Advanced Open Water Certification

[TMHeimer]

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In 2010, ILCOR (International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation), reviewed hundreds of studies and found that breathing just wasn’t necessary for people when doing CPR. Even for advanced medical personnel, like paramedics and doctors, breathing for someone in cardiac arrest has a limited role. The science behind this seemingly huge shift in treating someone has been around for over a decade, but it has only been recently that people in the U.S. have been paying attention (many European countries changed their recommended method well before the United States).


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Hmmm. Curious and somewhat disturbing.

 

[Redshift]

Breaths are fine WITH compressions. How do you do compressions with breaths while towing in water?

Sorry, should have been more clear. I was replying to Basking Ridge Diver.
Of course that in the water the extra delay caused by stopping to do inefficient ventilation makes things worse.

 

[RJP]

Do your breaths!

The idea of not doing breaths - for a lay rescuer - is that if the fear of doing breaths (infection, poor technique, etc) prevents you from doing CPR at all, forget the breaths and at least do compressions.

"Imperfect care rendered is better than perfect care withheld."

 

[Redshift]

The idea of not doing breaths - for a lay rescuer - is that if the fear of doing breaths (infection, poor technique, etc) prevents you from doing CPR at all, forget the breaths and at least do compressions.

"Imperfect care rendered is better than perfect care withheld."

That was the reasoning behind the emphasis given to compressions. But here we are talking to divers who can, should and often get training. The guidelines make a distinction between untrained and trained lay rescuers, and professionals, of course.

 

[Cav Scout]

Was wondering if there is any real benefit of obtaining AOW certification as opposed to keeping the OW (PADI) certification I have and if I have just been lucky to get to do the different types of dives that seem to be included in the specialty courses and AOW? Have read many posts in past threads on the topic and have obtained some valuable information, but wanted to revisit the topic for some fresh opinions.

My diving background consists of 4 checkout dives in 1998 with my next 2 dives not coming until 2005. The next 4 came in 2007 and I have been diving every year since getting in 8-14 dives. This year, as in future years, I expect to get in 20-30. Within my first 25, I completed several deep (between 90-110 ft.), wreck (swim throughs), night, and drift dives. Also have been on 8 drift dives where DM left us after 20 minutes each time to go back to get the boat to pick us up wherever we surfaced. The last of those dives were just my buddy and myself. I am very comfortable in the water and don’t feel I’ve ever been slighted on any dive trips except for those that didn’t let us dive our air.

It seems that the AOW, which I’m trying to convince myself I need, would allow:

1. a diver to do certain specialty dives where the DM requires that extra certification.
2. ease of mind for the dive shop liability-wise.

Trying to get past the feeling I will spend money to get an official certification for things I can do and have already done. I have no aspirations in diving other than to be able to go under when I’m on a trip.

Anything else?

 

[Cav Scout]

Was wondering if there is any real benefit of obtaining AOW certification as opposed to keeping the OW (PADI) certification I have and if I have just been lucky to get to do the different types of dives that seem to be included in the specialty courses and AOW? Have read many posts in past threads on the topic and have obtained some valuable information, but wanted to revisit the topic for some fresh opinions.

My diving background consists of 4 checkout dives in 1998 with my next 2 dives not coming until 2005. The next 4 came in 2007 and I have been diving every year since getting in 8-14 dives. This year, as in future years, I expect to get in 20-30. Within my first 25, I completed several deep (between 90-110 ft.), wreck (swim throughs), night, and drift dives. Also have been on 8 drift dives where DM left us after 20 minutes each time to go back to get the boat to pick us up wherever we surfaced. The last of those dives were just my buddy and myself. I am very comfortable in the water and don’t feel I’ve ever been slighted on any dive trips except for those that didn’t let us dive our air.

It seems that the AOW, which I’m trying to convince myself I need, would allow:

1. a diver to do certain specialty dives where the DM requires that extra certification.
2. ease of mind for the dive shop liability-wise.

Trying to get past the feeling I will spend money to get an official certification for things I can do and have already done. I have no aspirations in diving other than to be able to go under when I’m on a trip.

Anything else?

