Where to do AOW cert?

[ScubaSteve85]

Little bit of background. I was finally certified last summer after my third time taking the OW class (I took the class but did not complete the open water dives on two previous occasions, once when I was like 12 years old, and again in college). Since getting certified, I've done 10 pretty varied dives including drift, shore, night and quarry diving. I hope to do at least another 15-20 in the coming weeks.

Later this summer I would like to continue my training and take the AOW class, but I'm not sure where I should do it. I live in NYC and, like many others on here, did my OW check out dives at Dutch Springs quarry, which was great. But for AOW I can't help but feel I would be better served taking the class where I do, and plan to do, the majority of my diving, the ocean. That still leaves me with a couple choices though. Do I take the class here in NY where I can get introduced to the beast that is Northeast diving? Do I fly down to Key Largo and soak up some sun while I dive what I've heard are some beautiful wrecks down there? Should I go someplace in between? Jersey, Fort Lauderdale, etc? Or should I go a totally different direction and look north toward the great lakes?

I'd love to get some of your opinions on this. Also, if you've taken the AOW class in one of those locales and have a recommendation for a specific dive shop or instructor, I'd appreciate those recommendations as well!

 

[TMHeimer]

I did mine in Destin, FL (panhandle) at Emerald Coast Scuba. It went well and they have an outstanding reputation (my instructor has long left). If you didn't do your OW with Scuba NY (Yonkers and they have a Brooklyn location), from what I've seen and heard they too are a fine op.
AOW is only a taste of 5 specialties and a way to be certified to a recommended depth of 100', a requirement some dive ops have for wrecks down there. Of course, the course varies a lot according to instructor. Personally, I would do it the quickest, easiest and least expensive way possible. I wouldn't fly anywhere unless it's just to dive or have a vacation. I only did mine in FL because we usually snowbird there 3 months, so not really a vacation.
If you want a short drive, there is Cape Ann Divers in Mass. N. of Boston. I hear they are very good too.
Or, drive a little under 900 miles and come to Torpedo Rays Scuba Adventures, Dartmouth/Halifax, Nova Scotia--"Atlantic Canada's largest recreational dive facility"........

 

[NYCNaiad]

I live in nyc. I got certified in OW here (classes in Manhattan & the OW part in Dutch). I got my AOW in Cozumel during one-on-one training with an instructor. I attended the Intro to Northeast Diving dives that the NYC Sea Gypsies offer. (As a part of this, I did dives at Dutch first learning what I need to know & then dove a wreck down the Jersey Shore from a boat).

I prefer warm water diving, but do occasionally dive in the local area & commend you on putting some thought into this because warm & cold water diving are different. And NE ocean diving is quite different as well.

Personally, I'd recommend one-on-one instruction in the ocean while going for your AOW. I think doing this in a warm water location doing easy ocean dives will allow you to hyper focus on what you should be learning in AOW while still providing you with more ocean diving experience...& it never hurts to try out different types of locations. (+The Keys have some damn great diving!) The one-on-one instruction was the best thing I ever did because I learned & quickly improved a helluva lot more than I would have in a group class since the instructor focused just on me.

I'd also recommend joining the Sea Gypsies Intro to Northeast Diving since that can give you good training as to what to expect from NE diving.

 

[ScubaSteve85]

I live in nyc. I got certified in OW here (classes in Manhattan & the OW part in Dutch). I got my AOW in Cozumel during one-on-one training with an instructor. I attended the Intro to Northeast Diving dives that the NYC Sea Gypsies offer. (As a part of this, I did dives at Dutch first learning what I need to know & then dove a wreck down the Jersey Shore from a boat).

I prefer warm water diving, but do occasionally dive in the local area & commend you on putting some thought into this because warm & cold water diving are different. And NE ocean diving is quite different as well.

Personally, I'd recommend one-on-one instruction in the ocean while going for your AOW. I think doing this in a warm water location doing easy ocean dives will allow you to hyper focus on what you should be learning in AOW while still providing you with more ocean diving experience...& it never hurts to try out different types of locations. (+The Keys have some damn great diving!) The one-on-one instruction was the best thing I ever did because I learned & quickly improved a helluva lot more than I would have in a group class since the instructor focused just on me.

I'd also recommend joining the Sea Gypsies Intro to Northeast Diving since that can give you good training as to what to expect from NE diving.

Hello fellow Gypsy! I actually joined and attended my first meeting last month! I'm definitely looking forward to the intro day at Dutch. Definitely planning on attending.

I hadn't considered doing a one on one class before but I kind of like that idea.

 

[ScubaSteve85]

I did mine in Destin, FL (panhandle) at Emerald Coast Scuba. It went well and they have an outstanding reputation (my instructor has long left). If you didn't do your OW with Scuba NY (Yonkers and they have a Brooklyn location), from what I've seen and heard they too are a fine op.
AOW is only a taste of 5 specialties and a way to be certified to a recommended depth of 100', a requirement some dive ops have for wrecks down there. Of course, the course varies a lot according to instructor. Personally, I would do it the quickest, easiest and least expensive way possible. I wouldn't fly anywhere unless it's just to dive or have a vacation. I only did mine in FL because we usually snowbird there 3 months, so not really a vacation.
If you want a short drive, there is Cape Ann Divers in Mass. N. of Boston. I hear they are very good too.
Or, drive a little under 900 miles and come to Torpedo Rays Scuba Adventures, Dartmouth/Halifax, Nova Scotia--"Atlantic Canada's largest recreational dive facility"........

Thanks for the recommendations! Haven't heard of scuba ny but I will definitely look into them. Hope to make it up to Canada one of these days though!

 

[NYCNaiad]

Hello fellow Gypsy! I actually joined and attended my first meeting last month! I'm definitely looking forward to the intro day at Dutch. Definitely planning on attending.

I hadn't considered doing a one on one class before but I kind of like that idea.

I wasn't at that meeting, but we'll likely meet at some point in the next few months I bet.

The one-on-one classes aren't necessarily a crazy amount of money, but to me, the money wasn't as important as the learning. Often enough, a lower price equals less quality. I was happy to get the cert, but the one-on-one instruction moved me leaps & bounds ahead of others very quickly.

 

[ScubaSteve85]

I wasn't at that meeting, but we'll likely meet at some point in the next few months I bet.

The one-on-one classes aren't necessarily a crazy amount of money, but to me, the money wasn't as important as the learning. Often enough, a lower price equals less quality. I was happy to get the cert, but the one-on-one instruction moved me leaps & bounds ahead of others very quickly.

You missed a pretty crazy one from what I've heard. I'm just assuming they'll all be 4 hours long and full of people yelling at each other across the room about politics. Haha. See you around one of these days!

 

[TMHeimer]

Scuba NY's main location is on Central (Park) Ave. in Yonkers just S. of the Scarsdale line (left side going North). They do checkouts at Dutch and have their own on site pool--don't know if that matters with AOW. They may do some charters in the Sound or S. Shore LI--checkout their website.