Wreck (external) vs Deep Specialty with/following AOW

[Wibble]

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?

That's the crap that was on sale and, not knowing any better at the time, thought they were a good safety item. The hose is that "looks the same as a BCD hose but is in fact a CENJ" (or whatever it's called).

Why not mention the ankle weights too Very popular on the RIB when sorting your weight distribution works far better.

Having said that, I'm sure a DiveMASTER would like those noise makers. Certainly used them a lot in the Caribbean.

 

[lowwall]

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

Nav would also be on my list except that the original post specified that it wasn't an available option.

 

[noserider]

That's the crap that was on sale and, not knowing any better at the time, thought they were a good safety item. The hose is that "looks the same as a BCD hose but is in fact a CENJ" (or whatever it's called).

Why not mention the ankle weights too Very popular on the RIB when sorting your weight distribution works far better.

Having said that, I'm sure a DiveMASTER would like those noise makers. Certainly used them a lot in the Caribbean.

We have all bought a lot of crap

Somehow I also bought those bendy fins a few years ago against my better judgment

 

[Germie]

Also my first equipment was not what I wanted. I directly knew I wanted techdiving. But everybody said 'get experience'. I have asked soooo many times how much experience? And the answer was go diving. I did. 10 months later I could sell all my gear and buy the right equipment for technical diving. That was a pity. People found I was diving it 'too early'. But I still use it, and of course extra technical equipment came.

The problem with AOW is that it are just some experience dives. Yes, it brings you further. But most dives are nothing special and not needed to become a better diver. I would take deep for sure, navigation for sure, but the others? Night can be usefull, so I would choose that too.
But external wreck? It is just a dive like diving around a rock, but this times you see a wreck. No deco, no pentration, just swim around an artificial reef. Wrecks bring life around the wreck, but that is something you can read also about. History about a wreck is not needed to dive a wreck, but some divers really like it to know the history. A reef has most times no history, a wreck has. I think I would choose this for one of the 5 dives then too. Just to have fun. If the wreckdive is also a first boatdive, the boatdiving rules must be told by the instructor.

Photography can be nice, but only, and only when the instructor is a good photographer him/herself. And that is the problem. Most instructors are no photographers and still teach such courses. But only 1 dive is not enough to master it. Better is to start doing it when you are ready for it. And then don't take a course for a plastic card, but rent an underwaterphotographer to teach you what you want or need. The card itself is not usefull.

Search and recovery is a lot of fun and can help divers to better understand physics under water. So maybe that is an option too.

Ask your instructor to let you shoot an smb in all the dives at the end of a dive. That is a very usefull skill and in most times cannot be learned in just 1 time trying to shoot it. I do it several times with students.

ppb is not teached in naui, but in my eyes a course that is not needed. If you cannot master your trim and bouyancy after open water good enough for a beginner in diving, you had to fail or practise more before getting the card. I use a lot of time in an open water course by practising this. So after the required skills we do more than just a vinpivot.

 

[hendrik jr]

I'm working on my certifications via the NAUI/VA program to use some GI bill money. For those who don't know, you take the courses in 3-class bundles. Usually they consist of a core course (Basic, Advanced, Rescue, Master Diver), a required medical specialty (CPR/First Aid, O2 provider, DAN First Aid Pro, Training Assistant) and another specialty (Nitrox was required for Basic Scuba and Rescue requires Search and Recovery) sometimes the student's choice from a limited selection (from what I can tell, the VA had to see some occupational value?) I was going to take the full navigation specialty but that isn't an option now that I can see my choices on the site)

For the Advanced Scuba Diver (AOW) bundle I get to pick my specialty, and the E-learning platform is giving me these choices:
(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.)

• Nitrox (already got it)
• Full Face Mask (shop doesn't rent, free with gear purchase anyway)
• Drysuit (shop doesn't rent, also free with gear purchase)
• Underwater Digital Imaging (don't have a camera yet, and the whole internet thinks this class isn't worth it)
• Underwater Archaeology (not a lot of submerged civilizations in the Chesapeake yet)
• Hunting/Collecting (not my thing)
• Altitude (no plans for high altitude diving destinations in my near to mid term future)
• 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)

I'm leaning toward wreck, but I kinda want to tell my instructor "Chef's choice" and take his recommendation/favorite.

Any thoughts or a specialty I ruled out prematurely?

Go both deep and wreck because you want to stay longer so sidemounting and deco dives would be the way to go

 

[hendrik jr]

I will just take a few seconds to answer a minor question you asked.

Many charters are now requiring AOW for "deeper" dives, with deeper usually beginning around 80 feet (there is no clear rule on this). I don't know of any charters requiring a deep dive certification to go from 100-130. In all the cases I have experienced, AOW is all that would be required.

yes only advanced with SDI and SSI

 

[hendrik jr]

Agree strongly. Learning to work all your gear in the dark and making peace with the dark has huge advantages. Ascents, descents, buoyancy control, navigation, additional task loading, swimming at the surface are all harder in the dark. I find it a significant psychological challenge and more than just "useful".

specially navigation by night

 

[formernuke]

Go both deep and wreck because you want to stay longer so sidemounting and deco dives would be the way to go

Why sidemount? It has its place but not what the OP is planning on doing.

 

[hendrik jr]

It depends on who is teaching the external wreck class. Taught to the book? Most suck. Even more likely to be crap if it's a recreational instructor teaching it.
However, if the instructor is a technical wreck diver or technical wreck instructor, it can be a whole different ballgame.
When I taught it, it was 6 dives. 8 hours of classroom and land drills using a reel
We spent 1st dive surveying and sketching the wreck. 2nd dive was identifying external hazards and noting them on the sketch. 3rd dive was identifying possible entry and exit points including using a mirror to check for immediate hazards on the inside.
4th dive was laying lines on the exterior to aid in navigation. And responding to entanglement in said line. 5th was no/blacked out mask following the lines and ascent using an smb tied off to the wreck.
6th was limited penetration using a line and aiding a diver who had gotten entangled in a line.
I had more than one student tell me they'd never look at a recreational dive on a wreck the same way. And no way in hell they'd go inside without technical penetration training.
Including so called safe or clean wrecks.

on point 100% correct!

 

[cousindna]

These two specialties are what I consider core specialties in recreational diving if they are done properly and the instructor teaches real skills and not just a "dive with me" type of thing.

I believe the same with "Night/Limited Visibility." Navigation is very important too and should be taken early on.

In my area, I consider these specialties as core specialties:

1. Nitrox

2. Nigh/limited vis.

3. Navigation

4. Deep

5. Wreck (external survey)

6. Rescue Techniques (with the other associated DAN courses)

Avoid the type of courses/specialties where the instructor just takes you out diving and doesn't follow a formal course. Many of these courses are waste of time if they aren't done properly or if the instructor doesn't have the proper background/experience for these courses.

BTW, I don't believe in the "sampler" AOWSD courses. I offer full specialties in my advanced scuba diver course not samplers.

I don't think that your use of the word "sampler" is correct. The AOW dives are considered to be "experiential" in nature while accompanied by a Dive Professional, at least that is how I always viewed them. I always taught Deep, Night, Navigation, Wreck and Search & Recovery with Peak Performance Buoyancy as part of each dive. Just my two cents. Tks Dave