Wreck (external) vs Deep Specialty with/following AOW

[feldomatic]

It is too early and ridiculous at this point of the OP's journey.

My advice to the OP, go diving get more experience, take training one step at the time, enjoy diving and move slowly and NEVER succumb to peer pressure here on SB. You seem to have a very good instructor, talk with him and set a training plan for your immediate plans. Be comfortable diving and enjoy recreational diving and be good at it. Enjoy the trip to the destination.

Thank you for this. While I started diving with a pretty lofty goal, I've been trying to keep a mentality of "yeah, I want to go full cave/wreck, but I really want to be the best diver I can be, which might not be a full tech diver" I was beginning to feel like I was falling behind some of my OW classmates (who are rocketing through their certs), and this is a good reinforcement to dive my own plan so to speak.

 

[schuylerclark]

To clarify a bit, I’ve got experience as a mountaineer with orienteering and compass work on land. I can triangulate from a topo map and find my way in wilderness. I still found my Nav class to be worthwhile.

 

[lowwall]

(Note: this is separate from the "taste of specialty" dives done as part of AOW, this is a full specialty course with it's own card.)

• Night/Limited Visibility - No doubt useful, not keen on sharing the dark with fish, but I do want to go on a manta ray dive eventually
• Deep - does this actually unlock 100-130ft for some charters/sites?
• Wreck (external) - Is this still a gateway to tech wreck?

For background I've got 15 logged dives going into AOW and a strong desire to eventually be full cave/wreck certified.

To me, the last two are the obvious choices, but what's the most immediately useful at my level? (I'll get the other one in the Master Diver bundle)

A deep course should be fun. It's interesting and useful to see how impaired you get at depth. Since it's the full cert, most ops that limit depth by rating will accept it. A few will blindly insist on AOW.

I'd also go for Night and Limited Viz from your list. Night is a blast. I actually prefer night dives to day dives. And being comfortable in limited viz is a very good thing.

 

[BoltSnap]

I would move navigation up one.

You are right, navigation should be at the top of the list. It would be practiced with every subsequent type of training.

 

[Wibble]

You are right, navigation should be at the top of the list. It would be practiced with every subsequent type of training.

Not core skills of buoyancy, finning and trim? Those are the basis of all diving and frequently overlooked in this pile-it-high-sell-it-cheap world we live in.

 

[BoltSnap]

Not core skills of buoyancy, finning and trim? Those are the basis of all diving and frequently overlooked in this pile-it-high-sell-it-cheap world we live in.

With NAUI, we consider these skills basic in entry and advanced level courses. If you are talking about technical diving skill level, they are done in intro to tech. course.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

There is nothing wrong with deciding the route you want to take early. I did. Then I listened to my recreational instructor and ended up buying a few thousand dollars worth of gear that I ended up having to sell because it was not appropriate for the diving I wanted to do.

 

[Wibble]

There is nothing wrong with deciding the route you want to take early. I did. Then I listened to my recreational instructor and ended up buying a few thousand dollars worth of gear that I ended up having to sell because it was not appropriate for the diving I wanted to do.

#MeToo

The realisation that basic courses taken in the Mediterranean most definitely do not prepare you for cold water, tidal, low visibility diving in 'weather'.

Sold all the "crap" and started buying the stuff that works. Out went the jacket BCD to be replaced with a backplate and wing -- which I still have and use. New hoses converted the regulators from dangly octopus to a reliable longhose + necklace. Ridiculous bendy flippers replaced with strong traditional fins -- which are now nearly worn out with use! The theme was yellow. My toes are curling from posting this.

All the stuff I bought afterwards I pretty much still have and use.

 

[formernuke]

What move to a wing long hose etc. is a good thing? Says who? For what purpose for recreational diving?

The techie fervor present here on SB is just too much.

I transitioned to bpw, long hose and necklace in 2009. I didn't do tech till last year.

I found several advantages to this even for pure recreational diving. But this is beyond the scope of the OP'S question.

He asked about which classes to take. With taking his future goals in mind several of us recommended the specialties thar are better to begin the process down his desired path. Had I known when I was in his position I would have done things differently and spent a lot less money.

@CT-Rich and @Wibble are correct. The path is slow and shouldn't be rushed. The key is getting the fundamentals down and practicing. But why waste money this early on things that won't help with future plans.

 

[CT-Rich]

#MeToo

The realisation that basic courses taken in the Mediterranean most definitely do not prepare you for cold water, tidal, low visibility diving in 'weather'.

Sold all the "crap" and started buying the stuff that works. Out went the jacket BCD to be replaced with a backplate and wing -- which I still have and use. New hoses converted the regulators from dangly octopus to a reliable longhose + necklace. Ridiculous bendy flippers replaced with strong traditional fins -- which are now nearly worn out with use! The theme was yellow. My toes are curling from posting this.

All the stuff I bought afterwards I pretty much still have and use.

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You bought both an underwater noise maker and a horn for your BCD? Was that an upgrade from the tank banger? Was the yellow belt to make you look like Batgirl?