus on core skills. Nitrox cert may be handy for you.

DW

 

[Marie13]

Rescue. And go dive.

 

[formernuke]

Nitrox, rescue.

Dive, Dive. Dive. Pick a skill and pratice it for each Dive (except bouyancy as you do that every dive) and pratice it. Just tell the guide/DM if there is one you planning on doing skills pratice and which one or ones.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Find a technical instructor that will tailor a course or workshop to you. Tell them the skills you want to learn and that you don't want a card. You want knowledge.
My second book, "SCUBA: A Practical Guide to Advanced Level Training" (available on Amazon or from me) goes into what I feel an AOW diver should have been taught and what skills/knowledge a diver needs beyond that.
In my opinion, Rescue should be taken before AOW.
And AOW should not rehash OW.
It should be all new skills and knowledge to actually do the dives the card gives you access to. Which is why rescue should come before it.
Some ops use AOW to try and get out of liability when they put you on sites you have no business being on.
When I taught AOW it was not much different than my Intro to Tech class. Except you get a deep dive in AOW. I started each class by telling you the ways you could die doing the dives it gave you access to. Then we went into how we would mitigate that risk during the course.
When you were done you had the knowledge and skills as well as the knowledge of when to say, "I have my AOW card but this dive is way beyond me until I get more experience."

 

[boulderjohn]

You can get a lot of good advice from asking more experienced people. You can get a lot of bad advice, too. How do you know the difference?

I learned to ski as an adult when I moved to Colorado as a graduate student. I had very little money, and fortunately students got cheap lift tickets. I could not afford lessons, so when I skied, I watched the more experienced skiers around me and imitated them. Over the years, after I was finally able to afford lessons, I was never able to overcome all the bad habits I learned and ingrained while imitating the people who were also on the more beginning slopes with me. Even though I was skiing, skiing, skiing, the skills I was practicing were wrong, wrong, wrong.

I will also tell you that you cannot be sure an instructor is doing the right thing for you. Many people highly skilled in teaching OW and AOW classes are not at all trained in the more advanced training you seem to crave. Not only are many of them not so trained, they really don't know what some of that advanced technique looks like or how to get it.

I would ask around and find a dive shop that teaches technical diving (any agency) in addition to the recreational courses. Their technical instructors will be able to teach at the recreational level, too. More importantly, they can look at your diving and talk with you about where you are right now with your diving, where you are want to be with your diving, and what route you should take to get from one to the other.

 

[azstinger11]

Hi all,

I'm at 40 dives, PADI AOW certified, and at the stage where I realize how much I don't know that I don't know.

I work in a highly technical, safety-first field and I would like to work towards the same degree of expertise and comfort under stress while diving. I had the same instructor for OW and AOW and she was fantastic, but I felt the training was aimed at new divers, follow-the-DM with your buddy style diving.

My question is what more advanced courses should I be looking at? I've been reading the threads in the knowledge base forum on most frightening moments and panic, and I liked the safety cone described by Thalassamania. Beyond more diving, how can I best gain the knowledge and heuristics to deepen and widen my cone? My ultimate goal is self dependence, whether diving solo or in a group. I'm in the San Diego area if anyone has specific recommendations.

Thanks in Advance,
LC

Rescue can be a great course and teaches a lot of emergency related topics, very little in water diving skill improvement but worthwhile.

DAN Diving First Aid For Professional Divers teaches more advanced medical side of the house issues (and I think better O2 handling) than rescue, but again nothing in the way of diving skills.

The Emergency Diving Accident Management course taught by the Hyperbaric Chamber on Catalina island is supposed to be an amazing course, it's on my to-do list. But they didn't run it during COVID and its expensive. Emergency Diving Accident Management > USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Again no diving skills here, just managing a bad situation

GUE fundamentals is an ass kicker of a class and will beat good buoyancy, trim, propulsion, etc into you. I'd highly recommend it. You'll also get a NITROX (max 32%) card out of it, and drysuit if you choose to use one. If you want to dive doubles this would also be a good class for it.

Solo diver is a good course, teaches you a lot about managing yourself and staying safe underwater.

Los Angeles County Underwater unit (oldest civilian scuba certification agency) runs an advanced diver program once a year during the summer. I took this course after rescue, and it was great. A large focus on diving in southern California (so surf entries, rocky beach entries, reading the local weather reports/system to have the best chance at good conditions, plus a lot of diving up in LA). It's once a year and a bunch of weekends, its a hike from SD but we thought it was worth it. Very regionally focused knowledge and skills, but highly informative.

Both LA County and San Diego Council of divers put on Rocks, Rips, and Reefs series during the summer/fall. San Diego has different organizations host it, and LA County UW unit runs there. Show up with snorkel gear and they will cover dive sites for entry/exit/major points of interest etc.

For GUE fundies there are some great instructors up in LA, for other technical training I have found an instructor that I prefer and they are non-local to SD, but can/do travel and train here. However for finding a tech instructor, I would highly recommend interviewing a few to make sure you like their style and philosophy.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I would take 3 basic courses next. First, a lifeguard course to focus on surface rescue techniques. Second, a rescue diver course to focus on dive rescue. Then, I'd find an instructor who is a cave diver to teach you a trim, buoyancy, and propulsion workshop or course.

 

[azstinger11]

When you were done you had the knowledge and skills as well as the knowledge of when to say, "I have my AOW card but this dive is way beyond me until I get more experience."

I wish more divers came out of AOW with that......