To the OP, in my opinion it is worthwhile. I did not feel cot

Was wondering if there is any real benefit of obtaining AOW certification as opposed to keeping the OW (PADI) certification I have and if I have just been lucky to get to do the different types of dives that seem to be included in the specialty courses and AOW? Have read many posts in past threads on the topic and have obtained some valuable information, but wanted to revisit the topic for some fresh opinions.

My diving background consists of 4 checkout dives in 1998 with my next 2 dives not coming until 2005. The next 4 came in 2007 and I have been diving every year since getting in 8-14 dives. This year, as in future years, I expect to get in 20-30. Within my first 25, I completed several deep (between 90-110 ft.), wreck (swim throughs), night, and drift dives. Also have been on 8 drift dives where DM left us after 20 minutes each time to go back to get the boat to pick us up wherever we surfaced. The last of those dives were just my buddy and myself. I am very comfortable in the water and don’t feel I’ve ever been slighted on any dive trips except for those that didn’t let us dive our air.

It seems that the AOW, which I’m trying to convince myself I need, would allow:

1. a diver to do certain specialty dives where the DM requires that extra certification.
2. ease of mind for the dive shop liability-wise.

Trying to get past the feeling I will spend money to get an official certification for things I can do and have already done. I have no aspirations in diving other than to be able to go under when I’m on a trip.

Anything else?

As a current AOW Student, I feel that is has been worthwhile because I didn't feel confident with my skills after OW certification. I researched and found a great AOW Instructor whom will not allow a student to progress without FULLY meeting the standards of the task at hand. You are obviously more experienced than I and our situation is different, but I now know that the quality of instructor is the deciding factor. My instructor threw in some pool time, which isn't required, to practice skill relentlessly. I am having a great time and learning a lot and I feel much more confident in my skills.

 

[Reku]

If you have already picked up the skills associated with the AOW class, then it may seem like a waste of your time. It may have a practical value in that there are a number of dive sites that you will not be able to visit with an advanced certification. Here is a video showing what can happen if you try to plan a dive to such a site without it:
The other reason for it is if you eventually decide to go on and get further certifications that require it.

That video was so amazing - but true!

basically AOW is something that lets the dive charters know you won't just up and die (hopefully) during a dive. It's kind of like insurance - by having aow they can say you were prepared for the dive and they don't know what happened (in the event something goes wrong).

 

[jonhall]

[QUOTE="Reku, post: 7652963, member: 469646"basically AOW is something that lets the dive charters know you won't just up and die (hopefully) during a dive. It's kind of like insurance - by having aow they can say you were prepared for the dive and they don't know what happened (in the event something goes wrong).[/QUOTE]

The more I read these types of posts (there are several threads about this) the more I wonder. Do dive op owners really look at it this way? Would they accept a diver's AOW card and then plan a dive to a penetrable wreck, even though wreck diver wasn't one of the specialty dives included in the person's AOW - and if something goes wrong they can say, "but the diver has an AOW cert."? How can they possibly know what a diver has done, other than the 2 required AOW dives, unless they were to ask? How would they know if a diver who has done the 1 specialty dive, whatever it may be, is really comfortable or capable of continuing to do the particular type of specialty dive, unless they were to ask? Do they really look at a c-card and say, "you are prepared!" Seems like that would make them more liable if something went wrong.

It seems to me that the only insurance is communication from the dive op and honesty on the divers part of their ability/experience.

 

[Jarzi]

^^AOW diver isn't certified for anything except 30 meters of depth. Adventure dives do not count as certifications (talking about padi here). Personally I will do AWOD and deep diver so that the divecenter I use can "legally" take me to places up to 40m deep and because in some countries, like Malta, that is the level required to rent gear.

 

[tursiops]

^^AOW diver isn't certified for anything except 30 meters of depth. Adventure dives do not count as certifications (talking about padi here). Personally I will do AWOD and deep diver so that the divecenter I use can "legally" take me to places up to 40m deep and because in some countries, like Malta, that is the level required to rent gear.

OW is certified to 40m. AOW is certified to 40m.
OW is trained to 20m. AOW is trained to 30m.